June 4 promises to be the largest ever single-day celebration of women’s golf with venues from every corner of the globe joining forces to promote the sport through Women’s Golf Day.
With a growing profile and impressive roll call of supporters, it’s hard to imagine that a little over four years ago Women’s Golf Day was simply a pipe dream for founder Elisa Gaudet. Her commitment has galvanised the industry, bringing together a phenomenal number of industry influencers from around the world.
Over the past three years, Women’s Golf Day events have been held at over 900 venues in 52 countries, and have delivered golf experiences to more than 50,000 women and girls.
This year has seen the campaign continue to expand its global appeal. In Nigeria, thanks to development work with the Nigerian Golf Federation, a record 14 venues are already signed up to run their four-hour experiences, and in the Czech Republic there are 35 participating venues all preparing to welcome women and girls through their doors. As the campaign has grown, its impact has become apparent beyond Women’s Golf Day itself.
“What we are beginning to see is a deep-rooted change from the golf club level through to national organizations,” said Gaudet. “I set out on this journey because I wanted more women to try the sport that has brought so much joy to my life. I am really proud to have inspired others to run their own campaigns, because we have a singular aim, which is of paramount importance to the future of golf.”
Eight new countries signed up in 2018, including Hong Kong, while Vietnam and Lithuania are among the newcomers for 2019, demonstrating the global reach of the campaign.
Mike Hendrix, Vice President GolfNow Business Solutions, which has been ardent supporters of WGD from the outset, isn’t surprised by the continued growth. He said: “Our business services team has been speaking with hundreds of golf courses in North America about hosting their own event on June 4th, and the response has been great. We’ve seen golfers through social media asking if their local course will be hosting an event, and we’ve seen golf instructors step up and create and support events. Our golf course partners love this initiative and we salute Elisa’s passion and drive.”
This year’s WGD campaign is extremely personal for Gaudet, who has partnered with Play for P.I.N.K.®, a non-profit organisation that donates all of its proceeds to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. “This is a fantastic charity which is very close to my heart,” she said. “We hope that this new partnership will help raise awareness and much needed funds for breast cancer research through the power of golf.”
For more details on events planned for June 4, visit www.womensgolfday.com, and follow WGD on social media at @womensgolfday and #WomensGolfDay.