As I enter the grounds of the Ladies Golf Club of Toronto, I feel like I am entering a sanctuary. Not only is this beautiful course located in Markham a refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city 30 minutes south, but it is also a home away from the noise faced by women who love golf. My friend Julie and I were invited to play by current pro Jaime Steedman and the PGA of Canada encouraged me to share my thoughts.
This century-old course is steeped in history and I truly feel like I have gone back in time. This place was built on grit and innovation, which instantly filled me with admiration. A century ago, founder Ada Mackenzie created a place where women could play golf. And this is still the case today.
It is a unique concept on this continent. This is a women-only club where, yes, men are admitted…but as guests.
This golf club was born for practical reasons. It was 1924, shortly after my gender gained the right to vote. Mackenzie, winner of five Canadian women’s amateur championships, couldn’t practice as much as she wanted when the men returned from the war and took over the tee times. She battled many skeptics, but stuck to her vision and gained support from those who believed in it, such as her friend and famous architect Stanley Thompson. In fact, they posed as a married couple in order to be taken seriously when inquiring about purchasing land.
When I think of Mackenzie rallying support for his concept, I imagine it went something like this:
“Ladies. We need a place to call our own. A place where we can always get departures because we organize the departures ourselves. A place where men won’t make fun of us because, well, they won’t be there. We can finally stop being golfers and just… be golfers. »
“What about people, Ada? We can vote, but we are still not people. Can we be people? »
“It’s a noble cause, Doris. Maybe one day. But first, let’s fix your right hook.”
The journey it has built is breathtaking for its approximately 500 members. With weeping willows lining the paths and a tree affectionately named Phyllis, this is clearly a special place.
“The course was designed to meet the needs of women,” explains Jaime Steedman, course manager. “This is evident in the location of the tees, the length, the entrance to the greens, while retaining all the elements of a Stanley Thompson course.
While playing, Steedman reflected on legacy and said something that really stuck with me: ‘If this course opened in 2024, it would make headlines.’
She is absolutely right. Golf for women still exists primarily in a mold set by men, which we are constantly trying to fit into. Although it is a century old, this place is still relevant today.
Since I started working in golf ten years ago, I have noticed that brands, courses and organizations are placing more emphasis on women’s golf.
I’ve covered some great initiatives aimed at getting women into the game, like Tee Up 4 Success, a program to help female executives learn golf so they don’t miss out on networking opportunities, and the Festival They are playing golf, a Golf Canada event aimed at encouraging women and girls to play in a welcoming environment.
The progress is undeniable and yet it is juxtaposed with a perplexing amount of sexism. Even today.
If you want to see this in action, I encourage you to Google PGA professional golf coach Georgia Ball and the viral video in which she receives unsolicited advice on her swing from a man who “has been playing golf for twenty years”.
It’s rare that I put myself in a negative state of mind, but that day at the all-female club we didn’t receive any unwanted attention and it was with sadness that I realized that This was an anomaly.
To portray what women experience when practicing their swing, I don’t have to look far. In the back of my mind I keep a box called “golfer stuff,” where memories of the comments I received on the course fester on a pile of broken tees and old golf gloves.
First of all, as a golfer, I have to deal with the common expectation that I will probably perform poorly despite my professional attire or the quality of my clubs (thanks Adidas and TaylorMade Canada). I know that missing my tee shot in front of the clubhouse patio, with everyone watching, doesn’t do much to dispel those prejudices, but it also happens when I’m playing competently.
During a round in Alberta last year, I had a very nice approach shot on the 7th green. This memory would have remained a memory if a man had not immediately rushed into his cart and said to me: “I saw you settling in, I didn’t expect it to go well , but wow, it was really a nice shot.”
In general, I like compliments to be given without ulterior motive, sir. Thank you.
Before a round in Ontario in July, I sat on the driver’s side of the golf cart next to my male counterpart and an attendant asked me if I was “okay to drive.”
When Julie and I attended a golf trade show a few months ago, we had only been there a few minutes when a stranger made the following joke to us: “Oh, they allow women on the golf courses NOW ? We felt like we were characters from his TV series. And he was his own laugh track. We moved on quickly, as she was eager to find new irons, but the left-handed club selection left something to be desired. Thin.
One of the first things we noticed at the Ladies Golf Club of Toronto was the comfortable size of the carts. I would never have thought to complain about the height of a cart, but did it make my game easier? Yes. These subtle touches don’t feel like forced accommodations, they’re part of the norm.
That day, I was very happy to play golf again with Julie. We often ruminate on how golf is a necessary break for brain cells. For years we played as a duo on golf courses in the Greater Toronto Area, but she had to take a break due to motherhood. When she told me she was pregnant, we excitedly began swapping Instagram posts of Michelle Wie, who made headlines when she took her daughter to the practice range 10 days after giving birth . We can’t all be superheroes, but it’s inspiring to see a woman continue to do what she loves and what she knows how to do, while still being a mom.
Having both grown up in Alberta, Julie and I saw new parents come out of the house and take their young children to the driving range, or enjoy a long walk on the golf course while their child slept in a stroller.
But it turns out that most golf courses in Ontario don’t allow babies on the course. Even when she says her stroller has protection and she’s happy to sign a statement absolving the ride of any legal liability, it’s a no. She expected it would be harder to play after her son was born, but not this much.
She believes it’s up to parents to determine the appropriate risk for their child. She says it bluntly: “There are risks everywhere. By that I mean I’m taking my kid on Highway 401.” Statistically, it is one of the most dangerous roads in Canada.
For many women my age who don’t have child care, play is put on the back burner for years. So when we talk about the barriers that remain for women, this one is physical. And obvious.
For reasons like these, you can put in place all the programs in the world to get women to play golf, but there is no guarantee that they will stay.
Steedman says building community is an important factor in keeping women playing, and it’s one of the main reasons the Ladies Golf Club of Toronto has thrived. “It’s our ability to create truly welcoming environments and spaces that are psychologically and physically safe to thrive in.”
It comes full circle as I return my perfectly sized cart, say goodbye to Steedman (and of course Phyllis), drop Julie off, and wonder when we can play golf together again.
