18Birdies releases research findings around women’s golf participation

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., May 23, 2018 – The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), one of the longest-running women's professional sports associations in the world, and golf startup 18Birdies, a mobile and social golf platform that enhances the experience for golfers, announced today that they have combined forces to further promote the growth of the women's game. (Watch the LPGA's video welcome of 18Birdies here).

Elements of this initiative have been based on the findings of a joint ethnographic research study, "It’s His Game, Not Her Game", conducted by 18Birdies and research firm, Fusion Hill. This research study examined barriers and motivations around women’s golf participation and the findings were released in conjunction with today's announcement. (See attached infographic).

With 18Birdies joining the LPGA family as an Official Marketing Partner, the two organizations will look to tap into their various resources and drive up the participation of female players while addressing some of the barriers preventing women from playing golf that were found in the study.

"The 18Birdies platform is the perfect technology for the LPGA to partner with to accomplish our common goal of increasing golf participation by women," said Nancy Henderson, Chief Teaching Officer for the LPGA Teaching & Club Professionals (T&CP) and President of The LPGA Foundation. "We’re always looking for innovative ways to connect with current and potential female golfers and what we are doing with 18Birdies allows us to continue to do that."

Among the barriers to entry that the LPGA and 18Birdies will address through the 18Birdies app are:

A women’s focused community to allow women golfers to match and connect with each other based on specific characteristics
An easy-to-use tool that will allow women golfers to discover and connect with local T&CP instructors
A knowledge center with resources for beginner women’s golfers to help them get introduced to the game
The ability to access and sign up for numerous local women’s focused golf events

"Empowering more women to play golf is a key priority for us, which is why the LPGA is a natural partner," said Susan Song, CMO at 18Birdies. "Using our research findings as a foundation of our partnership, we hope to bring a lot more awareness and opportunities for women to get into the game."

The 18Birdies App and its multiple features are already available to a community of 950,000 avid golfers and this reach will now be expanded significantly through the LPGA's Women’s Network, the Teaching and Club Professionals (T&CP) membership and Women Who Play.

The LPGA Women’s Network, a digital platform designed to help nurture female interest in the game of golf, was officially launched at the 2018 PGA Merchandise Show in January and aims to be the biggest and most active online forum for female golfers of all skill levels and backgrounds.

The LPGA T&CP was founded in 1959 as an outgrowth of the LPGA Tour and boasts the largest membership of women golf professionals in the world. More than 1,700 T&CP members are dedicated to the advancement of golf and serve throughout the golf industry as head professionals, assistant professionals, teaching professionals, directors of golf, owners of golf schools and facilities, golf administrators and as college and high school coaches.

LPGA Women Who Play, formerly known as the Executive Women's Golf Association, is the largest national women’s amateur golf organization and has nearly 12,000 members spanning approximately 100 communities in the United States, Canada, Bermuda and Italy. The association hosts more than 7,500 local and national activities every year, including social outings, league play, networking opportunities and competitive amateur events.

LPGA and 18Birdies Announce Joint Initiative to Promote Women’s Golf

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