In April, we asked our readers to tell us what products you’d like to see reviewed in the pages of Cascade Golfer. We received a terrific response, and in June — at your request — presented an entire section of products culled from the hours of TV infomercials and product showcases.
In addition to learning about the product “news and views” that interested you, the responses we received further illustrated an increasingly salient factor that will significantly shape the future of golf — quite a few of you are women.
OK, so maybe the female readership of Cascade Golfer won’t, alone, redefine the game in the coming decades (not that we’re counting you out, of course!). The response we received from our female readers, however, only underscored the point that women are becoming an increasingly powerful force in what for centuries has been largely a male-dominated sport.
Consider that the world’s most dominant golfer is not a male (sorry, Tiger), but rather a female — Mexico’s Lorena Ochoa, winner of 20 LPGA Tournaments in 25 months, between April 2006 and May 2008.
What’s more, research shows that women represent an increasingly large fraction of the global golf market, a fact that savvy manufacturers have certainly not failed to notice. Nearly every major manufacturer now has a line of products specifically designed for female golfers, featuring everything from lighter clubs with shorter shafts, to an abundance of hybrid and rescue clubs – women tend to be less self-conscious (and thus, more practical) than men when it comes to using non-traditional equipment.
Tellingly, a good number of our readers interested in women’s clubs were not women, but men with female friends, partners or spouses with a budding interest in the game and a desire to put their hands on the products designed specifically for the female golfer.
So, ladies (and gift-buying men) … this one’s for you.
