Over the last decade or so, there has been one area of golf that has grown by leaps and bounds: the participation of girls. There are several reasons why your daughter, or a young lady you know, should be considering golf.

When I first started teaching golf 20 years ago, there were not many young ladies that went to the course, and the few that did, didn’t take lessons. Girls that played sports typically stuck with the popular sports like softball, basketball, and tennis. As title IX came more prominent, along with more courses being built and an explosion of golf on television, girl participation began to grow. Here are some of the reasons golf is so popular among girls.

Golf is an Individual Sport. This is true most of the time, as many High Schools and Colleges have teams. Players play their own game, and don’t have to worry about remembering X’s and O’s like players in other team sports.

Golf is a Game of Score. Most players that are the best in team sports are bigger, taller, faster, etc. In golf, size doesn’t matter. There is no defense being played in golf, either. There are players who hit it farther, shorter, or have different styles of play. But in the end, all that matters is the score.

Coaching/Parenting Styles Are Different. Many girls I teach have been coached in other sports by coaches who are screaming at some point during practice and games to get their points across. As you can imagine, some of these girls don’t respond well to aggressive coaching styles. On the golf course, the player is their own coach most of the time. When they are with their coach, they’re talking in normal tones in a relaxed manner. I would say just about every girl that has played team sports and switched to golf has relaxed and had more fun. Also, there are no parents offering advice and yelling from the stands or sidelines.

Girls Scholarships Are Available. Hundreds (yes, HUNDREDS) of scholarships go unused every year. Many schools bring in players from overseas to fill roster spots, or even go with a less than full roster, because girls in the U.S. aren’t going after the scholarships themselves. When I’m helping girls in their college searches, I check scores of the schools they are considering. I’ve seen girl’s scores that were in the 140+ range for 18 holes competing in college events. These girls are getting good $$ to play. I recently had a college coach call me, (Division I, GREAT school) looking for a decent player, and tell me he could not find a girl to play golf and was having a Volleyball team member fill in at tournaments.

Golf Is the Game of a Lifetime. Golf is the one sport your daughter can play the rest of her life. Softball, basketball, track, etc all have short careers. It’s something that she can do with her friends, spouse or her own children years down the road.

Golf Is a Low-Injury Sport. Golf is a non-contact sport. While there may be aches and pains, golf is relatively easy on the body compared to other sports. If your girl does play golf, invest in a good pull or push-cart to take the stress of a bag off her back and shoulders.

If your daughter has had issues with other sports, or their coaches, I suggest looking into participating in golf. Many girls are pushed towards the other sports because of the past involvement of family or their friends. Introduce yours to the game of golf. You’ll be glad you did.