The R&A Women in Golf Charter

A commitment to a more inclusive culture within golf

We, Eltham Warren GC call on everyone involved in golf to play their part in developing a culture that values women’s involvement in every aspect of the sport, from participating to pursuing a career.

 Our aim is to increase the number of women and girls playing and working in golf.
 To achieve this goal and to enable women to flourish throughout golf, we recognise the need for a fundamental shift in culture. There is a clear ethical need for change and the potential economic benefits of growing the sport through more women and girls playing are substantial.
 The R&A commits to playing a leading role in this process and to working with affiliates, partners and the wider golf industry towards achieving this goal.
 In signing this Charter, we Eltham Warren GC commit to making tangible efforts to develop a welcoming and inspiring environment for women. We will do more to attract women into golf, to remain, and to have rewarding careers.

The Charter:
 Is a statement of intent from the golf industry and Eltham Warren GC, to unite and to focus gender balance at all levels
 Commits us all to supporting measures to increase the number of women, girls and families playing golf
 Calls for positive action to encourage women to pursue careers in all areas of the sport
 Recognises the need for change that creates an inclusive environment within golf and our golf club

Signatories commit to activate this Charter by:
 Developing and implementing an internal strategy for enhancing gender balance at every level
 Establishing senior management responsibility and accountability for gender balance and inclusion, which is discussed and reviewed at committee/board level with Eltham Warren GC
 Strongly advocating more women and girls playing and working in golf.
 Working with key stakeholders to develop and embed a more inclusive culture.
 Promoting the Charter and our goal of encouraging more women and girls to play golf and work in golf.

How we at Eltham Warren GC plan to achieve this
1. To work towards having women membership of the Committee attain 30%.
2. To promote a membership pathway, for women/girls and families to progress within the club.
3. Make the switch between gender-based tees to ability-based tees.
4. To maintain Safe Golf accreditation, ensure policies and procedures remain up to date
5. Appoint a designated Charter Champion within the club who can assist with the promotion and reporting of the charter

These objectives will be embedded into the club business/operational plan and reviewed on an annual basis, to ensure that this inclusive commitment remains robust.

Commitment - Current Situation - How this will be achieved.

1   To work towards having women membership of the Committee attain 30%.
Currently, there are two women members of the Committee of 12 people. One represents the Junior Section and the other is a co-opted member. Encouraging three women Club members to stand for Committee positions. The plan is that at the AGM, a member of the Ladies Committee will stand for the Main Committee in addition to the two current female committee members.  To request that the Club use gender neutral Role Descriptors. We will then lobby members to vote for them. Initially to start the process at this Year’s AGM and then to continue in subsequent years to have at least three women standing for Committee positions. Ideally we would be able to achieve increasing the female participation in the committee within 3 to 5 yrs.

2 To promote a membership pathway, for women/girls and families to progress within the club. Currently, we have 36 playing women members and one girl junior registered but not playing. Currently women pay half membership fees in the first year to encourage new members. To initiate a mentor scheme for new members to encourage them to achieve a handicap and to play in Club competitions and roll-ups. To encourage the buddy volunteers to undertake the England Golf Heroes E-Leaning Course. To develop a Buddy programme by using the free access to the Golf Hero’s E-Learning -
https://www.englandgolf.org/club-support/membership-growth-retention/your-volunteers/golf-buddies/
In addition, hold social events to encourage new members to feel that they are a valued member of the club.
To increase our female section 18 hole membership by 5 new female members per year over the next three years.
3 To encourage EWGC to make the switch between gender-based tees to ability-based tees. Current tees follow the traditional white, yellow, red and black system. To send a measurement certificate to Kent Golf and ask for all tees to be slope rated for both genders. Kent Golf will issue temporary slope rating until course can be re-sloped. The expectation is that gender neutral based tees to be in place within two to three years, subject to course measurement availability.
4 EWGC to maintain Safe Golf accreditation, ensure policies and procedures remain up to date
a. Adopted the required club policies
b. Appointed a Club Welfare Officer
c. DBS checks are obtained for relevant club personnel
d. Club staff and volunteers have obtained any required qualifications
e. PGA Professional(s) are included on PGA Safe Golf Coaches Register The management team at the club has approved all the policies and procedures.
All documentation is up to date and has been shared with our local England Golf Club Support Officer.
Our annual review date is 11th May Keep a register of when the key policies and documentation needs to be updated and when key members of staff and volunteers need to undertake relevant training
5 Appoint a designated Charter Champion within the club who can assist with the promotion and reporting of the charter To capture and record a baseline of all the key measures we are committing to within the charter including membership data for our club to determine the impact of the charter Formally share progress and updates/changes to the charter with England Golf moving forward To provide annual measures to help determine the impact of the charter
To appoint a charter champion utilising the role description provided. The champion will be responsible for the promotion, activation and reporting on the progress of the charter. The club will formally display the charter commitments internally and externally – noticeboards, website, social media, membership packs and utilise the England Golf press release The charter Champion to provide England Golf with an annual report on progress on commitments made