This USGA program helps women level the playing field

In 1946, Patty Berg won the first US Women’s Open at Spokane Country Club, beating a field of 39 players for the $5,600 first prize, which was paid for entirely by war bonds.

He may not see the event today.

Eight decades on, the 81st US Women’s Open presented by Ally arrives in June at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, where 156 of the world’s best women’s players – drawn from a pool of 1,897 entries – will compete in one of the sport’s premier divisions for a total of $12 million.

Do the math. The numbers alone tell a surprising story about the evolution of women’s golf. But like most good news, statistics only go so far.

Golf is booming more than ever before, and women players have helped power that boom. About 8 million people now play the game in the United States, according to the National Golf Foundation, which is a 46 percent increase from 2019. They comprise a record 28 percent of all golfers and are a major contributor to the billions spent on the sport each year.

And yet, for many women from all walks of life, golf is still often seen as someone else’s pursuit: governed by unorthodox rules, ambiguous codes of conduct and an embarrassing culture of inclusivity. For all the strides golf has made since Patty Berg grew up, segregation remains, limiting women’s access not only to the relationships and competition of the game but also to the relationships and opportunities that often arise around it.

That was the gap the latest rally on the Riviera was set to close.

Presented by the USGA and Ally, the presenting partner of the US Women’s Open, the “Golf With Us” event brought together 40 female business professionals, many of them new to the game, for a focused day of education and conversation. In the program, participants worked with eight teaching professionals in three stations including full swing, short game and putting. They shoot some and shoot others. No one was following the trail. The goal was not to produce novice golfers. It’s been something with a huge impact: helping women find confidence and comfort in a game that has profound benefits both on and off the course.

“I’m someone who’s been going (to golf) my whole life,” said Tisha Alyn, a former professional golfer, media executive, singer and entrepreneur, who moderated the panel discussion that followed. “Every opportunity, many friendships, most of the people I’ve connected with and the staff I’ve made in my life through this game.”

Alyn knew that made her out of the room. A quick show of hands confirmed.

“How many of you have played golf before today?” he asked.

Many hands went up.

“And how many of you have made a business deal in this course?”

Many hands went down.

Alyn’s three players had a lot to say about that golf course, which they would each face in one way or another on their paths to the match. Lauren Campbell, Ally’s director of sports and entertainment marketing, was introduced to golf at a young age through a father-daughter outing on the PGA Tour in Michigan and has spent much of her career since trying to make the game more accessible and inviting to women. Kat Harwood, US sports leader, Deloitte Consulting LLP, started as a passenger in a carriage, riding next to her husband, taking in the cool air and nature, until curiosity finally got the better of her. When the field was still, he started swinging. He realized that he liked it. What’s more, she found out, “I didn’t feel bad,” she said. Katie Conway, the USGA’s executive director of partnerships, grew up as a fan’s daughter, her childhood weekends built around Jack Nicklaus’ tee times. He even worked on golf courses along the way, but somehow never thought to pick up a club. Eleven years into his career at the USGA, he is still learning. He is yet to break 100.

Which, as the panel made clear, is beside the point.

As Alyn encouraged them, the speakers exchanged experiences and advice. Conway talked about treating every round as an opportunity to learn something: a swing tip, a courtesy point, a better sense of the rhythm of the game. He recalled playing Pebble Beach on the USGA tour, posting a score that wasn’t a course record, but walking away focused on the positive: one hole he played very well. He recommended accepting that thought. “Women don’t get as much exposure in golf,” she said, “and we’re probably harder on ourselves than we should be.” Get one good shot. Take that with you.

Harwood offered a companion thought: Don’t pretend to be evil. No sad post-shot comments, no apologies to your teammates. “I realized that I was drawing attention to my bad photos,” she said. Most judgmental golfers fear that the course only exists in their imagination. The truth is that no one cares how you play as long as you don’t slow down. “Just take the ball and move forward,” said Harwood.

Another pearl of hard-earned wisdom: Don’t hesitate to go in whole. For a while, Harwood said, he had never taken a lesson, which he used as a built-in excuse, until he realized how stupid that was. “I wouldn’t have done that in any other part of my life,” he said. If he wanted to learn how to cook, he took a cooking class. Golf deserved the same respect and attention.

The women in the audience were not the first to leave the lecture. They were successful professionals, mothers, wives. But Alyn was open about how long it can take to truly feel at home in the game, and how to reframe the moments that feel overwhelming. Being the only woman on the golf course, she said, is not that different from being the only woman in the boardroom. Both can be scary. Both can be done through mental gymnastics. “You might think, ‘Wow, there are only two or three women in this room,'” she said. I’m like, ‘Hehe yeah, I’m here.'” He added, confidence in the course can also be a matter of tricking it until you make it. “You’re all crooks in this room. You believe so much in whatever you try.” Apply that same mindset to golf, and eventually the feeling becomes real.

And whatever you hear in the lesson, remember: It’s a game. It should be fun.

The problem is, as bad as it may seem, it’s beset by barriers – some real, some imagined – that the industry is determined to tear down. For proof, take the US Women’s Open presented by Ally herself, the oldest tournament in women’s golf, and a tournament whose growth over eight decades is a shining reflection of the changing face of the game.

As Conway makes clear, you don’t have to be an expert to be part of the picture. He has no strategy for his game. Still focused on breaking 100. But his broad ambition cannot be measured in strokes. When past work sessions come up, she finds herself asking hesitant questions. Would she be the only woman in the group? Did others know his skill level? He would like to give up that confidence.

“I would like to get there and just say yes,” he said. “I would be happy to play with those customers without warning.”

She encouraged the women in the room to do the same, whether it’s an invitation to go for a drive, a mini-golf outing or a company scramble.

“Just say yes to golf somewhere else in your life,” he said. “It will change your personal and professional life.”