Berkhamsted Golf Club enables gender equality in elite golf


By: January 17, 2020

As you may have noticed I don’t write or very rarely about golf tournaments. If I write it is because of sustainability or fan engagement best practices.

The reason why I am writing about the Berkhamsted Trophy is the decision of the Berkhamsted Golf Club, the host venue of the tournament.

The club decided wisely to allow both sexes to compete in the Berkhamsted Trophy, announced today, is a world-first for elite amateur golf. The decision is supported by The R&A and England Golf.

The Berkhamsted Golf Club is a supporter of The R&A’s Women In Golf Charter.

Berkhamsted Golf Club Berkhamsted trophy

From 2020 the traditionally season-opening Berkhamsted Trophy, a 72-hole event on Berkhamsted Golf Club’s bunker-free natural heathland golf course, will feature both male and female competitors.

The 61st Berkhamsted Trophy will take place from Thursday 2nd April to Saturday 4th April 2020. Entries are now open to golfers with handicaps of 1 or better, with invitations being sent to a number of elite female players.

The club is working on a flexible teeing system with The R&A and England Golf which will ensure that both sexes compete on an equal footing.

The event will be eligible for World Amateur Golf Ranking® (WAGR®) points for both men and women.

Berkhamsted Golf Club and its golf course

Gender equality in golf tournaments – example

In June, we will be able to see another mixed elite golf tournament, the Scandinavian Mixed Tournament.

The inaugural Scandinavian Mixed Hosted by Henrik Stenson & Annika Sorenstam will feature 78 men and 78 women at Bro Hof Slott Golf Club in Stockholm from June 11-14, 2020 and will be co-sanctioned by the European Tour and Ladies European Tour.

Swedish Golf Federation – Vision 50/50 policy

If we are already talking about an elite golf tournament to be held in Sweden, it is good to know that the Swedish Golf Federation launched its Vision 50/50 policy in 2017.

It seeks to promote gender equality in golf in Sweden. The key part of this initiative is to increase the number of women in decision-making positions in golf clubs.

Today in Sweden, golf is the biggest sport in terms of the number of active players (Source: Golfen in Sverige 2019 by the Swedish Golf Federation):

  • 461,195 registered golfers = 4.5% of the total Swedish population
  • 26.9% of golfers are women (the EU average is 25%; the US average is 23%; in the UK 15% of club members are women and 12.3% of golfers are women).
  • The national average HCP is 24.2.