The single most impressive round of golf I’ve ever witnessed will not be remembered by anyone else, maybe also the tour pro in question. For four hours, in very average weather on the North West coast of England, this player didn’t miss a shot.
They might have missed the odd fairway by a couple of yards but they struck every iron right out the middle, used the wind to their advantage, flighted other shots into the wind, hit low ones, high ones, got up and down from a few bunkers and left themselves nothing to do with any putts from distance. It was the most clinical 18 holes that I’ve ever been lucky enough to watch at first hand and it was also the most normal round of golf for the player themselves.
At the time Holly Clyburn was a one-time winner on the Ladies European Tour, having twice played in the Curtis Cup and she was part of a golden generation of players who won the trophy at Nairn in 2012. Also on that team were Amy Boulden, Charley Hull, Bronte Law, Leona Maguire, Stephanie Meadow, Pamela Pretswell and Kelly Tidy. Just missing out that year was Georgia Hall.
The day itself was a media day for the 2014 Women’s Open at Royal Birkdale, Clyburn would have scored the most unremarkable 67 or 68 and, to paraphrase Bobby Jones, she played a game which I wasn’t familiar with.
I was able to match Clyburn for distance but that’s where it stopped. Why we, as very ordinary male amateurs, make so much of distance is anybody’s guess but, as a six-handicapper who might have broken 80 on the day, my golf was worlds away from Holly’s.
Much is made of how men can learn from a woman’s rhythm etc but that’s doing the women such a disservice. They don’t just rhythmically pat it 220 yards down every fairway, players such as Clyburn put the same thousands of hours into being able to reproduce effortless and powerful swings. They have a multitude of shots in their arsenal and they how to battle when they’re not swinging it great.
For around 15 years I worked on a women’s golf magazine, Lady Golfer, so I have a fair idea of how slanted things are in the game. Thankfully things are finally moving on at pace but it’s hard to get rid of the same old tired generalisations.
I recently interviewed a 50-plus woman golfer as to why she had tried a Get Into Golf day. She had always watched golf, played other sports, been to the range a few times but there hadn’t previously been an obvious pathway into getting properly started. So she turned up on the day, on her own, met plenty of like-minded women and girls and she now plays three times a week. The social element was a big factor but so was the actual playing and getting better.
It’s far too easy to generalise about women golfers having a nice time, a cream tea and some ‘bubbles’ before going home. This new golfer is putting in scorecards every time she plays and entering competitions.
Before too long she’ll likely represent the club and go on golf holidays – and the main reason why she really ‘got into golf’ is because a now fellow female member rang her up the following week and played 18 holes with her. She even carried her bag so there was a bit less to think about. Every round she plays she’ll learn something new and the game has become clearer and even more enjoyable.
I have an eight-year-old daughter who does plenty of sports and hobbies and, if I’m being honest and even having worked in golf for over 20 years, I haven’t really pictured her giving it a go. Twenty years ago I probably might even have actively discouraged her given how many clubs operate and being told what you can and can’t wear.
Around 12 years ago I did an instruction shoot with Charley Hull and she was sponsored by a forward-thinking sporting brand. Charley would alternate between two outfits on the day but it was noticeable that that would also be the case for much of the season. Women’s golf clothing was so limited up until relatively recently but now it is genuinely cool.
For years we’d try and make out that this was the case but we were nowhere near, now we are. Now we can try golf in a multitude of different ways and that path doesn’t have to end up with being a member of a club. Pitch and putt courses, crazy golf and driving ranges are now more full of people who might not be your traditional golfer but they’re playing the game and coming away thinking it’s cool and fun (and quick).
Now we’re into Major season the differences between the men’s and women’s games are horribly visible. Two weeks after Augusta we had the Chevron Championship which used to be the Dinah Shore/Kraft Nabisco/ANA. Whatever you thought of the Mission Hills course it did have the feel of a Major. Now we kick off the year with a bit of a damp squib in terms of course and atmosphere.
In the men’s game the biggest problem is where to place the PGA Championship and how to give it some more prominence, which is a testament to how strong the other three are. In the women’s game we have five Majors and nowhere near enough buzz about any of them.
As someone who watches and follows a lot of women’s golf this remains the frustrating part. For one week every two years we have a lot of interest in the women’s game at the Solheim Cup but very little to relate it to on a weekly basis. When we think of role models we still arrive at the same faces when there are hundreds of Tour pros who have inspiring stories to tell
But things are better and a whole world away from 20 years ago so we should be grateful. As we continue to live our lives looking at our phones there’s more to like about young, talented girls being able to smash a golf ball 250 yards with ease while looking cool and trendy.
As for Holly she’s still playing, as well as coaching and caddying. Some of her 2012 team-mates are now mums themselves and, you would hope, will find golf in an even better spot when they first pick up a club.
