SAM Golf

Thank you for wanting to think along (or at least taking a look) about more balance between men and women in the golf world. The NGF is working together with Bernardus/Solheim Cup and SAM (Foundation for more equality in sport) on a redesign of the playing field. And that is desperately needed.

Research on Gender (in)equality in golf by the Mulier Institute (2025) shows:

• Less than 25% of board members in golf are women. For management functions such as trainers, this is less than 15%.
• Only 31% of golfers in the Netherlands are women
• Women experience more social barriers, such as rigid club cultures and limited flexibility in playing times.
• Golf courses are historically designed for male strength, which means women experience less success.
• Female golf professionals are scarce, while their presence increases the influx of girls.

Together with women and men, girls and boys, we want to brainstorm about wishes, needs, opportunities and possibilities to get gender equality in the golf world more in balance. Always with a positive approach. Because 'what if' gets us further than 'why not'.

Your input is greatly appreciated and is anonymous. Our goal is to collect the input of all participants, analyze it and make connections to ultimately arrive at a supported discussion paper as a basis for a re-design of the playing field that we actively share with federations, associations, governments and other parties that are important to actually make the change possible.

On this page we have a number of great conversation starters ready for you. We have divided them into themes: inclusion, participation, leadership and visibility. You can do them all or pick one or more themes that appeal to you the most. All input and all ideas are welcome. On behalf of SAM: thank you for letting your voice be heard!