Haggin Oaks has been named the Best Female-Friendly Golf Facility in California by the Women’s Golf Association of the Pacific. Photo: courtesy Hagen Oaks
When Dixie Reed was introduced to golf nearly 20 years ago in Houston, there was no second date.
It wasn’t that Reid wasn’t athletic, or that she was just super busy. She simply could not stand the masculine vibe of the experience. “The guys behind us had been riding us all day, really ruthless guys. It wasn’t fun. Back then I was playing softball, tennis, and soccer. Why would we put up with that?”
The fact that Dixie Reed is now an avid golfer who plays three times a week—and buys golf more often—is the kind of story golf loves to tell, but often doesn’t. Each year the National Golf Foundation reports on “latent demand” for females interested in the game and the number is huge, ranging from 15 to 18 million. Activity at other “off-the-beaten-track” ranges and venues, such as Topgolf, indicates that interest is genuine. Forty-two percent of only off-track players are female…