From hate to love, to making change!

Article written by Caroline Blixt

21st August 2021

Did you also start playing when you were eight years old? Are you as good as the brooch? ” These were the first and constant comments I was met by every time I went out to the golf course and actually played myself (and not just watched my dear brother).

Right now I am sitting at home in the apartment with a glass of red wine, returned from a day spent playing golf in the sun with my new golf friend Emelie Lidén. Enjoying, I feel like the happiest in the world who get to spend sunny days like these out in wonderful nature with friends and who get to do something I love. Happiness, because that's what golf can do to you, that's what it does to me.

My golf journey began when I was in my 20s. Yes, not when I was eight when you learn everything like running water and it lasts a lifetime. Hardly, floorball was my great passion, the sport I fought for, lived and loved. It went fast, you had to fight, sweat and you were a team. That I would start playing, and love, golf was very far away. I am one of the most energetic girls you can think of, jumping bungee jumping and skydiving on the same day, so golf was far away from my interests. But now, 12 years later, 1,000 rounds, millions of strokes (it feels like) and 10 years in the business, I love playing golf!

It is fun, exciting and absolutely wonderful. But that was not the case from the beginning, I did not think it was fun at all to go out to the course and sometimes I sat in the car in the parking lot and persuaded myself to go out and force myself to think it was fun. I counted the hours I "had" to be there for it to be "an ok" training day. Feels very strange and distant today.

So what happened, what did I do to get to the point where it turned out that I could spend so many hours on the golf course, like every day if I have time !?

Here’s the truth: It sucks in the beginning… almost for everyone… it did it for me too. The reason for continuing to go out to the track every day is different for everyone, for me it was to prove that I could, that I could be really good, that I had the talent.

This is not the main reason I recommend to anyone who wants to practice a sport. It should be joyful, inspiring, exciting… and maybe a little hard. It may be in the beginning, but you should not have to suffer there.

I still suffer from a competitive instinct that is perhaps a little bigger than others, I simply do not like to lose. But what I absolutely value most about playing golf is the opportunity to be out in a fantastic environment, meet new and old friends, travel, create business opportunities. That's what golf is and means to me.

Through my startup, a digital platform developed by women and with a female perspective, I have gained an incredible insight into women in all ages' relationship to golf. Many were thoughts that we had before, but a lot of new ones have come up or deepened further. Aspects of accessibility, opportunities, time, cost, culture gave more insight that different stages in life govern different needs, so also in golf.

So the big question, which is being talked about everywhere in the golf world right now, is: how do we combine the different needs that girls have and make golf attractive, inviting and make them stay and play with us?

I do not have all the answers, I probably have none, but I thought I would share some of the thoughts I have:

Social contexts:

Create simpler social contexts at the club, not just competitions. Have meet-ups, spontaneous training evenings, or non-golf events such as wine evenings, music, comedians, etc. Make it fun, make it social!

Dress codes:

I do not mind stylish golf clothes, and in many places there is a change, which I welcome. If we want to keep the upward covid trend with more golfers, we must continue to work to ensure that everyone looks the same, it is after all not a team sport.

Competitions:

Can someone please introduce more, more fun and new competition concepts and forms?

Time:

The time aspect is a constant discussion, but a much needed one. Make things more flexible!

Inclusion and diversity:

Oh how important this is, where do I start ?! In my opinion, golf would feel so much better with a greater sense of inclusion and increased diversity. Regardless of gender, culture, skin color or functional variation. Everyone should feel welcome. Point!

Membership:

More clubs working together, membership levels, categories, mom membership maybe?

I have a strong belief in golf, we are in a phase where new premises and development opportunities are taking shape that will take the female presence to a new level. So I ask you, all the stakeholders of the sport, do not be afraid and contradictory to the development of our beloved sport, take care of it. Then my friends, we will soon be flying into a very bright future where golf can be an even more prominent, joyful and rewarding sport for many more around the world.

Always see the possibilities you have in each situation - have not covid taught us this about anything - and move on from there!

Yours truly, Caroline