MAKING AN IMPACT – HOW NORWAY IS DELIVERING ON THE PROMISE OF ITS GIRLS PROJECT

Article featured in The R&A Developing Golf Magazine (Vol.2 issue 2)

The Norwegian Golf Federation (NGF) has taken a proactive approach to driving female participation, and it's only just getting started. Fuelled by a desire to promote golf as a sport for all, the NGF is operating across a broad range of areas to bring its vision to life.

With initiatives designed to increase engagement at all levels, from first-time players to coaches and leaders, the NGF is paving the way to a brighter, more inclusive future for golf.

Here, Head of Golf Development Fredrik Due (FD), and Project Manager – Women's Golf Benedikte Grøtvedt (BG) discuss how they're making that happen.

How does the Girls Project fit into the NGF's vision for golf in Norway?

FD: It's important to say that we have a focus on junior golf and the assignment is to grow the game for all youngsters, no matter what sex. But within that we did recognise the need to make girls' golf our number one priority, because the participation numbers were lower there. Although it's called the Girls Project, this isn't something we think has an end – we want to keep working on this and on junior golf in general. Golf offers some lessons that are just too valuable not to highlight to the next generation. The things you can learn are really life skills, and we thought if we were going to do something with junior golf and girls' golf, it needed to be in that direction, and that's where the idea of Impact came along.

Can you explain what Impact is?

FD: Impact is our vision for creating a robust next generation through golf. It's a common expression in the sport – you make an impact when you strike the ball – but in this case it's about having an impact on society. We can do that by using golf to help teach skills that are useful for so much more than just being good at this sport; things like honesty, focus and resilience.

As part of its commitment to growing the sport, the NGF is refunding the participation fee for females taking part in the coaching development programmes so long as the attendee completes 35 hours of active coaching/volunteering at their club the following year.

Why was there a specific need to create the Girls Project?

BG: I had been thinking about a project like this for a long time. I had a lot of experience in this area – being a girl and being a player working in the sport – and I lived in the United States for 12 years and saw what they were doing over there. But all along I was thinking a project aimed at girls' golf would not change much by itself – there needed to be a broader cultural change, and that's where Impact was the last piece of the puzzle for me.

It will take time, but we're moving the right way, and the project has recruited a lot of new female coaches, as well as male ones. We're working with 100 coaches at 74 clubs out of 170, so it's grown a lot in a short time.

We're now implementing things from Impact into the Girls Project, and we'll see the results over time. In Norway, the group with the lowest participation is girls under 12. They're attracted to the Girls Project but they're not continuing into the clubs because the environment doesn't match what they experience at the events. But the 100 coaches we're working with at these events are taking what they're learning back to their clubs and it's starting to change, and we want to help continue that process and deliver on the concept of Impact.

How does Impact work in practice?

FD: We're developing sessions where we make those Impact skills the main focus. We still want to help children play golf to the best of their ability, so the technical skills matter, but the idea is that you would have something like a putting session where resilience is the main skill you're trying to develop – the idea of not giving up. Resilience is an important thing in golf, but it's also a life skill, so we can develop the person as well as the golfer. As part of Impact, we will also provide education for coaches to come and learn how to deliver these sessions. That's important because it's about capitalising on those golden moments where you have an opportunity to deliver valuable lessons by asking the right questions and offering good coaching. This is still in development, but when coaches around Norway can deliver those sessions, they will be able to deliver hundreds of impacts at each club – meaning there are hundreds of situations where a kid is practising and developing these skills.

"Golf offers some lessons that are too valuable not to highlight to the next generation"

In what ways is golf presented differently to appeal to girls?

BG: Because the balance of boys and girls in the sport is so crooked, some girls might feel like it isn't a space for them. Also, although it's not intentional, coaches might be making it more of a boys' arena than one for girls; we need to create an arena that is for all kids. Coaches are already doing a great job but the more knowledge they have and understanding of what they can give the kids and what they need, the better they can do. For example, research shows that girls like the mental side of the game and the challenges that presents, whereas boys are more interested in the physical part. The key is to have sessions that do both so they appeal to mixed groups – that's how you can have the maximum impact.

Are there barriers preventing more clubs embracing the Girls Project and Impact?

BG: I think they understand what the aims are, but it's hard for them to only focus on something that has long-term outcomes because they need to show results to their boards. We know it's difficult for them, but they appreciate the benefits and the fact this is an investment in the future. As we develop Impact, we'll be talking to clubs a lot more about that and bringing them along on this project. The clubs need to be ready to welcome the girls and be more open to them to come and try golf. We're seeing there are more families wanting to play, but there needs to be a lower barrier for them to join. That process has started with some clubs asking for a really low fee for kids to come, and we saw an increase in the number of girls joining.

What do you hope the Girls Project will achieve for golf in Norway?

BG: Within five years, we will see that, by changing the environment and the culture on the grass for the kids, we're going to bring many more girls and boys to golf. What we're also seeing is that this arena attracts a different type of person, perhaps someone who wasn't interested in golf before but feels comfortable. That will bring in more families and help to grow the game of golf in Norway. If we are recruiting young people to the game and looking after them, providing opportunities to learn and develop as people and as golfers, we will see someone come through and go all the way. We have tournaments from the lowest level to the highest, so we have everything in place for that to happen. What's exciting is that we will see someone go through this programme and end up being a greenkeeper, or a leader, or a coach – maybe something not even directly related to golf, but where they are applying what they have learned from the programme. That gives me goosebumps because it's so valuable to have these role models for girls and all kids.