Fair treatment for women at courses still a big concern

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Nearly half the respondents in a survey of more than 200 women golfers in Washington say they have been mistreated, insulted or offended at a course within the state.

The survey was conducted over a two-month period in the fall of 2003 by GolfMarketingTeam.com and GMA Research, both of Bellevue.

When asked to rate on a scale from "excellent to terrible" how women golfers are treated at facilities in the state, most said "just OK" or "good." About 5 percent said "poor" or "terrible."

The survey asked women to rate a number of factors that influence their decision about which course to play. These were the most important:

• Dedicated tee times for women.

• Multiple restrooms on the course.

• Friendly greeting when checking in.

• Gender-neutral treatment.

• A starter who is welcoming and encouraging.

• Having a women's locker room.

• Programs for social interaction with other women.

• Offering healthy food choices such as low-fat snacks.

The two biggest pet peeves of women golfers:

1. Being accused of slow play by course marshals when they actually were keeping up with or waiting for the group ahead of them.

2. Being ignored or treated as inferior to men when checking in for a tee time.

One woman told a survey official that she never has returned to an Eastside course where she had a bad experience six years ago. She said she and her husband walked into the pro shop and the clerk presumed that only he was playing and said, "One?"

Another woman said she even has been treated rudely by beverage-cart operators.

Suggested improvements included:

• Quit thinking that golf is "just a man's sport" and change the attitude of owners and employees toward women golfers.

• Have decent restrooms on the course and more of them.

• Improve forward tee boxes and stop calling them "Ladies' tees" ("forward tees" is one term gaining acceptance). Put benches and ball-washers at these tees and make these tees as good as the white and back tee boxes.

Three women's golf groups — the Executive Women's Golf Association, the Seattle chapter of the Northwest Ladies Golf Association and the Washington State Women's Public Links Golf Association — encouraged their members to participate in the survey.

Two-thirds of the respondents were married (average age 51). The average handicap index was 22 and the average household income was $116,000.

Nationwide, women make up 22 percent of the total golf population, according to the National Golf Foundation.

Cheri Brennan, a founding partner of GolfMarketingTeam.com and the head of Alliance Communications, said the findings can help courses increase the number of women customers.

"For some courses, that may mean changes in customer-service training, while other venues may need to invest in improvements in facilities, food and beverage operations and marketing programs to become more appealing to women," Brennan said.