Tips for Playing Golf With Women

5 Tips When Playing Golf With Women

According to the National Golf Foundation, around 24% of all golfers in the Unites States are women — that’s around 6 million and the number of female golfers (adult and junior) rose by approximately 450,000 in 2020.

To help you prepare for the inevitable round of golf with a women ;) (or just to brush up on your gentleman skills when golfing with anyone for that matter), here are some tips echoed from a Jessica Marksbury article on how best to conduct yourself when playing with women to help make the experience a positive one for all involved!

1. Refrain from offering golf tips or instruction unless asked

Giving any kind of swing advice should be treated like offering advice of any kind to anyone: don’t do it, unless asked, or you run the risk of being dubbed a mansplainer. :)

I don’t think anyone — man or woman — appreciates an unsolicited swing tips from a fellow recreational player, especially if you’ve just met.

2. Don’t forget about the ladies in your group!

When someone in your group is playing the forward tees, please try not to blow past their tees after hitting from yours. We know this isn't intentional, but standing on the tee waiting for your playing partners to realize you haven’t joined them in the fairway is super annoying — especially when it happens more than once.

3. Don’t assume the ladies want gimmes

If you like to wipe away your own three-footers, go ahead! However please don’t assume that your female playing partners feel the same way. We have all missed our share of short putts (men and women), so in order to practice (and post a valid score for handicap purposes) many of us prefer to putt out.

Some golfers may be open to accepting gimmes, so the important thing is to simply ask before you act.

4. Stop with the "You Cheated Because You Get To Hit From The Forward Tees"!

Another pet peeve of most women is fielding complaints on the yardage “advantage” women receive on a given hole, especially in a match-play.  Handicap indexes are converted into course handicaps based on the set of tees being played, so if you have a problem with the fact that any woman can receive a shot advantage over you on a given hole that also includes a significant advantage off the tee, take it up with the USGA’s course raters.

5. Avoid The Surprised Tone Compliments

We all appreciate receiving recognition and congratulations from our golf partners when we execute a good shot, however please try hard to avoid a tone of surprise, if possible. Statements like, “I can’t believe you can hit it that far,” or “ Wow, I didn’t expect you to play that well” can seem like compliments, but also carry a bit of condescension and disbelief, even if it’s not your intent. Keep it general like you would when you are out playing with the boys: “Nice shot!” “Great play!” “Good strike!” — and you’ll be in the clear to have a great round of golf without the stink-eye.

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