Women’s Golf Day: Debunking the myths about women are slower than men

On June 4th, golf facilities around the world will come together for a four-hour experience where women and girls will participate in golf for the first time. The day will also serve as a platform for current players to play and engage with women interested in golf.

Women’s Golf Day is a global community dedicated to engaging, empowering and supporting women through golf. The initiative was founded by Elisa Gaudet for women to enjoy golf and learn the skills that last a lifetime.

Participation in sport is one of the most important socio-cultural learning experiences for many people, and this is a great initiative which aims to future proof the game, make it inclusive and tackle golf’s perceived diversity challenges.

One of the many common misconceptions about women in golf is that they are slow around the course. In support of Women’s Golf Day, we would like to debunk the myth that females are slower golfers than men.

Here are a few facts:

• Women are more likely to play appropriate tees.
• Women are more likely to be mindful of etiquette and pace awareness.
• According to USGA Golf Innovation Symposium research, gender is NOT a typical attribute of pace variations.

Women are no slower than men and generally more mindful of playing appropriate tees. As leaders in golf course intelligence and pace of play management, Tagmarshal has tracked the pace and field flow at golf course facilities and tournaments worldwide. One of Tagmarshal’s leading partner courses dedicates Thursdays to women’s golf, and so we decided to compare Thursday to an alternative regular club day.

The data showed that there was no significant difference in the average round time. Using Tagmarshal’s pace of play management system, the women playing groups average round time was 04:32:02, while on a regular club day, players averaged 04:34:41 while the goal time is 04:35:00.

However, a deeper look at the data using the pace distribution feature shows that on the regular day on 31% of the field is on pace and 76% within 10 minutes if the goal time. On Thursdays, however, 51% of the field is on pace and 100% of the field is moving within 10 minutes of the goal time which shows that women are more mindful of golf etiquette and pace awareness.  

So… it’s in the data! We can clear that misconception up – women are NOT slower than men!

Used by golf courses globally, Tagmarshal’s revolutionary pace of play management software improves the playing experience by giving management and staff up-to-the-minute insight, automated notifications and alerts, at the click of a button, to manage the flow of the field effectively and provide objective support to alleviate pace challenges before they arise.

Slow play is a pandemic that affects every golfer. Spreading greater awareness about understanding universal pace-of-play principles and the use of pace of play management tools is the key to resolving the problem and ensuring an enjoyable golf outing.