From potential to professional: supporting young women’s golf courses

The future of golf depends not only on those who play the game, but also on those who lead, teach, manage, innovate and shape golf’s culture.

Recognizing this, the Women in Golf Awardsin collaboration with The Kate & Justin Rose Foundationare launching a new scholarship program to unlock educational and professional development opportunities for women under 21 years old who aspire to build a meaningful career in the golf industry.

This new initiative represents an important step in that direction tackling one of the sport’s most persistent challenges: ensuring that talented young women are supported at crucial points in their development.

Too often, promising careers don’t stagnate because of a lack of ability or ambitionbut because access to training, qualifications or industrial pathways is financially or logistically out of reach.

The fairwhich one total €10,000 per yearwill fund continuing professional development courses provided by golf’s governing bodies or their recognized education providers.

Importantly, the scheme also considers applications for other activities demonstrable advancement of women’s careers within golfreflecting the diverse and evolving opportunities available within the sector.

Applications are opened twice a year through the Women in Golf Awards website, providing candidates with ongoing access and flexibility as they progress through different stages of their journey.

“This is an initiative we have been working on since the first Women in Golf Awards, so we are incredibly grateful to the Kate & Justin Rose Foundation for supporting our ambition to help nurture the future female leaders of our sector,” said Nicole Wheatley, founder of the Women in Golf Awards.

“There are many incredibly talented young women in the industry who are reaching a crossroads in their careers. If we can provide that funding for them to access training and development opportunities that inspire them to realize their ambitions within golf, the sector as a whole will benefit from this.”

That belief – that investing in individuals strengthens the entire sport ecosystem – is at the heart of this partnership.

The Kate & Justin Rose Foundation has long been a proponent of golf as a vehicle for opportunity, education and long-term personal developmentespecially for young people in Britain.

“This partnership with the Women in Golf Awards is one expanding the work we already carry out as a foundation,” the commentary said Kate Rose, President of The Kate & Justin Rose Foundation.

“We strive for it enabling young people to experience the lifelong benefits of golfnot only as a sport, but also by providing access to wider opportunities within the golf industry and community.

We are curious about the registrations, find out more about the young women who choose golf as their career, and see where this scholarship takes them.”

The first application window opens February 1, 2026.

Applicants must be under 21 years of age on the day of application and provide full details of the education, training or development opportunities for which they are seeking support.

At a time when golf is actively working to become more inclusive, representative and forward-looking, this exhibition sends a powerful message: Talent deserves opportunities, and ambition must be supported.

By supporting young women in the early stages of their careers, the Women in Golf Awards and The Kate & Justin Rose Foundation not only do individual trajectories change – they are helping shape a stronger, more diverse future for the game itself.

For full details and to apply, visit: https://womeningolfawards.co.uk/bursary-application/

Share of female PGA professionals by country

• In the United States, approximately 5% of PGA professionals are women (approximately 1,500 of the nearly 29,000 PGA of America members).
• GB&I: No recent publicly reported total percentage of women from the official source; previous analyzes suggest that female PGA representation has been historically low (<3–5%).
• PGA of Sweden reportedly has one higher female membership share than the PGA of South Africawhich was reported about 7% – already above many other PGAs.
• PGA of South Africa: Reportedly one of the more gender-balanced PGAs in terms of membership, with approximately 7% female PGA professionals at the time of reporting, and leadership initiatives to grow that share.
• A general sector analysis of 21 national PGA organisations (study published by Collect Golf) found that at these associations, the percentage of women in PGA membership ranges from approx 3% to 15%with the top (~15%) representing the highest observed share. This suggests that the national PGA with the highest proportion of female PGA professionals in the sample had ~15% women members.