A sparkle of women — and men — came together at Foxhills last Thursday night to celebrate a year of incredible achievements by women in the golf industry at the 2024 Women in Golf Awards. Now in its third year, the awards showcase the work of women from across all sectors of the industry and provide an important platform that inspires more women to consider a career in golf. As part of its mission to promote women in golf, the awards organisers announced an exciting new collaboration with Colt McKenzie McNair and Bernhard Academy. All of the finalists and sponsors will come together in spring 2025 for a networking and educational day hosted at PING HQ that will elevate and inspire their continued progress in the industry.
“Many of the barriers that faced me and my predecessors have been demolished, so now is a great time to start to better understand what our future leaders need,” commented awards founder Nicole Wheatley. “This educational day will work both ways. We want to provide the 24 finalists with valuable leadership training, but also find out how they think golf can attract more talented women, like them, to work in the industry.”
On the night, BBC sport presented Katherine Downes presented awards in ten categories, spanning all areas of the industry, with selected winners being… Unsung Hero DiStock, Chief Referee Hampshire Ladies Golf; International Woman, CEO WPGA Tour Australasia and Chair of Australian Golf Industry Council; Women in Turfcare, Anna Nilsson, Deputy Head Greenkeeper of the Brabazon Golf Course at The Belfry; Women PGA Professional, Sarah Bennett, and Rising Star, Molly Pavey, Group General Manager Bramshaw Golf Club and Paultons Golf Centre.
A Special Award was presented to Fiona Womack and Sharon Eales who have developed a scientific model that represents a paradigm shift in golf course design. For so many women (and men) the shortest tees are still too long and often not in a great position. This means that many women do not enjoy the same experience on the course as men. Their model creates a scaled version of the courses that the architect wanted every golfer to play, incorporating all of the same experiences, using the same clubs for the same shots, tackling the same hazards, just with fewer yards involved. This new approach has already attracted interest from leading golf course architects including Tom Mackenzie, the R&A’s Handicap Committee, the WHS Operations Committee and various governing bodies.
Finally, the Special Award of the evening went to Adele McLean, Managing Director TGI Golf. This year, nearly two decades after joining TGI Golf, McLean accepted the role of Managing Director and looks to continue building on the success TGI Golf has enjoyed over the last 40 years. Her journey from the driving range to heading up the UK & Ireland’s leading golf retail services business is nothing short of inspirational. Her appointment was celebrated far and wide by women and men across the industry who recognised the incredible impact she has had on the business and demonstrates to other women what can be achieved when there are no glass ceilings.
