The presence of women at the 2024 PGA Show, the largest annual international business event in the sport of golf, was more noticeable than ever, with 127 women-owned brands exhibiting at Orange County Convention Center, in Orlando, Florida, compared to around 80 in 2023.

This increase is certainly a welcomed trend for the women who have been paving the way in the industry, such as Larissa Holmes, Co-founder and CEO of Coterie, an online platform that helps golf professionals grow and scale their businesses. “It is easy to find each other because there is still few of us,” Holmes shared. Even so, she remains encouraged by the year-over-year growth and the more than 50% increase in women engaging with the game in general.

“It has been great to see what’s around in the market for golf professionals and finding great partnerships, and to have the support of the LPGA to help grow our businesses,” added Karen Miranda, Co-founder and CTO of Coterie, about the PGA Show and their company’s relationship with the Ladies Professional Golf Association.

Megan LaMothe, Founder and CEO of Foray Golf and ex Victoria Secret executive, was also very excited to return to the show. “I was a golfer, and I would spend my days working on R&D and product development, and then I would go to the golf course and see products that could use our knowledge. That is the origin of Foray,” she explained.

That type of vision to fill a need in the industry and the commitment to junior golf is what propelled LPGA Pro Emily Burns, or Coach Em for those who know her, to create Squishtees, a brand of products for golfers of all ages, providing them with the tools needed to play and learn the game, while making it fun. “It is amazing to be looked at as someone who can provide my experience and feedback to all women and young girls who are new to the game,” said Burns.

Katie Byrnes founded Jaybird Golf, which was “born out of a love for style, need for function, and desire to inspire more women to get into the game of golf.” This is only fitting since she was one of those young girls inspired to take on the game and participate in the golf industry.

“We’ve had a great time working with Girls Golf and the LPGA,” said Byrnes, an alumna of the LPGA*USGA Girls Golf program, the only national junior golf program that specializes in providing girl-friendly environments for juniors to learn the game of golf.

With more than 500 sites around North America, Girls Golf has become one of the main catalyzers of growth in female participation in the game. The reach of the program has increased by 1,800% since 2010 and now more than 35%, or more than 1.1 million, of junior golfers in the U.S. are girls.

“We are a team of women and young girls who have had challenges in finding clothes for ourselves as well as our daughters as they enter golf. We found we were kind of an afterthought at pro shops,” explained Rebekah Alfond, Founder of Marie Birdie.

Alfond, like LaMothe and Burns, found her inspiration in her daughters and junior girls. Other women-owned brands are the result of friends working together or wife and husband collaborations.

“If you look good you play well,” is the motto of Pirdie Golf, the clothing brand launched in 2023 by Kelley Holderman, Jaimee Newcomer and Kendra Nash. “We are hoping more women get out on the course and we want to make sure they feel confident. We don’t want clothing to be a barrier,” said the three co-founders.

Connor O’Connor (Coco) and Nadia O’Connor (Nads) tailor their brand Coconads to the “fancy, fine and fabulous women all around the world, with all of our trims made of 100% washable silk, super feminine with elevated detail.”

“They met online and founded this company together. Two years ago, they were pulling a wagon around showing their fabric to people. Now they have a booth at the PGA Show and they have a great product,” said LPGA Tour player Angel Yin about the husband and wife apparel brand. “I have been walking around and seeing all the new technology for this year. It is very impressive, with all the new styles, all the new companies and a lot of people out here,” added Yin, Solheim Cup star and recent winner of the Buick LPGA Shanghai.

South Korean LPGA former player, Jeehae Lee, was also at the PGA Show to represent Sportbox AI, a game changing technology company she co-founded. “We take a single video taken on a mobile device and turn it into full 3D data to analyze your swing with. As a coach, you can have your phone turn into a 3D motion studio,” explained Lee. “I am very excited about the response of all the people who have visited us and the year ahead of us,” she added. Lee’s success is a good example of the increased presence of women at the PGA Show and the golf industry as a whole.

After five PGA Shows, LPGA Pro Shayain Gustavsp has been a privileged witness to that evolution. “It gets better and better every year. I love going to see the innovation and new clothing brands. I like to see other young women who have come out and expanded their businesses,” said Coach Shayain.

Women in golf make their presence felt at the PGA Show

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