Golf professional Oneda Castillo has a well of success stories from women executives who have used golf to transform their careers. One particular throwback about her longtime friend and colleague LaJean Gould, founder of the Atlanta-based Women in Golf Foundation, reinforces an idea that women should be on course. 

As Castillo tells it, Gould was once looking to advance in a corporate career. “On Friday, she found herself alone in the office, dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s, and the guys were gone,” Castillo told CEO Update. “Come Monday, they come back, and here’s this guy getting a promotion. She’s looking at it, thinking, ‘Why didn’t I get that promotion?’” 

Gould realized that the decision to promote her colleague had begun during a day on the golf course, so she secured some lessons and played in the next company’s next outing. 

“At the 19th hole, when the event was over, for the very first time, the CEO of that company walked up to her and said, ‘Didn’t I see you on the golf course today?’ That was the first time he had ever spoken to her,” Castillo said. “That’s what golf can do for executive women.” 

Using golf as a tool for career ascension is a concept that makes sense in theory. But can it really help women climb the corporate ladder? The answer, according to Deborah Gray, a Central Michigan University marketing professor, is yes — with caveats. 

‘The international language of business’ 

A 2020 study Gray co-authored in the journal Business Horizons, “Getting in the game: Putting golf at the forefront of your networking toolbox,” revealed significant challenges for women looking to be on course. 

“Golf has just historically been known as the international language of business. It’s just this accepted practice that this is where we’re going to do business in an informal setting,” she said. 

According to the National Golf Foundation, however, women accounted for only a quarter of all golfers in the United States in 2022 — 6.4 million out of 25.6 million total golfers. 

“By and large, we’re excluded,” Gray said of women, pointing to a lack of free time, which is often due to the fact that women are the primary caregivers for younger and older generations. 

“Women do have unequal access to leisure time,” she said. “The women who want to learn to golf and participate — when are they going to find the time to do this?” 

Despite the disparities, though, women are getting in the game in a significant way, Gray pointed out. During COVID-19, golf in the United States saw an increase of well over a million on-course players, with females accounting for more than 60% of that growth, she said, citing National Golf Foundation numbers from 2022. And the industry, she contended, is taking note. 

“I think golf courses are really trying to get out there and recruit women because of the emphasis on inclusivity right now, but I think also — probably more important for golf courses — it’s the increase in the pocketbook,” Gray said. 

Career women who play 

Cathy Harbin, president-elect of the National Golf Course Owners Association and owner of Pine Ridge Golf Course in Paris, Texas, saw firsthand the pandemic-era influx of women. Families golfed together when other activities shut down, which spawned participation from a new female demographic, she said. These were career women who still play after work now that the pandemic emergency has passed. 

Women on the golf course, Harbin said, reap the benefits of inclusion when it comes to career interests, but it’s hard to participate if they’re not actually playing. 

“If you’re a top executive, the last thing you want is for somebody to say, ‘You can drive the beverage cart,’” she said. 

Harbin said she’s seeing women who commit to building their golfing skills getting increased respect from their male colleagues when they play with business acquaintances. 

“Now, when someone says, ‘We’ve got a company outing,’ they're like, ‘Hey, can you be on my team?’” she said. “They’re an asset.” 

Getting on course 

Getting to that point, though, is a process that Castillo, an LPGA Master Professional, has made into a specialty via the instruction she provides through the Women in Golf Foundation’s Executive Women’s Program. 

For decades, career women intent on improving their game have flown to her for guidance on play, on-course etiquette and attire. Castillo realizes golf is a means to an end for most of these students, so she begins the sessions with goal setting. The result is usually an ability to hold their own, and some students really hone their skills. 

“There’s a big percentage of them that — I honestly believe if they weren’t so preoccupied with their careers — that they would be better golfers,” Castillo said. “It’s important that you just get out there, learn the language, and let golf do for you what it is you need.” 

Castillo recalls a student who approached her with a plan for meeting her professional needs. 

“I want you to make me look like a good golfer having a bad day, and I don’t care about the score,” Castillo recalled the woman saying. “I gave her what she asked for. We went out on the course, I showed her what club you’re supposed to use, (helped her) learn the language, where to stand, when to talk. The interesting thing about it was because she was a woman of excellence in achievement, she became a good golfer.” 

For women who just can’t get on course, Gray recommends visiting sports entertainment complexes that combine hitting bays with food and drink. 

“If you have clients who golf, invite them there. You don’t even have to golf,” she said. “I think when you’re not golfing on a golf course, it’s a little bit more conspicuous.” 

For Harbin, the overall lesson is the same one Gould learned decades ago about the trust and relationships that gel during a few rounds of golf. 

“The relationship gets built on the golf course,” she said. “When you go to dinner at night, now they trust you. They’re signing the deal with you because they just spent four hours on the golf course with you, and you proved who you were.”