13TH BEACH ACCELERATES PROGRESS:

“We thought it would be a great way to celebrate the day, 13th Beach’s inclusive culture and some of the great women who have contributed to the game”, said Helen Larkin, co-ordinator of the event.

And celebration it was. From the glass of champers on arrival, to the dedication of tees to significant women in golf, to the unique format of the game, to speeches acknowledging women’s golf, to the excitement of winners and the cries of “see you next year” in the carpark afterwards, the vibe was one of jollity, of joy and of unity.
It was also a day where fun met focus.

The 2024 IWD theme was ‘Inspire Inclusion’, while UN Women, the United Nations organisation dedicated to gender equality, had its own IWD theme: ‘Count Her In: Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress’.

Both these themes are relevant to modern golf, where women and minority groups seek to have parity with the largest demographic in golf and the traditional decision makers of the game – men. Everywhere in the game, diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are being supported, even mandated.

This is certainly the case at 13th, which has been egalitarian since its formation in 2001.

It was Bradnam who conceived the idea of dedicating each of the 18 holes to different women in golf – some local, some from afar, some current stars, some from history. And it was she who nominated Karrie Webb for the honour of the first tee, while Larkin researched and decided the rest.

The dedicated tees were a nod to the efforts of women, past and present, who have made or are making inroads in shining a light on women’s golf. In the words of feminist writers: We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us.

The innovation continued with the format of the day. 65 women played a team ambrose but with tee areas over the 18 holes a mix of the usual red, yellow or white positions. Placement of the tees on each was carefully considered to allow all ranges of ability to have a playable route to the hole.

Larkin, herself a member of the Women in Golf sub-committee, said: “This was the first time we have used tees in this way.

“Given that it wasn’t an event for handicapping, it didn’t matter that a combination of coloured-tee placements was used. And we had lots of feedback that it was fun to play from variable tee areas.”

Honoured guests included Dawn Macdonald, Lois Marriott and Geraldine O’Callaghan, all of whom played in the day.

Marriott, who attended the inaugural Anglesea Junior Girls Camp in 1966 – instituted by renowned player and administrator Burtta Cheney – spoke at the luncheon of the incredible contribution Cheney made to Australian golf. For her work, Cheney was awarded an MBE.

Macdonald is a story in herself. A two-time Australian Women’s Foursomes winner with outstanding players Sandra McCaw (then Williams) in 1969 and Joan Fisher in 1972, Macdonald also won the Victorian Women’s Foursomes with Fisher in 1966 and 1967 and with Jane Lock in 1974 and was a member of multiple state and national teams.

In 2023 she wrote a book Commonsense Golf with fellow Barwon Heads member and journalist Tony Walker, proceeds of which go to charity, and in the Australia Day honours this year was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for her considerable service to golf and community.

O’Callaghan, course superintendent at Sandy Golf Links and a multiple club champion at Southern Golf Club, is the first female course superintendent appointed in Victoria and still one of the few in Australia.

Attracting women to golf is a challenge for any club. To address this, 13th Beach has instituted a number of measures.

Connection is addressed in a social way, which offsets the lack of a specific ‘women’s’ committee. A monthly newsletter, Playing-A-Round (PAR), is sent to all female members as well as being available on the website. In a nod to the modern way of communicating, a Whats App group has been started with around one-third of female members joined up thus far.

A Women’s Pathway Program allows beginner women to enter at, or transition through, any of four levels – four-week clinics, six-month clinic, nine-hole transitional membership and full membership.

There is a ‘Buddy’ system whereby new members are paired by the membership committee with existing members. This helps with seamless transition and integration.

In addition, the Course Improvement Program – now in its fifth year with two years remaining – specifically addresses women’s needs in course design changes by Darius Oliver. The Greens Committee, chaired by Faye Wheatley with two other women also on the committee, offers an inclusive voice in these changes to benefit not just women but players of all standards.

This all-embracing attitude extends to women staff, with the Board putting some of them through the Golf Academy clinics so they are not only introduced to the game for their own benefit but can communicate with members on a familiar level.

At a cultural level, changes include modifying language and monitoring of club content to reflect gender-neutral messages, tees based on ability rather than gender, and celebration of women’s golf through events such as Solheim Cup and Evian Championship days to mirror events celebrating men’s golf such as US Masters and US Open golf days. These events are open to all.

“We haven’t gone down the path of labelling events ‘men’s’ or ‘women’s’, even though certain events tend to attract more women or more men,” said Sally McKenna, Acting General Manager. “We want to create community without separating the events.”

And in one of its key areas, junior girls, the club offers the Australian Junior Girls Scholarship Program, a project to encourage juniors girls’ participation in golf run by the Australian Golf Foundation.

“This is the second year we’ve had it,” said McKenna. “Last year we had seven girls and this year we have nine. The seven from 2023 are now part of our Junior Development Squad.”

For its commitment to women and girls in golf, 13th Beach is a signatory to the R&A Women in Golf Charter and in 2023 was recognised as the Golf Australia Visionary of the Year for the month of October.

The club’s efforts have borne fruit at grassroots level, with 20 women joining over the last few months. At this stage the club’s participation ratio of men to women sits at 80:20, shadowing the national figure, but it seems likely to increase at speed, given that the five-year engagement plan only started in earnest in 2023.

For Larkin, the work leading up to the golf day was more than worth the effort.

“I’m still on a bit of a high,” she said. “I think it was really successful. One of the nicest things was that the runner-up team included two of our newest members from the Pathway Program.

“In my 17 years, I’ve never seen so many women members playing in one event at the same time and to me, that was great. I think what it said to me was that we are now building a good community of women here who can come together and have fun. And that was the best thing about it.”

So, where to from here? The exhilaration of the day has turned to inspiration.

McKenna: “We look forward to this becoming an annual event. We’re really proud of it and we’ve already blocked the day off for next year.”