Conwy GC First In UK To Make Charter Commitment

Conwy golf club has become the first in the UK to sign up to The R&A’s Women and Girl’s Charter.

The host venue for the 2020 Curtis Cup, the top transatlantic competition for lady amateurs, is an appropriate club to lead the way for the campaign led by golf’s governing body.

The move has been welcomed by The R&A in St Andrew’s, with Conwy becoming the first club to sing up to the commitment to establish an inclusive culture across the club for members guests and staff.

Conwy aim to use the 2020 Curtis Cup as a catalyst for growing the sport for the next generation of women and girls golfers, working alongside Wales Golf to ensure the sport is open for everyone.

Jackie Davidson, Assistant Director – Golf Development, at The R&A, said, “We are delighted to have Conwy’s support as the first golf club to sign-up to the Women in Golf Charter.

“It is so important for the Charter to break through at club level, as we aim to increase the number of women and girls participating in golf and to encourage more opportunities for women to work and volunteer within the sport overall.

“Conwy’s commitment to a range of initiatives is a great example to other clubs.”

Conwy general manager Matt Parsley explained signing up to the Women and Girls Charter was a way of building and expanding on the good work already being done at the club.

“We have a large ladies section, 100 strong and growing who are established club golfers.

“However we want to develop and enhance our New2Golf and Back2Golf offering by providing a clear structure for beginner and/or previous women and girl golfers.

“We want to ensure that women and girl participation and development sits firmly and highly within the club’s strategic plan.

“We are exploring how the club can encourage more participation by family groups.

‘We will be working alongside Wales Golf and the Local Education Authority to educate and inform school pupils in the locality of the history and significance of The Curtis Cup, whilst using the hosting of the event as a catalyst for the development and growth of women and girls participation.

“It is great we have come out and pledged ourselves to this charter, we believe this backing for women is good for the industry.”

The move was also welcomed by Wales Golf. “We are pleased to have a Welsh golf club leading the way on this,” said Wales Golf women and girls co-ordinator Simon Lu.

“Equality is at the heart of Wales Golf. We were the first of the home unions to merge the governance of the male and female games, it was a commitment made at the start of the century as part of bringing the Ryder Cup to Wales.

“We will continue to work closely with Conwy to help them meet the commitments they have made to The R&A and we look forward to seeing other clubs in Wales joining them in making this Pledge.”