Waterlooville Golf Club (WGC) is one of several Clubs in the south of England embracing a new way of introducing women into golf – and it’s all about fun! Who knew?!
Forget the perceptions of yesteryear, this is an innovative approach called love.golf. When PGA Fellow Professional Alastair Spink originally thought of the love.golf concept he had one goal in mind; to help women fall in love with the game. And that is exactly what is happening with the help of 50 PGA Coaches around the globe.
And you need go no further than Waterlooville to see it in action …
WGC is fortunate enough to have a dedicated PGA Fellow Golf Professional and love.golf coach attached to the Club in Kat Chaszczewski, who is a strong advocate for getting more women into golf.
“I fell in love with golf in my twenties.” She said. “I turned Pro in 2008 and started coaching full-time in 2010. It has become a great passion and mission of mine to introduce more women to golf, so much so I completed a Masters Degree in Sport Coaching in 2022, with a research focus on the sustained engagement of women in golf.”
“The love.golf sessions are advertised through social media and both the beginner & improver series comprise a six- week programme of 90-minute sessions that take place on the golf course, competitively priced at £110 or £20 per session.
“There’s no dress code, equipment can be provided, and it’s designed for women of any age who want to learn to play or return to golf.”
Driving Change in Women’s Golf
Like many Golf Clubs in the UK, there is a diminishing number of female members that WGC is keen to address. And a recent global study, by Syngenta, revealed that women currently account for only 24% of golfers worldwide.
Kat has delivered sessions to over 1000 women to date, and since starting in January 2022 over 100 women have experienced love.golf at WGC, some travelling from other counties to participate. 20 have since joined WGC or a club closer to their home.
In addition to the coaching sessions, Kat offers golf coaching holidays abroad, including a beginner’s trip to Spain, with 8 WGC love.golfers attending last November. Recognising the importance of community, Kat organises social events to help the women integrate and play alongside each other on the course. Most recently a ‘golf and afternoon tea’ event saw 28 women to join in a fun 9-hole Texas Scramble on a Sunday afternoon.
Following on from the love.golf initiative, the women who are keen to continue are invited to become WGC Academy members for a further 6/9 months. Their membership will include five 50- minute individual coaching sessions and they are keenly encouraged to play on the course any day during the quieter times.
Kat concludes: “With more and more golf clubs continuing to see a decline in female membership, I’m optimistic that love.golf will help grow the community by making golf more accessible, inclusive and engaging.”