USGA intent on growing the women’s golfing game

Expanding the opportunities for female golfers seems to be a major priority for the USGA, who unveiled their ambitious plans for women’s golf at the annual meeting in Orlando last month.

The organisation has often promoted its position in the sport as ‘ensuring the health of the club’, but now seems to be turning its intentions to growing the amount of people involved in the sport.

The governing body for the USGA announced that the 2021 U.S Women’s Open will be held at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. Whilst the Open will be the 11th USGA championship contested on the course, it will be the first USGA women’s championship.

Diana Murphy, who was announced as the new governing lead of the USGA last November, stated: “We are thrilled to bring the U.S. Women’s Open to The Olympic Club.” As well as saying that they “are thrilled with the quality of these courses.”

Other announcements at the event were that the inaugural U.S Senior Women’s Open in 2018 will be held at the Chicago Golf Club, and that 2019 competition would be held at the Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Course in North Carolina. Diana Murphy added that “having venues of this quality will help grow girls’ golf and women’s golf”, offering hope for future prosperity for the sport.

Judy Bell, the first female president of the USGA, will be honored with the Bob Jones Award during the U.S Open in Oakmont in June. The competition itself will play almost exactly like it did in 2007, and Davis confirmed that “there has been no added yardage, architectural changes, other than a couple of things the members did.”

The U.S Women’s Open is one of the USGA’s 13 annual national championships, and is open to both amateur and professional female golfers. The announcements seem to mark a positive indication that opportunities for professional women’s golf is a priority, and the quality of venues for the sport will provide fantastic championships for both spectators and golfers alike.