In the past two years, dozens of women have volunteered to work the two most recent U.S. Women's Open championships.
The goal was a multi-pronged effort that included: helping prepare course conditions for a national championship; shining a light on the abilities of women in turf; providing them with education and networking opportunities; and promoting careers in the turf industry to other women.
One key observation that came out of each event, first in 2021 at Olympic Club in San Francisco, and last year at Pine Needles Resort and Golf Club in Southern Pines was that raising awareness of careers in golf could only benefit by more women playing the game.
To help achieve the latter, Women's Golf Day was started seven years ago as a way to "unite women's golf across the globe" with an overall goal of growing the game both here and abroad.
Founded in 2016 by Elisa Gaudet, president of the consulting firm Executive Golf International, Women's Golf Day has been so popular that a day no longer is enough. This year, Women's Golf Day, which is a collective effort that includes allied golf organizations, individual facilities, management companies and retailers, was extended to an entire week that took place May 30-June 6 at golf courses around the world.
"Growing demand for additional days from host locations prompted us to expand to a weeklong format, resulting in impactful and significant activation on each day this week," Gaudet said in a news release.
Through this year's event, more than 1,300 sites in 84 countries, including more than 130 first-time courses in Japan just this year, have hosted Women's Golf Day events. On site activities include fitness tips, instruction, social activities, lunch and guest speakers.
"Golf is not a one-size-fits-all sport anymore," Gaudet said after the 2021 event.
"Women who have never played golf are beginning to see that in the 21st century it is a sport for everyone."
One such event was a day of instruction at Brudenell River Resort on Prince Edward Island conducted by Lisa Vlooswyk, speaker, golf journalist and multiple long-drive champion from Calgary, Alberta.
Vlooswyck has been involved in WGD since its inception as a Canadian ambassador. Promoting the game to other women is her passion, and her WGD golf school attracted other women from places such as Alberta, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, California, New Jersey Washington, D.C. Some of her students are repeat customers from past WGD events.
"I've been doing this since 2016," Vlooswyck said. "Because I want to help grow the game by bringing more women into golf.
"I participate in long-drive championships, outings and corporate events, and I noticed that 75 to 80 percent of all the people there were men, and I thought 'Oh, gosh, where are all the women?' I'd talk to them and they'd tell me they weren't good enough, or they didn't feel comfortable."
As a result, Vlooswyck started a golf school in Canada and the U.S. just for women.
"Women's Golf Day is a perfect fit for something like this, because golf is hard and it can be intimidating" she said. "I want to send the message to all women that 'hey, we belong.'"
Vlooswyck believes growing the game also could help promote careers in golf to women, including working as a superintendent.
"The more women we bring into golf, they more they might see it as a career, whether that is as a superintendent, in the golf shop or teaching," she said. "If you see it, you can be it."
WGD events included:
> WGD Palooza - a specially curated USGA Museum Tour, Instruction from Callaway and Titleist players, an interview with founding members of Project Ukraine and giveaways from WGD partners, including The USGA, PGA, R&A, Callaway, Titleist, FootJoy, PGA TOUR Superstore (PGATSS), Imperial, Marco Simone and Make Golf Your Thing.
> NYSE Opening - WGD founder, Elisa Gaudet, was joined by a delegation including representatives from Acushnet. and LPGA player Danielle Kang as Gaudet rang the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange.
> New Countries - Gambia, Greece, Peru, and Zambia joined the WGD community for the first time in 2023 taking the total number of participating countries to 84.
> Japan Growth - after running three events in 2022, WGD and The Japanese Golf Federation worked in collaboration to grow the number of host locations in Japan from three to 139 in under 12 months.
> Championship Venues - More than 1,300 locations have hosted the event since 2016, including Marco Simone, host of the 2023 Ryder Cup; Pinehurst; TPC Sawgrass; Firestone Country Club; TPC Scottsdale; Evian Resort; Taiheiyo Club Minori Course in Japan; and Aphrodite Hills Golf & Country Club in Cyprus.
> PGA TOUR Superstore - Official Retailer of Women's Golf Day held in-store activation events. PGATSS held events at most of its stores across the country. There were driving contests in the simulators and basic instruction for new golfers as well as putting contests and the chance to win a WGD-branded Callaway Golf Bag.
> Golf Town - Canadian retailer hosted WGD on June 6 at all 47 locations across Canada.