The question of what women want from golf may be as old as Mary, Queen of Scots, widely thought to be the first female golfer in the 16th century. More recently, golf course management firm KemperSports decided to take a deep dive on the topic. Its findings are both relevant and useful, particularly considering recent research about women’s participation. The National Golf Foundation recently issued a report showing that on-course female participation in the United States has grown 45 percent since 2019. The net growth is roughly 2.5 million women, bringing the total number of female on-course golfers to 8.1 million. This is a market of consequence. So Sara Kearney, KemperSports’ chief marketing officer, set out to discover what it is about golf that women want and treasure. She sought to learn what drives their passion for golf, and how that passion differs from that of their male counterparts. Sara Kearney Courtesy KemperSports Kearney hosted a few focus groups in the Chicago area earlier this year. They were made up of women in the...