Very clear thoughts this week from former LPGA pro Anya Alvarez who points out how equipment manufacturers miss the mark when they market to women. The female percentage of the golf market is 20% and stagnant, it’s a huge opportunity for clubs, teaching pros and sports equipment companies to make new money. But they are getting it wrong because they are making assumptions.

She says until we are treated like golfers, and not women who happen to play golf, things are not going to change. We feel like we’re being patronised when we’re offered things that are pink and sparkly, something that the image LPGA pro Paula Creamer hasn’t helped with. As she says pink shouldn’t be a strategy unless someone is specifically raising money for breast cancer research,

Stop gendering us and pandering with stereotypes, Women are really turned off by the lack of options presented to them. When a woman walks into a store ask how long theyve been playing, what their goals are and what kind of clubs they would like to play with. Don’t force certain colours and styles on them, the lack of choices can cause women to feel hostile towards a company – women want to be treated like serious consumers.

As the R&A  have pointed out every time they examine how to draw more people into golf and grow the game, the women’s market has huge, untapped potential. But perhaps there needs to be some serious thought about re-educating the people who sell equipment to treat women in a different way because at times it’s thoughtless. And that thoughtlessness is keeping the game in decline because a huge, untapped market of potential golfers are being turned away, intimidated by the 80% who don’t want to even think about what the 20% want, because it holds no personal relevance or interest to them, but people in pro shops and equipment stores need to think again and approach women golfers differently,