Female #Golf Athletes - Do You Believe We Have Come a Long Way?

In honor of the NCAA Championships and the upcoming Women's Golf Day, Golf for Beginners posts this Q&A about the state of womenin sports from a student working on his final university assessment.

Do you believe that equality has finally come to females in sports or is sexism still rearing its ugly head?

Here are my answers:

- How big an interest/fan base do you think there is for women’s golf?
I think women's golf is constantly in a state of flux - the more entertainment value, the greater the audience.

- Do women’s sports, golf, in particular, need better mainstream media coverage?
Always, but not just on traditional sources. We need to reach people where they search. I believe Youtube has much to offer as well as sources that don't necessarily cover golf, such as fitness magazines. The keywords used should reach out to a non-traditional audience.

- Generally, do you believe women in sports, and the sports themselves, have come a long way?
Of course - take a look at the early days of women's sports...those skirts are floor length! Yes, Title 9 helped with that process (and so did young upstarts like Michelle Wie) but we still have a long way to go.

- Are we at a stage where female athletes are recognized as role models to the next generation of women and girls? On the same level as male athletes?
To girls that have an interest in sports, I believe more so than male athletes. They can promote physical fitness... strength of mind and body!

- Does the media play a fair role in promoting and informing the public of female sporting events and their athletes?
No. I believe that women's golf events need to be better promoted. I don't know half of the times/dates of pro events. I would have to go and search out those times although the media is doing an adequate job promoting the NCAA Women's semifinals.

- Were events surrounding the vote at Muirfield the start of a change in women’s golf? Or have those events been forgotten about?
I think that those events have been forgotten about for now but will be pulled "out of the hat" when they are needed to make a statement.

- When discussing the media’s role, do you feel that in a newsroom you are equally represented?
Women will be equally represented as they step into the field. There are now more female announcers than ever, and their viewpoints represent a different way of thinking than traditional male questioning.

- Are we past the days of ‘body image’ when it comes to women in sport? Or are we still at the height of sexualizing female athletes?
Unfortunately, we still need to "sexualize" women athletes to some degree in order to get more attention to the sport but the women in question do it in a very tasteful way. Body image will always be important to the world we live in but, hopefully, it can be balanced with an equally sharp mental state.

- Is there pressure for female athletes to look a certain way? In a sport like golf does talent and skill play a bigger role?
Female athletes that are "prettier" still get more attention but I believe that their sticks still do the talking!

What do you have to add to these questions about women in golf? Comment below in our golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.