Women With Drive Clinics Get Female Golfers Into The Game
Toni Taylor Shows Female Golfers Some Finger And Wrist Exercises At Richmond Country Club During A Women With Drive Workshop On Oct. 6 - Image Credit Alfie Lau
by Alfie Lau
All throughout the province, for most of September and October, women golfers have been getting together with certified PGA of Canada or LPGA coaches in Women With Drive, Get In The Game workshops funded by British Columbia Golf and the Golf Canada Foundation Women’s Fund.
“We’ve organized clinics all throughout the province which will enhance opportunities for women to gain interest and develop their golf skills so that we can continue to grow women’s golf,” said Debbie Pyne, the managing director for player development for British Columbia Golf. “We’ve had clinics all throughout the province and they have been well attended.”
For example, early October saw Keri Moffat leading a clinic for 14 participants at Mayfair Lakes in Richmond and then Kathy Gook hosting a clinic for 21 female golfers in Quesnel.
Add in Toni Taylor with a clinic at Richmond Country Club – and at Beach Grove later in October – along with Linda Jervis leading a group at Talking Rock in Chase and Jody Jackson with an Island gathering at Arbutus Ridge in Cobble Hill on Oct. 23 and you can see how British Columbia Golf is doing its best to make golf an inclusive game for women everywhere.
The clinics will also promote golf skill development and social and networking opportunities for women in a safe, fun environment at their local golf course.
Each community/club hosting has a unique spin on the clinic they are offering, designed by the coach and that was definitely the case with Taylor’s presentation on Oct. 6 at Richmond Country Club.
Taylor’s focus was on showing the 18 women who attended – 13 in a morning session before the ladies went to play 18 holes and 5 in an afternoon session before the ladies played 9 holes – a holistic approach to warming up and developing an effective pre-shot routine.
Taylor began with easy hand and wrist stretches, noting that these stretches need to last 30 seconds or longer to be effective. And then the golfers did some hip flexor stretches to work their lower body parts. “How you approach golf includes proper warm-up and proper stretching,” said Taylor. “Prepare well to get yourself ready to play your best golf.”
Taylor also showed participants how important pre-shot routines are, including making sure your shoulders are aligned before swinging. She also showed the golfers how the actual hitting area is the play box, while the area behind is the decision-making box.
“Golf is about targets and the last thing on your brain before you swing should be the target,” said Taylor, who suggested players take their practice swings away from the ball, perhaps in the decision-making box, and focusing on the target when in the play box.
The networking and social aspect of golf was also an important component to Taylor’s talks, as she was impressed that women had introduced their husbands to golf instead of the other way around.
The women were also appreciative of having a female golf instructor working with them because women play a different style of golf, less dependent on length and more dependent on a silky smooth short game and keeping the ball in play.
Taylor also learned that women were taking up golf as an alternative to more injury-prone sports such as skiing and tennis, proof that golf is indeed a game for life.
Pyne attended several of the clinics and was happy with the turnout and the variety of women who attended. “We’ve had younger women at some clinics and women who’ve played golf for many years at others,” said Pyne. “I’m happy these women are getting professional instruction and training because that’s key to growing women’s golf.”
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