Young women are propelling change within the golf world.

It is no secret that the sport of golf has been in decline and there are many aspects of the sport that some blame, from cost to attitude and traditions. Even with Jordan Speith, Jason Day and Rory McIlroy topping PGA Tour charts, equipment sales are plummeting and underused courses are falling by the wayside. Participation in the sport of golf is at a standstill, but there is a bright spot on the golf horizon: girls.

Girls Golf, a program for female golfers age 17 and under (run by the LPGA and the U.S. Golf Association) is a shining star in the golf world right now. The program is designed to increase the golf skills and passions of young women, as well as teach them self-esteem and social skills. Sandy LaBauve, a Phoenix, Arizona teaching pro, started the program in 1989 and since 2010 enrollment has increased tenfold to 50,000 young women. “It’s actually one of the few good stories about participation in the game today,” said Mike Whan, commissioner of the LPGA Tour since 2010. Now, females account for approximately 20% of golfers, however girls now represent 25 percent of junior golfers (up from 23 percent in 2011), according the National Golf Foundation.

NGF surveys found that in 2014, golf participation across the board remained stagnant with approximately 25 million people playing at least one round of golf. However, the number of beginners went up 100,000 from 2013 to 2 million in 2014 and the number of people interested in the sport was at it’s highest point since 2011, 32.3 million. These surveys revealed, upon closer examination, that the more skilled golfers are playing more and those less interested are fading away. Girls age 6 – 17 is a demographic that is actually growing in participation and interest in the game. The LPGA is benefiting from this growth spurt, with 12.7 million people watching the LPGA on NBC and the Golf Channel in 2014, a high from 9.7 million in 2010.

Whan realized that if girls did not begin to show a passion for golf at a younger age, the LPGA may not be around in ten years, so he decided to focus his attention on the future of the sport: girls. Since the financial crisis years ago when corporate sponsors yanked a majority of the sport’s funds, Mike Whan has turned the sport around and increased events and prize money for these young women. From 23 events and $40 million in 2011 to 34 events and $60 million dollars in 2015, the LPGA is really seeing the turn around that Whan knew was necessary. The LPGA is now investing $500,000 a year into the Girls Golf program and turning out elite young golfers such as Stacy Lewis, tour player of the year in 2012 and 2014, 20-year-old Lexi Thompson and 25-year-old Michelle Wie who won her first major championship at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Open. In addition to the influx of cash for the LPGA and Girls Golf, the coaches behind the program are to be celebrated as well.

Nancy Bender runs the Girls Golf program out of Valparaiso, Indiana and is a former teaching pro and high school coach. She believes in teaching her young women to be the best version of themselves they can be, and golf is just a tool towards that goal. She brings in women from traditionally male professions such as pilots and firefighters to speak to the girls and help emphasize her motivations. “The game is dying…What the LPGA is doing here is being proactive rather than reactive,” Bender said. One of Bender’s star pupils, Harley Dubsky, says that she barely remembers any of the swing drills that Bender taught her, but can talk extensively about how to interact and carry three-hour-long conversations with whom she’s playing 18 holes of golf. “Golf is a sport where if you push too hard too young, it really is easy to get overwhelmed and quit…You have to make it fun and have other reasons to play besides winning,” she said. Dubsky now golfs for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and has an average score of 73.8 with five rounds in the 60s and a low round of 67.

“We’re trying to build the message of golf courses being more welcoming to girls, women, and really all people,” Nancy Henderson, chief teaching officer and president of the LPGA tour’s foundation, said. “There are so many restrictions for kids in golf, whether it’s a dress code or times they can play. It’s not the most welcoming environment.” Golf will persist when it becomes cool and more accessible to kids, rather than a sport their grandpa plays on Sundays.

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