Why are so many men still surprised women play golf and, more to the point, that they can be exceptionally good at it? It was incredible to watch a recent video from Georgia Ball, a PGA pro and online coach, who was offered advice from a man in the next driving range bay about how she should swing the club.
Ball’s response was typically British and typically female, no doubt because of how we’ve generally been socialised. She tried to explain extremely politely that she was taking a slow, exaggerated backswing as she was making swing changes. The man was not prepared to listen. He knew best, repeating “I’ve been playing golf for 20 years”, and persisted in offering advice.
Commenting on her mansplaining viral video, Ball said: “It started to turn quite awkward as he wouldn’t let me finish a sentence and that’s when I thought I should probably just get back to practising my golf and what I was at the driving range to do. I was so focused on my own practice that I didn’t actually notice if he was an amazing golfer or not, but now I can look back and see the funny side of it.”
Would he have offered the same advice to a male golfer? Probably not. If he had, I’m sure he would have got short shrift with a ‘thanks but no thanks’ response. Would a woman stop her practice session and walk to another bay to offer a man advice? Never. Ball is a PGA pro, so she can turn a blind eye to advice, rise above it and have the last laugh as she is an incredible golfer. For female players just starting out in the game, or with an average handicap, it’s a different story.
It always amazes me that men feel they have an entitlement to offer women golfers advice. While I’m not arrogant enough to think that I don’t need help on the golf course, whether you’re a male or female golfer, people should always have the etiquette to ask first if you want their advice.
I know one female club player who was asked to partner a man in a club mixed competition, but they never made it past the practice round because he oversaw every shot telling her what to do and by the end of the round she was reduced to tears. I’ve had similar experiences, as I’m sure so many other women have, but you can be darn sure that if a man offers me unso
