By Alistair Collier | The Business of Golf Magazine

INFORMATION BRIEF 143

As Women’s Month culminates in National Women’s Day on 9 August, golf clubs across the country join the nation in marking the 1956 march, by more than 20,000 women of all races to the Union Buildings, which was one of the defining moments in our history, and the origin of the enduring cry, “You strike a woman, you strike a rock.”\

As the Sunday Independent recently observed, South African women continue to break barriers “in business, politics, science, sport and the arts, carrying forward the same courage shown on the streets of Pretoria seventy years ago.”

That courage is helping to reshape golf itself.

Local and international research confirms a marked rise in women’s participation, with women reclaiming their share of a space long dominated by men — visible, as only one example, in the growing number of women now holding senior administrative roles in South African golf.

Globally, women and girls are the sport’s fastest-growing demographic: female participation has reached 34% of adult golfers across major markets, and in the United States, on-course female player numbers have surged 45% since 2020.

Locally, the 19th John Collier Annual Survey shows just over 12% of registered golfers are women — modest, but a steadily increasing statistic.

However, sustaining this momentum requires deliberate action, not just celebration.

The R&A’s Women in Golf Charter provides the blueprint: building inclusive club environments, dismantling historical barriers, and creating real pathways for women as players, coaches and administrators, while in South Africa, GolfRSA is driving strong uptake of the charter, with major unions, academies and metropolitan clubs showing solid adoption of its strategic objectives.

The real test, however, lies beyond the cities, in the need to extend this grassroots culture, deeper into our smaller regional clubs, where barriers are often more entrenched and resources more limited.

The numbers tell us the shift is real.

Whether it becomes lasting change now depends on every club — not just the flagship ones — choosing to open their doors wider.

Women’s Month is a moment to reflect and National Women’s Day is a reminder of what collective resolve can achieve.

For South African golf, the challenge is simple: turn commemoration into commitment, wherein every clubhouse, from the biggest metros to the smallest rural course, has a part to play in making sure women don’t just play the game, but help to shape its future.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email ajcollier@telkomsa.net or visit the John Collier Golf website at www.johncolliergolf.com