A new series of competitions aimed exclusively at Senior and Mid-Amateur female golfers has been launched in the UK, with the first tournament due to take place at Mill Ride Golf Club in Berkshire in May.
Women on the Tee was founded by golf enthusiast and businesswoman Julie Walker, who felt that are a lack of competitive opportunities for women to play in at all levels of the game.
Walker launched her first all-female Pro-Am in 2018, with 27 teams taking part in the inaugural event at Burhill Golf Club in Surrey. With support from Burhill and the PGA, the day was a tremendous success. The event returned in 2019, this time with 22 teams taking part in a shotgun event at Cuddington Golf Club, also in Surrey.
The 2020 renewal, the Ladies Scottish Links Pro-Am was due to be held at The Irvine Golf Club in Scotland last Ocotver, but was postponed due to the pandemic. Two more Pro-Ams are scheduled for 2021, with details of dates and venues to be revealed shortly.
Running separately to the Pro-Ams, Walker has launched a range of Women on the Tee one- and two-day events for Senior and Mid Amateurs, with five events in 2021 already open for player registration.
The current schedule sees Strokeplay WHS Qualifiers scheduled for Mill Ride GC, Ascot on May 25; High Post GC, Wiltshire on June 28; Bromborough GC, The Wirral on August 11; Leamington & County GC in Warwickshire on September 15; and a two-day competition at Kenwick Park GC in Lincolnshire on Sept 29-30, which will include 4-ball Betterball and Strokeplay events.
The Pro-Am at Bowood in Wiltshire, in partnership with the WPGA & PGA, and final Strokeplay at South Staffordshire Golf Club in October, will be open for registration on March 8.
Events are only open to Women on the Tee members – which costs £30 to join in 2021, although normally £60 – with the field limited to a maximum of 72 members. The events will be contactless for payment, registration and scoring, using Golf Genius tournament software for mobiles. After the event, competitors scores will be uploaded to the WHS system.
To find out more, to sign up for membership, and to register for events, visit https://womenonthetee.com.