“If we can keep working really hard to grow the game and to get these young girls, it’s a fantastic career”

Golf must work hard to get the word out on the growing opportunities for women to forge careers in the game.

Speaking to Sarah Stirk on The GBQ Podcast, Lynn McCool, WPGA committee member, said the organisation’s big role was to encourage more youngsters to work in teaching or golf club management.

The WPGA represents the interests of all female professionals working across the world.

But with women making up around 300 of The PGA’s 7,000 Members, McCool, who has held a series of high-profile roles at Irish clubs and was last year appointed General Manager at Donegal, said more needed to be done to educate young players about the heights they could reach as female professionals.

Outlining the role of the WPGA, McCool said: “The Women’s PGA is part of The PGA and there are over 300 lady golf professionals in the industry working at clubs – either teaching or in management.

“It’s a great group that really dedicate themselves to the professionalism of the sport. There is a committee and it’s really about growing the game of golf and supporting the lady professionals within the PGA. There are seminars and tournaments that take place and it’s really given everyone an opportunity to excel in their profession. It’s a wonderful thing.

“Our big role now is to encourage more young pros coming into the game and either putting them into teaching roles or into management. It’s important that we do that.

“We’re seeing more and more professionals like myself getting into top roles as GMs or Head Professionals and it’s great to see that happening more and more.”

She added: “There are 250 or 300 lady golf professionals. We would like to see that grow more and we would like to see a lot more players coming through. I believe they have raised the handicap index to allow that to happen, so we can entice more young girls to join in.

“It’s really about getting opportunities. I was looking for an Assistant Golf Professional and there are very few of them (women). There’s lots of men out there.

“That’s always going to be the case. It’s the case in most industries. But if we can just keep working really hard to grow the game and to get these young girls, it’s a fantastic career they can have within golf clubs.

“If they have a love of sport, maybe a love of organising events, or if they have a love of coaching, or a love of being a manager, where else would you want to be but on a golf course?

“It’s about educating about what is available – that it’s not just standing behind a counter and, as one would say, selling Mars Bars. There is a lot more to it. We’ll never get to the numbers of the men but we can keep trying.”

Asked by Stirk whether the profile of The WPGA was currently high enough, McCool added: “I certainly think it needs to be raised a few levels.

“We have The PGA and we’re all PGA Professionals but it’s nice to have the body of The WPGA within that. Now, do the public know what The WPGA is?

“We certainly need to be doing more there to get the name out and we are trying to do that – and getting people to understand there are quite a number of lady golf professionals and they are The WPGA, but that brand needs to get out further afield into the public a lot more so it can be recognised.

“That would help with sponsors, events, networking, and it can really grow. There are opportunities that we need to be taking advantage of.”