Lawrenson takes two-pronged approach to get women into golf

15/02/2023

Initiatives to get girls into golf while not plentiful are not in short supply. Girls Golf Rocks, Love.Golf and the R&A’s Women in Golf Charter are three of the best known while a host of clubs are also doing their bit to encourage female participation.

As are PGA Professionals. One, however, is tackling the challenge with a double-barrelled approach by founding Women in Golf and Business.

“Women play golf and women work in business,” says Nicky Lawrenson, a PGA Fellow Professional. ‘’But it’s not often we hear about how the two can mix.”

Not so, men. It’s a golfing cliché but truism, that the golf course is fertile ground for businessmen to negotiate deals, cement contacts or network.

“There are so many good things that can come from a round of golf in those circumstances,” adds Lawrenson. “It can be a business or career-changing four hours.

“I think the dynamics change as well – it’s very different to the workplace. There’s so much more you can get from that environment, and I think it would be great for women to embrace those opportunities a little bit more.

“I think women feel particularly conscious that they must be a certain standard to do that.

“I’ve given gents lessons who have a corporate event coming up and may not have played for several years or at all. But they will embrace that day and who knows what will come from it.

“Women, by contrast, feel they need to be a certain standard before entering that environment. It’s a shame for them to miss out on those opportunities.”

Help, however, is at hand in the form of Women in Golf and Business. The idea, as the ‘sell’ on its website www.wigb.co.uk and brochure trumpets, is to: ‘Empower, Inspire, Collaborate’ via networking events, golf and business training programmes. In addition, there is an online portal which offers free or paid for premium membership.

“The mission and passion of ‘Women in Golf and Business’ is to bring the wider benefits of golf to professional women,” Lawrenson explains.

“This gives them the opportunity of broadening their network, influence and impact, while also realising the internal benefits of playing golf – increased focus, self-confidence and overall wellbeing. It aims to develop a more inclusive platform both on the golf course and in business.

“The golf course is a fantastic place to meet people, network and build the kind of relationships that could last a lifetime, particularly in business.

“The mindset principles that breed success on the golf course also provide a fantastic opportunity to enhance our well-being and performance both on and off it.”

The venture, which can also be tailored for businesses and focus on a company’s goals, is the product of Lawrenson’s 20-plus years coaching golf in a variety of environments and locations.

She has worked at the Emirates Golf Club, Dubai, where she was the senior instructor at world-renowned coach Peter Cowen’s Golf Academy, Roda Golf and Beach Resort in Spain, and, most recently, at Bowood Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort, Wiltshire, where she was director of golf.

In addition, the 48-year-old from north Wales has found time to shin up Mount Kilimanjaro with a fellow PGA pro to raise money for charity. In doing so, she became one of the fortunate few to despatch a golf ball from the summit wielding a seven-iron!

Simmering under all these experiences and activity has been a casserole of intent – namely creating a community for women that mixes golf and business.

“I’ve been passionate about this for as long as I can remember,” she says. “I’ve been involved with a lot of corporate golfing events and seen the benefits from a professional and relationship-building aspect that golf can create.”

Invariably, these have been male-centric, and Women in Golf and Business aims to change that. As the name suggests, however, there are two aspects to the venture.

As an accomplished coach, Lawrenson is as adept at teaching businesswomen who have never held a club the rudiments of the game as she is helping the more experienced improve or get back in the swing after a golfing sabbatical.

Similarly, the reputation for excellence she has earned from two decades of coaching has resulted in her making influential contacts and opened doors.

As a result, the roster of some of the exclusive venues for WIGB events includes Bowood, Kingswood Golf & Country Club, Hamptworth Golf & Country, Club and Frilford Heath, while Galvin Green, Röhnisch and PUMA are on board as partners.

All of which leaves the business aspect of the operation to be looked after, not least in the recently launched ‘Game Changer for your Business’ programme which blends the skills of Lawrenson and Jeanette Harris, a highly skilled business and life coach with 30-plus years’ experience in the corporate world.

“Using golf as a metaphor for corporate learning is extremely powerful,” Harris explained after playing her part in a WIGB day at Bowood.

“I really enjoy weaving the business, mindset and well-being side of coaching into the practical aspect of playing and coaching golf.

“The benefits of today were twofold. In addition to learning some amazing golfing skills and introducing them to some of the ladies who have never played the game before, there has been the acquisition of skills and techniques that can also be applied in the business world.

“I think learning them in a sporting context is very helpful as the mind can be opened to some different techniques that you can translate into the business world and everyday life.

“Golf revolves around a stationary ball while sports like football and cricket require instantaneous responses and don’t allow as much time to think. It is this window of time and our internal world that can make all the difference.’’

The correlation between golf and business was not lost on Carmen King, an HR professional who attended the WIGB day at Bowood.

“I was very interested to see how the two ladies (Nicky and Jeanette) would marry the two subjects from a golfing perspective,” she said.

“I don’t’ play golf and neither does anyone in my family. I’m completely new to it and today was an out of comfort zone experience. But it was incredibly useful to do those exercises such as building resilience and strength and then translate them to business disciplines.

“Having experienced golf for the first time, it’s quite possible I might follow it up. There’s lots and lots of things I really like about golf.

“As for my role in HR, I would point people in the direction of golf. I like the creative angle of looking at topics that are really important to all of us.”

CLICK HERE to find out more about the Women in Golf and Business.