More than 150 Irish golf clubs who have achieved Gold Standard in the Women in Golf Charter were presented with their awards at Carton House during the opening round of last week's KPMG Women's Irish Open.
In 2018 the R&A launched the Women in Golf Charter, which aims to increase women's and girls' participation and membership in golf, encourage more families to enjoy golf as a leisure activity and promote more opportunities for women to work in the golf industry.
Golf Ireland first signed up, and in 2021, with the help of significant funding from Sport Ireland's Resilience fund and the R&A's Covid Support fund, it launched the Women in Golf Charter Awards.
Clubs that received funding had three years to fulfill the Women in Golf Charter's Gold Award commitments, which implement a series of commitments aimed at bringing gender equality to golf clubs, from participation to leadership and everything in between.
These clubs are currently at the forefront of bringing about cultural and structural changes to make golf an equal and inclusive sport.
“Achieving the Gold Standard in the Women in Golf Charter highlights our clubs' commitment to making golf more inclusive and accessible. This historic event reflects our shared mission to ensure that golf is a sport where everyone can participate and feel welcome. We are proud of the progress that has been made and look forward to continuing this journey towards greater equality,” said Golf Ireland chief executive, Mark Kennelly.
In order to reach the gold standard, clubs are required to ensure that full membership is available to both genders, and equal access to timelines and competitions based on membership categories, not gender.
There was also a minimum requirement of 30 percent female representation on the club's management committee, and the One Club Model for proprietary clubs.
“Sport Ireland is a proud supporter of the Women in Golf Charter. The promotion of gender equality in all Irish sport is a key pillar of our work,” said Sport Ireland Chief Executive, Dr Úna May. “The increased participation of women and girls and golf memberships is great news and hopefully will encourage more families to get involved.
“Sport Ireland would like to congratulate each of the 150 clubs for achieving the Gold Standard in the Women in Golf Charter and encourage all golf clubs to continue the journey towards gender equality in participation and membership.”
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