Carin Koch: Dress codes put women off golf

European Solheim Cup captain Carin Koch has said that several golf clubs are missing out on thousands of female customers by having restrictive dress codes.

Speaking at The Golf Show, Harrogate, she said: “It is important to consider golf in the context of a customer experience. For example, relax rules about what you wear. I don’t think twice about wearing jeans when I pass by my golf club in Sweden, but in the UK it is a major concern for women who’d like to try golf.

“Jeans and trainers are the first thing you would wear when you haven’t got all the kit, yet they are not allowed, so there is an instant barrier – just one of many, in fact, and so women don’t often even consider golf as an option for their precious leisure time.

[Tweet “Unless you read the research and understand women, you won’t realise how important this is”]

“However, we know people will spend money on their leisure when the product is right. It sounds obvious, but unless you read the research and understand what is actually in the minds of women, you won’t realise just how important this is and why golf will lose potential golfers if it doesn’t think about putting the customer first.”

Koch also commented on the Solheim Cup, and in particular the controversial issue in which Suzann Pettersen refused to grant her opponent Alison Lee the tiny putt the American thought she heard as a concession.

“Of course much was said of the incident in the final fourball match, but this shouldn’t be what the 2015 Solheim Cup is remembered for,” she said.

“Suzann Pettersen apologised personally to American captain Juli Inkster and made a heartfelt statement on Instagram, expressing her sadness for the part she played. I feel this was the correct course of action by Suzann and I gave her my full support in doing so.

“The American team played magnificently in the final singles session, but for much of the afternoon it could have been Europe’s day as well. Ultimately, after three days of golf, one point separated the teams and despite some outstanding play from my team, the Americans outplayed us in the singles.

“Overall, it was a wonderful showcase for women’s golf. I believe the Solheim Cup will inspire women and girls to think about golf and take it up as a sport and social activity, and make it a game for life.”

Koch added that she was at The Golf Show in order to help PGA professionals in their endeavours to encourage more women to participate in golf.

“Over the past year I have been working closely with Syngenta on its market research and helping golf clubs and courses better understand what interests women about golf and how they can make the game more female and family friendly – to bring in new customers to golf,” she said. “Ultimately, if more people are playing, there will be a good long-term future for both the game and the business of golf.

“We are showcasing a new coaching franchise called love.golf which has been inspired and developed by Alastair Spink. It exemplifies the key insights from the Syngenta market research and is focused on creating enjoyable social experiences on the course, not teaching technical skills by hitting balls on a practice range. Although that is the way new golfers are typically taught, it is not necessarily a way that women, and many potential new customers, want to learn; in fact, they are likely to lose interest quickly and leave the game. It is really interesting to hear Alastair speak about his approach to coaching women, which is part of an academic study; clearly it is working because he’s introduced more than 300 women to golf at one course.”