Singapore: The positive impact of women in golf is destined to grow in the coming years as greater opportunities arise for females in all sectors of the industry.

That’s the view of Suzy Whaley, who has recently completed her two-year term as President of the PGA of America, the first female to fill that role.

In an exclusive interview to tee-off the Asian Golf Industry Federation’s Women in Sports series, Whaley said: “It’s been a slow process, but more females are coming into the industry now – and I hope there’s many, many more to come.

“Golf has been a very traditional sport, a very male-centric sport. I didn’t grow up concerned about that. I knew if I wanted to pursue something, I was going to do it.

“But it has its challenges along the way, and as we try to recruit women into the business, we want to make sure there’s opportunity there for them. We want to make sure there’s challenge for them. We want to make sure there’s joy and purpose in what they’re trying to accomplish.”

As she made her way in the game and climbed the ladder, Whaley was always mindful of setting a high bar and pushing herself.

She said: “It was always for me a mindset of ‘give it a little more and see if you can get there’. That was the great challenge. It wasn’t about failing. It wasn’t about making mistakes. It was about what was that next step to get to where we needed to be.

“I find that’s the sense in this younger generation. This younger generation is challenging the status quo – and I’m thrilled to see that.

“I’m so inspired by the young women that are coming behind me that are just pushing the envelope in every space in the golf world. They’re making a real difference – not only to the business of the game, but also the enjoyment of the game around the world. That’s fun to see.

“We want more women in the workforce. We’re an US$85 billion industry and at the PGA of America we’re only close to five per cent female as a membership. We want to elevate that number.

“We’re seeing a much different culture of inclusion. Whether it be from a cultural background, a gender background, a sexual orientation background, a religious background, whatever it might be, we just want everyone to enjoy the game and have access to it and be able to be a part of it.

“When people can see somebody who looks like them walk into a golf facility, or when they’re trying to purchase equipment, or they’re looking through a digital marketing advertisement and they see someone who looks like them in that advertisement, it’s much easier to join that thing that you want to be a part of than when you see nobody looks like you.

“It’s a challenge for the golf industry. I think often times it’s an unconscious bias, but it’s there – and it needs to change.

“We need more women seeing themselves in head professional roles and director of instruction roles, in general manager roles. We need more women as leaders at manufacturing companies, we need more women leaders in association levels in governance because it’s important to have that different perspective in the room – and it’s also good for business.

“As we look to equality, we have a way to go. I’m thankful that golf has been talking about this for years, but now we have some opportunities to do something about it and I’m excited about that.”

*The full interview with Suzy Whaley can be viewed at the Asian Golf Industry Federation’s You Tube page or by clicking here.