Megan Brewer

ENGL 4569

Girls Go Golf

Popular culture helps deflate girls self-esteem by marginalizing

women and stereotyping their roles. (AAUM, 1991)

A national survey on self-esteem conducted by Greenberg-Lake,

commissioned by the American Association of University Women
(AAUM) found that young girls around age eight are confident and
assertive, with a sense of autonomy about themselves. However, the
study found that most of these same girls leave their adolescent years
with a deflated sense of self-worth, constrained views on their future,
and a significant decrease in confidence about themselves and their
abilities. While all children emerge from adolescence with some
insecurities about themselves, there is a marked difference in the
perception young girls have of themselves compared to young boys.
According to AAUMs poll, girls experience a 31 percent decrease in
self-esteem from the end of elementary school to the start of high
school. This means that entering their teen years, only 29 percent of
girls would say that theyre happy with who they are as people, as
opposed to almost 50 percent of high school boys saying the same
thing (AAUM, 1991).

There are many contributing factors to the harsh perception young

girls have of themselves, one of which stems from insufficient attention
paid to them in classroom and extracurricular settings. Young boys
tend to be more rambunctious, outspoken, and attention-hungry than
young girls, drawing the focus of teachers, classmates, and coaches.
Girls are taught from a young age that they simply mature faster than
boys, and therefore shouldnt be surprised when their male peers seem
to draw more attention to themselves. But perhaps it isnt that boys
mature slower or require more focused consideration. Maybe its
simply more acceptable for young boys to demand that attention. Girls
are taught not to stand out or go against the grain, and are met with
backlash when they try.

I grew up in a stereotypically male world. My dad is the

superintendent of a private golf course in my hometown, and I was
raised on the game of golf. At my club, I was the one of only two young
girls ever out on the course or in the clubhouse, and when I played in
club tournaments, I was often the lone girl in a group of boys. My sister
never showed any interest in the game and neither did any of my
female friends from school, so if I wanted to play, I had to play with the
boys. When I was very young, it didnt seem to matter that much
because all young kids have about the same amount of skill, but the
older I got, the more I felt judgmental eyes on me every time I went
out to play. As the boys grew, so did the distance they could hit the
ball, and while I am no hack on the course, simple biological

differences meant that I began to play from different tees than the
other members of my group. This isnt an unusual occurrence in golf;
older and younger men play from different tees all the time, but the
difference was simple: I am not a man.

There is a longrunning clich about golf, especially privatized golf,

being an old boys club, and while my dad and my friends never made
me feel unwelcome at my club, there was definitely a stigma from the
senior members. They were the remnant of an age that saw women
only being allowed to play on Tuesday afternoons, and only if their
husbands accompanied them, so my presence brought about a certain
amount of censure. It was a censure I was always aware of, and one
that made me wish for a place to play without any type of objection.
Until I reached high school and joined the girls golf team, I didnt
realize that what I was really wishing for was a group of girls to play
with.

The goal of the Girls Go Golf campaign is to provide young girls the
opportunity to learn the game of golf together in a supportive,
encouraging, empowering environment. Even if they dont have a
particular interest in the game itself, Girls Go Golf camps are a place
for girls to receive validation of their individual abilities without feeling
like they need to compete for attention with their male peers. Genuine
female relationships are so important for young girls in order for them
to build a support system to help navigate the struggles of

adolescence and beyond. Attending a Girls Go Golf camp gives young

girls the chance to meet up and have fun together in a stress-free,
constructive way, and strengthen or create a bond with each other.
Values intrinsic to the game of golf (honesty, integrity, sportsmanship,
respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy, judgment)
double as wonderful values for young girls to cling to and learn from.
Girls Go Golf strives to shore up the self-perception and importance of
every young girl who attends a camp.

Works Referenced
Greenberg-Lake. Shortchanging Girls, Shortchanging America: A Call to
Action. Washington, DC: American Association of U Women, 1991.
American Association of University Women, 1991. Web. 1 May 2016.