Bringing women together to play golf in BC

GFG is affiliated with over 60 golf courses in British Columbia

It's no secret that women have busy lives. The obligations of family, children and career are usually what come first in this day and age, and sometimes outside passions and goals have to take a back seat. Not only that, but golf is still very much a man's sport in some eyes and it's unfortunate that women sometimes still feel intimidated on the course and have a lack of other women to play with.

Golf Fore Gals, a club for female golfers of all skill levels, is run by women for women. With over 60 affiliated golf courses in the province, the club is ensuring women can enjoy the sport, build amazing friendships and knock down the barriers that have made it difficult for some to enjoy the game.

According to Golf Fore Gals (GFG) a 2012 study published by National Allied Golf Associations (NAGA) found that approximately 5.7 million Canadians (27 per cent) play golf, 30 per cent of whom are women. And although Canada can be proud of having one of the highest per capita golf participation rates in the world, NAGA’s research found that the number of people entering the sport is equal to the number of people exiting. And even more disturbing is the fact that women are leaving the game at a much higher rate than men.

Golf Fore Gals in British Columbia is passionate about changing that statistic. This multi-course club is an avenue for women of all ages, skill levels and lifestyles to learn and enjoy the game. Membership in Golf Fore Gals offers women in B.C. a fun, safe and welcoming environment to discover the joys of golf, build new social and business relationships, book tee times 120 days in advance and improve their game through a series of lessons, clinics and seminars held throughout the year.

Women, golf, community and friendship

GFG is affiliated with over 60 golf courses in British Columbia in Vancouver, Victoria/Gulf Islands, the Fraser Valley and the Thompson-Okanagan. There’s also a chapter in Maui.

According to GFG Diane Fru, Golf Fore Gals is about four main things: women, golf, community and friendship.  

"It's a women-only club so women can relate to other women," said Fru. "It's all about golf. We have tee times on the Lower Mainland calendars almost seven days a week during the golf season, have twilight leagues, daytime play, Friday morning league, weekend play, etc. We're also about community, so every second week in every month we add two dollars to our green fees as a fundraising exercise we do for six of our local charities. We also do fundraising for our charities at our wind down event as well."

On top of all that is friendship and, like Fru said, it's a hard value to describe.

"The testimonials on our new website ring so true and accurate," she said. "I don't know if you can describe friendship in a value and what it's worth. How do you describe girl friends? These women golf together all season, then in the off season they go snowshoeing together, play bridge together or as a group, come out to Maui for our tournament every November. This value you really can't put a dollar amount on as part of the membership."
Membership levels

Golf Fore Gals offers three membership types: beginner, social and handicap/Golf Canada. A one-year annual GFG membership for beginners includes a series of group golf lessons with other beginner members, pre-paid green fees at women-friendly courses, a beginner rules and etiquette seminar and a welcome package.

Two-thirds of GFG's membership of 200 women subscribe to the social membership level. This is not for handicap players, but for women who just want to get out there to have fun on weekends and maybe once or twice during the week for twilight golf.

The handicap/Golf Canada program, according to Fru, is for gals who like to compete and is recognized by B.C. Golf and Golf Canada as a club without real estate. One third of GFG's membership is registered on the RCGA network and maintains a handicap. Fru said this level of membership became available in 2006 and is continuing to grow. During the season, members compete in regular in-house golf events that incorporate their handicap factor, annual club championship, match play competitions and more. These women also compete in British Columbia Golf’s competitions in each of its regions.

Growing women’s golf

Fru and her marketing guru partner, Gayle Moss, are always striving to bring more women into the game and give them more opportunities to enjoy the sport together.

"I see some of the initiatives that the PGA is using to grow the sport in the United States and we're using some of that as a basis for reaching out to women on two accounts," she said. "We want to reach out to women because they feel they're not invited to play the game as it's still an old boy's sport. When they start to play they are not feeling welcomed, because unless they have a connection like Golf Fore Gals, they usually end up in a foursome with people they don't know. That can be intimidating to them.

“We're also looking at how we welcome women into the sport. Women are very busy people, so some professional women can't make a 5:30 tee time."

In response to that, Mayfair Lakes Golf and Country Club in Richmond will be offering "6 after 6" to GFG members this year. This means women can come at 6:00 p.m., play six holes very inexpensively, and then enjoy some socializing back at the clubhouse. This makes it easier for women to balance work and play.

"Golf Fore Gals is about much more than just golf. It’s also about women, community, friendship, sharing and having fun,” said Fru. “Our members not only love the game and the lifelong friendships they’ve made through the club, they care about giving back. Through Golf Fore Gals they support local women’s charities, while enjoying the great outdoors at the most beautiful courses in B.C.”

Please check out golfforegals.com to find out more.