Moms, dads and daughters turned out in record numbers for the seventh annual Take Your Daughter to the Course Week.
The number of participants increased 14 percent – from just over 64,000 in 2005 to 74,490 this year – and the number of host courses also grew 14 percent – from 1,063 last year to 1,242 during the July 10-16 promotional period, according to the National Golf Course Owners Association.
"Parents are obviously interested in helping their daughters enjoy the same opportunities boys have to make golf a part of their lives," said Mike Hughes, chief executive officer of the NGCOA, which sponsors Take Your Daughter Week as part of The PGA of America's Play Golf America player development program. "We're excited to see this program continuing to gain popularity and closing the gender gap between boys and girls in golf."
"People around here have really started looking forward to it," said Stacy Pickavance, assistant general manager of The Bridges in San Ramon, Calif., where 70 young girls and adults participated in the program. "Fathers especially like it as a way to get their daughters interested in a game they're interested in and spend time together."
There are approximately 3 million junior golfers between the ages of 12 and 17 in the U.S., but of that number only about 17 percent are girls. The NGCOA developed Take Your Daughter to the Course Week to support its members and help grow overall participation in golf. Participating courses offered free green fees and clinics to young girls who were accompanied by a paying adult.
"Take Your Daughter to the Course is a prime example of golf's allied associations coming together under the NGCOA's leadership to reach more golfers with innovative, sustaining programs," said Roger Warren, president of The PGA of America.
The PGA of America, PGA-USGA Girls Golf, the LPGA and the Executive Women's Golf Association are supporting sponsors of Take Your Daughter to the Course Week. PGA Tour professional Brad Faxon, the father of four daughters, was this year's national spokesperson.
