Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

Golf for girls

Golf`s girl power

It’s the ‘auld game’ with ancient attitudes towards the inclusion of women, but now the girls are taking over golf. On the eve of the Solheim Cup in Gothenburg, Sam Tremayne discovers a game that’s defi nitely in the pink

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Golf has always been a man’s game. Invented by men, played by men and now, as a professional sport, run by men. Sure, women’s golf exists, but it’s boring, dated and, most importantly, vastly inferior to the men’s version. Right?

Well, wrong. As the best female players in the US and Europe gear up to showcase their talents in the Solheim Cup – being played at Halmstad Golfklubb, Gothenburg, on 14-16 September – women’s golf finally has a chance to shed its stale image.

It’s not that the old guard, players such as England’s Laura Davies and Sweden’s Annika Sörenstam, haven’t done wonders for the image of women’s golf. It’s simply that a new generation of players has revamped the game and thrust it on to the sporting main stage.

“Golf is no longer for old ladies,” says Ashleigh Simon, an 18-year-old South African seen by many as the most promising prospect for years. “It has become a young, spunky sport with a new image. It’s about clothes, fashion and being cool.”

The golf revolution led by Tiger Woods has spread beyond the men’s game. Golf now has an exciting new image, and female role models such as Sörenstam and US sensation Michelle Wie are attracting more young women to the sport than ever before.

Wie entered into the spotlight when, at 13, she became the youngest player to make the cut at a major, the 2003 Kraft Nabisco Championship. When she turned pro, just before turning 16, it was said she stood to make more than €7m from endorsements alone.

Even Wie’s recent poor performances are unlikely to affect her status as golfing’s figurehead. Wie, or rather her massive earning power, has proved that there’s money in the women’s game. It can now be seen less as a hobby and more as a potentially lucrative career.

Karrie Webb, the 32-year-old Australian who has won seven majors, has noticed the change. “Golf is becoming a younger game,” she says. “At the US Open now, 15- and 16-year-olds are commonplace. When I was 15 or 16, I was so far away from playing in the US Open it’s hard for me even to imagine it.”

Inevitably, there are those who are uncomfortable with the youth phenomenon driving women’s golf.

Wie’s slump in form is being touted as an example of what happens when too much is expected at too young an age.

And while some worry about the effect early stardom might have on these precocious youngsters, others look to a lack of progress off the greens as the main cause for concern in women’s golf.

What needs to change, according to experienced pros such as Laura Davies, isn’t the level of play but the attitudes in clubhouses around the world. Women players are still seen as second-class itizens in many European countries and it’s difficult to argue with Davies’ response to such dated attitudes. “If they don’t want me in their club,” the 43-year-old has said, “then I don’t want to go anywhere where I’m not wanted.”

For all its youthful exuberance, women’s golf still has a long way to go. It must now start proving itself alongside the men’s game, whether this means female golfers competing regularly in men’s tournaments or the women’s game becoming more recognised in its own right.

Ten years ago neither looked likely. Women’s golf has always had its stars, but it has always been seen as an inferior version of the men’s game, far less exciting or significant. But now both are possible. Women’s golf has a host of talented youngsters, any of whom could make the crossover to the men’s tours. Alongside this, the Ladies’ European Tour (LET) has developed a full schedule that in 2007 consists of 24 events and an impressive €8m in prize money.

Women’s golf is now an independent draw. The Evian Masters, held in France each July, has a prize fund of more than €2m. The Women’s British Open, which this year took place at St Andrews, Scotland, on 2-5 August, was similarly lucrative.

Popular appeal is even more important than the money. This year’s Evian Masters enjoyed massive crowds, far bigger than previous years, and the Solheim Cup is widely expected to be a sell-out.

This growing popularity is forcing women’s golf into the public eye. In August alone, the LET played in Scotland, Sweden, Norway and Finland. Such an intense and widespread schedule makes women’s golf increasingly difficult to ignore or dismiss.

Tournament organisers believe the exciting match-play format of the Solheim Cup, the women’s equivalent of the Ryder Cup, can only increase the popularity of the women’s game. It pits the best 12 US players against the best 12 Europe has to offer, with 28 matches being played over three days – eight foursome matches, eight four-ball matches and 12 singles on the final day.

In 2005, American Paula Creamer, now 21, became the youngest player to qualify for the Solheim Cup. In such players, the Cup is marrying talent with appeal and reinforcing the old game with a young, fresh element. The outlook for women’s golf has never looked brighter.

Need to know

Top European women golfers

■ Annika Sörenstam, Sweden Sörenstam remains the defining name in women’s golf, having dominated the sport for most of the past 12 years. However, the 36-year-old now appears to be approaching the end of her illustrious career, during which she has won 10 major championships.

■ Gwladys Nocera, France Nocera, 32, is a certainty to qualify for this year’s Solheim Cup. She won three tour events in 2006 and one in 2007, with two second places.

■ Laura Davies, England In 2004, Davies became the first woman to compete on the men’s European tour, entering the ANZ Championship in Australia. Although she failed to make the cut in that event, the 44-year-old is still a force on the women’s tour.

■ Bettina Hauert, Germany Hauert, 25, qualified for the Ladies’ European Tour in 2003 after a promising amateur career. She gained her first professional victory in a three-way play-off at the Deutsche Bank Ladies’ Swiss Open 2007.

■ Paula Martí, Spain Marti, 27, had two tour victories in her rookie season, 2001. She qualified for the Solheim Cup in 2002 and is set to compete again this year despite missing all of 2006 through pregnancy.

The low-down on Gothenburg

■ Where to play Avid golfers should try the forest-lined Delsjö Golfklubb (tel. 406959), a tricky 5,730m 18-hole par-71 course.

For enthusiastic amateurs looking to try their hand, the Sisjö Golfklubb (tel. 681818) is an ideal nine-hole course.

■ Where to eat Looking to splash the cash? Try Basement (28 Götabergsgatan, tel. 282729, www.restbasement. com), a Michelin-starred restaurant offering imaginative modern cuisine using Swedish ingredients.

Golden Days (31 Södra Hamngatan, tel. 132022, www.golden-days.com) serves traditional Swedish fare and international dishes at reasonable prices.

■ Where to go out We recommend legendary jazz club Nefertiti (6 Hvitfeldtsplatsen, tel. , www.nerfetiti.se), nightclub/restaurant/casino Elegant Valand (41 Vasagatan, tel. 183093, www.valand.nu) and trend-conscious cocktail bar Vasastan (2 Viktoriagatan, tel. 130302, www.vasastan.org) in the heart of Gothenburg.

■ Where to stay The four-star Scandic Crown (3 Polhemsplatsen, tel. , www.scandic-hotels.com/crown) near Ullevi prides itself on great service and location. The three-star Hotel Örgryte (68-70 Danska Vägen, tel. , www.hotelorgryte.se) and Spar Hotel Majorna (66-70 Karl Johansgatan, tel. , www.sparhotel.se) are also highly endorsed.

FR>> La grandeur du golf féminin

Tandis que les meilleures équipes féminines s’alignent pour afficher leurs talents à la Solheim Cup, qui se déroule au Halmstad Golfklubb à Gothenburg du 14 au 16 septembre, le golf féminin a enfin la chance de redorer son image, quelque peu vieillotte.

“Le golf n’est plus seulement réservé aux vieilles dames,” explique Ashleigh Simon, qui à 18 ans est perçue comme l’une des sportives les plus prometteuses de ces dernières années. “C’est devenu un sport jeune avec une nouvelle image. Aujourd’hui, il s’agit de vêtements, de mode et d’avoir une allure cool.”

Ce qui doit changer, selon des professionnelles expérimentées comme la britannique Laura Davies, n’est pas le niveau de jeu mais l’attitude des clubhouses à travers le Royaume-Uni et le monde où les joueuses féminines sont toujours considérées comme des citoyens de seconde zone.

Malgré toute l’exubérance de sa jeunesse, le golf féminin a encore un long chemin à parcourir. Il doit commencer à faire ses preuves face aux compétitions masculines, cela signifie soit que les golfeuses puissent finalement prendre part aux tournois masculins, soit que le golf féminin acquière plus de reconnaissance, comme une discipline à part entière.

A ce stade, les deux sont possibles. Le golf féminin regorge de jeunes talents, toutes les joueuses ayant la capacité de réaliser le parcours d’une saison de PGA Tour. En même temps, le women’s European Tour a développé un calendrier complet qui, en 2007, comporte 24 événements et près de €8 millions de prix.

Les organisateurs de tournois sont convaincus que la rencontre de la Solheim Cup sera aussi excitante que l’affrontement des hommes dans la Ryder Cup, et qu’elle ne fera qu’accroître la popularité du jeu féminin. C’est certain, le futur du golf féminin n’a jamais été aussi radieux.

NL>> Golfvrouwen aan de macht

Van 14 tot 16 september tonen de beste vrouwelijke golfers hun talent tijdens de Solheim Cup in de Halmstad Golfklubb in Gothenburg. Dé kans voor het vrouwengolf om van zijn saaie imago af te raken.

“Golf is niet langer voor oude dametjes”, verklaart de 18-jarige Ashleigh Simon, voor velen het meest beloftevolle talent van de laatste jaren. “Het is een jonge sport geworden met een nieuw imago. Het draait om kleren, mode en hip zijn.”

Volgens ervaren professionals als de Britse Laura Davies moet niet zozeer het spelniveau veranderen als wel de mentaliteit in de clubhuizen. Vrouwelijke spelers zijn daar nog altijd tweederangsburgers.

Ondanks het jeugdige enthousiasme heeft het vrouwengolf nog een lange weg af te leggen. Het moet zichzelf nog bewijzen. Dat kan wanneer vrouwelijke golfers eindelijk op regelmatige basis gaan deelnemen aan mannenwedstrijden of doordat het vrouwengolf meer erkenning krijgt.

Beide zijn nu mogelijk. Het vrouwengolf heeft een hele schare van jonge talenten, die stuk voor stuk de PGA Tour aankunnen. Daarnaast heeft de Europese Tour voor vrouwen een volledige agenda uitgewerkt, met in 2007 24 evenementen en bijna €8 miljoen aan prijzengeld.

De wedstrijdorganisatoren geloven dat het boeiende matchsysteem van de Solheim Cup, dat hetzelfde is als de Ryder Cup voor mannen, het vrouwengolf alleen maar populairder kan maken. De green heeft er dus nog nooit zo groen uitgezien voor golfende dames.

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