A Cheshire golf club has announced that it has ended its segregation of tees by sex and instead allows all golfers to choose where to tee off, based on their ability.
Hartford Golf Club said it has abandoned the tradition of men and women teeing off from different positions and, instead, players are invited to select tee boxes based on their distance and ability. It is hoped that this will help attract more women to the game.
Many golf courses have different teeing areas in which the closest one to the hole is for women only.
However, posting a picture of a sign at Rio Hondo Golf Club in the US, in which golfers play off the tee that most closely matches their ability, Hartford announced on social media: “We’ve moved away from gender tees like this Golf Club below & we base it more on ability but most importantly — game enjoyment! What do you think? Is this the way forward for golf?”
Those who regularly shoot more than 100 are encouraged to go off the reds, below 100 off the yellows, 90 off the whites and below 80 off the blues. Proponents of the trend, which began in the US but has quickly gained popularity in Britain, argue that it will help to maintain the pace of play by dividing members purely by preference.
The post divided followers, with some praising the move as forward-thinking and others accusing the club of virtue signalling.
“We’re just trying to be quite progressive,” said Paul Cunningham, who serves as the club’s retail manager and runs their social media accounts. “We want to push the game forward.
“Golf is changing, and I think for the better. We’re trying to get rid of a lot of those traditional, outdated rules.”
Sheringham Golf Club in Norfolk was among the first to introduce ‘gender-free’ tees and now has three sets for men and women. There is a further set of black tees, which are rated only for men on the advice of the ladies’ county association.
Neal Milton, the club manager, said: “It’s been a great success, particularly with our senior gentlemen and higher handicap ladies, who now have the opportunity to play a shorter course.”
Trentham Park in Staffordshire has also followed suit, introducing a black tee for a 6,390-yard course, blue for 6,188, and green for 5,255. Each of the layouts has been measured and rated for both male and female members, who have been given new scorecards.
The club said the change was made to allow longevity for ageing players who may feel they are losing length. It added that it would also benefit beginners who may have been self-conscious teeing off in front of the clubhouse by giving them the option of using the forward tee about 100 yards away.
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