Women in Golf Charter

Didsbury Golf Club has become the latest signatory to The R&A's Women in Golf Charter.

The progressive Cheshire club has pledged to drive participation among women and girls as well as encouraging more females to pursue a career within the golf industry.

In keeping with the founding principles of the Charter, Didsbury Golf Club will continue to make strides towards further developing a welcoming and inspiring environment for all women and girls at the club.

As a signatory, Didsbury Golf Club has made a number of firm commitments.

These include;

• Introducing new women to the game through our free 5-week taster classes
• Provide a clear pathway for women and girls to enjoy all the benefits the sport and club membership has to offer
• Provide access to PGA Professionals to help develop their enjoyment of the sport
• Providing a safe and welcoming environment for women and girls to enhance their golfing skills
• Provide clear opportunities for fair representation at all levels of the club's committee and board structure

The club has put in place plans to measure the success of each pledge as well as having set timescales linked to each commitment.

Didsbury Golf Club has received the backing and full support from England Golf - the governing body for the amateur game in the country.

England Golf will provide assistance via its network of Club Support Officers to enable the club to develop and expand its policy in the months and years to come.

Didsbury Golf Club has also appointed a Charter Champion to help coordinate the development of the plan to boost the numbers of women and girls involved in golf.

Margaret Lloyd has been a member of the club for 17 years and is excited about leading the Women in Golf Charter campaign alongside fellow member Adele McNeillie. Margaret is the current Club Secretary and plays a very active role across many areas of the clubs whilst Adele also holds a position on the club's management board.

Magaret Lloyd said;

"We invested £1500 into funding a free five-week coaching programme for ladies. This was highly successful and over 70 ladies signed up to give golf a try.

"The lockdown of golf courses meant we did not finish the lessons, but as soon as we are open again the lessons will resume. The ladies involved were really enthusiastic.

"There is a plan to run a ladies academy membership as part of the player pathway at the end of the course. We are also planning to investigate if this initiative can be incorporated into future membership strategies.

"The Charter is not just about getting ladies into Golf it also ensures Ladies are fully represented in Club life.

The Women in Golf Charter was introduced in 2018 by The R&A with the full backing of England Golf.

In October 2020, the initiative was given further impetus with the launch of the #FOREeveryone campaign.

The campaign begins with the distribution of a toolkit resource, designed to provide guidance on operational and marketing improvement to help attract more women and girls to the sport.

Didsbury Golf Club is now ready to contribute actively towards commitments that can change the culture of golf to the benefit of all of those who play and love the sport.

Further details on the Women in Golf Charter and how other clubs and counties can become signatories are available on the England Golf website.

Didsbury Golf Club - Women in Golf Charter Certificate