Ready to welcome a new team league to grow women’s golf

TIMING and intention matter in sport, and it is especially so for women’s golf with recent data suggesting the game is on the precipice of greater things.

Hence, the impending arrival of the inaugural Women’s Team Golf League (WTGL) this November could hardly be better timed.

The new league, created by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy is preparing for its debut season at the custom-built SoFi Center in Florida, arriving at a moment when women’s golf is experiencing perhaps its most important period of growth.

Women are playing more golf. Younger women are entering the sport. Women’s sport is attracting bigger audiences and greater commercial interests, and more importantly, Asia-Pacific is the epicentre of a new generation of female golfers who are becoming global stars.

The league will sit in the middle of it all as it seeks to accelerate new growth through an innovative platform that has already become a big hit following the success of the men’s version of the indoor team golf competition which showcases a faster, tech-driven entertainment product to attract new audiences while showcasing athletes’ talents and personalities.

Many see the league as a golden opportunity to build on the positive momentum of women’s golf.

The league will bring together 25 golfers across five teams, including Major champions, Olympians, LPGA legends and many of the most recognisable young Asia-Pacific players.

Thailand’s Jeeno Thitikul, Yin Ruoning of China, South Korea’s Ina Yoon, Japan’s Yuka Saso, twins Chisato and Akie Iwai, Australia’s Lee Min-jee and New Zealand’s Lydia Ko are among the stars giving the league immediate credibility.

Jeeno, a 10-time LPGA Tour winner and current World No. 2, is excited ahead of the competition which she believes will assist in the growth of the game.

“The team format, fast pace and technology can introduce golf to a new generation of fans,” said the 23-year-old.

China’s Ruoning, who recently claimed a sixth LPGA Tour title and is a former world No. 1, knows the importance of this new venture for her sport.

“It is a great opportunity for me and for women’s golf. I have always enjoyed team competition, and this format will give us a fun way to showcase our games and personalities while introducing new fans to the sport,” she said.

Indeed, it is the hope that young Asian female children will enjoy how the league is presented and be inspired by golfers like Ruoning and Jeeno to pick up a golf club.

The latest National Golf Foundation data shows women and girls have become a driving force behind golf’s participation growth in the US, accounting for 52% of the net gains in green-grass participation between 2020 and 2025.

Female participation has reached record levels, while girls now account for more than one-third (35%) of junior golfers – another indication that the game’s future audience is becoming younger and more diverse.

Internationally, women now account for roughly one in three adult golf participants in the world’s biggest golf markets, with their share rising to 34% from 31% a year earlier, according to the latest R&A data.

Aside from a faster, team-based and technology-driven format, the women’s league can present golf more as a modern entertainment property to complement the traditional form on the LPGA Tour.

South Korea’s Ina Yoon, 23, grew up playing indoor golf with her father as it is popular in her native country before breaking through onto the LPGA Tour.

“Screen golf is a big part of golf culture in Korea, and it is also where my own golf story began,” said Yoon, who posted top-five finishes at the Chevron Championship and Women’s PGA Championship this season.

The hope now is for other young girls who watch WTGL to pick up the sport and subsequently shine on the biggest stage.

Note: The writer was formerly head of communications for the PGA Tour APAC and Asian Tour for over 25 years and now runs his own PR consultancy.