The Quiet Revolution on the Greens: How Women Are Changing Golf—And I’m Here for It

Jillian Mele and Kristen Casey, Co-founders of LemonRose Golf, finish a round at Flourtown Country Club. Photo Credit: Brandon Stearns.

If you’ve stepped foot on a golf course lately and felt like something’s different - you’re not wrong. If you’re a female who has recently picked up a club for the first time - you’re not alone.

There’s a shift happening in golf, and it's not subtle. There are more women than ever playing golf. Young women. New women. Women who are showing up in their own way, in their own time, and on their own terms. But they are making their presence known!

As someone who didn’t grow up playing and started later in life (and being one of a few women out there each time I went to the course), I know what it feels like to wonder if you belong. I also know what it feels like when you finally realize: you do. Women aren’t just part of golf’s future. We are the future.

Jillian Mele, Co-founder of LemonRose Golf, lining up a putt on hole 9 at Flourtown Country Club. Photo Credit: Brandon Stearns.

The Numbers Don’t Lie: The Girls Are Here to Stay

As a former journalist, I operate on facts.  So, let’s start there.

According to the National Golf Foundation (NGF), women and girls account for 60% of all growth in on-course participation since 2019. That’s not just momentum - it’s a movement.

2024 broke a record: 7.9 million women played golf on a course, shattering the previous high of 7.1 million set back in 2006. Women now make up 28% of on-course golfers, and when you include participation on other forms off the course such as Topgolf, simulators, and driving ranges - we’re 43% of the player base. 43%!! That is not a small percentage!  (Can I get a heck yeah!)

That kind of growth doesn’t just happen by chance. It happens because women are tired of feeling like they don’t belong - and they’re showing up - finally! Here’s why I think we are here to stay: look no further than the girls stepping up to the tee box. According to the USGA, females under 18 are the fastest-growing segment of the golf population. In fact, 38% of all junior golfers are now girls - a massive jump from just 15% in 2000. And that’s not just a stat; that’s a cultural shift - and one I wish was in motion when I was younger. I didn’t grow up in a family of golfers per se. My grandfather was a scratch golfer, but I bonded with him over golf later in life. My dad started playing later as well, eventually paving the way for my interest in the game. These days, I love seeing a foursome of women or a young girl and her dad out on the course or at the driving range.  This summer I was at a driving range with my dad and a girl in maybe her 20s was swinging a club for the first time with her dad and I had to jump in with my enthusiasm!  I told her to keep playing and that I was excited to see her starting.  I LOVE seeing women, no matter the age, pick up a club for the first time.  The number of women I am seeing in the sport proves that this isn’t just about now - it’s about next - next year, the next 5 years, and so on.  What was once thought of by many of us ladies as a gentleman’s game has changed before our very eyes, and I am all about it being everyone’s game!

Kristen Casey, Co-founder of LemonRose Golf, playing golf during the summer of 2025. Photo Credit: Brandon Stearns.

The Game Changer: Culture, Community, and Confidence

So, what changed? Why are more women, especially younger women, picking up the clubs?

I don’t have the exact answer, but one thought that keeps popping up in my brain is: community.

For decades, golf was seen by many of us women as intimidating and exclusionary. But today’s version of women’s golf is becoming collaborative, casual, and connected. Social media has paved the way to make women feel like they belong, and even though they may not personally know a lot of women who play, there are so many out there just like them.

Take me as an example. I only have one good girlfriend who plays golf, but on social media I’m now intertwined with hundreds of women who play! Seeing them out there gives me motivation and confidence, and vice versa. It’s why this summer Kristen and I collaborated with GAP (the Golf Association of Philadelphia) on a weekly social media campaign about women in golf. We’re trying to break the intimidation factor and make women who want to play feel like it’s okay to get out there and try. Because it is. I started posting videos of my golf swing on social media many years ago and it has always been the thing that gets the most engagement.  People like to interact with other golfers because it is such a strong bond and community that continues to expand- and that’s a good thing. 

Golf is no longer just a sport for women; it’s becoming a real social outlet. A new way to spend time with friends or even meet new ones. And as women’s golf fashion evolves - goodbye baggy khakis and boxy hot pink polos, hello stylish, functional pieces - more women are realizing they can show up on the course as themselves. This is how LemonRose came to be! Check out the blog titled “Fashion Has Entered the Chat (and the Golf Course): Here's Our Why)."  Kristen and I started LemonRose because we saw a gap, not just in clothing, but in culture. We wanted to create something that honors golf’s tradition while evolving it. Something that says: You can be powerful, feminine, athletic, classy, and entirely yourself on the course.

We’re building clothing, yes, but we’re also building a community. One where confidence is stitched into every swing, every story, every shared round. Confidence starts when the space feels safe and welcoming. And finally, golf is evolving into an inclusive space for everyone.

Jillian Mele and Kristen Casey, Co-founders of LemonRose Golf, enjoying a round of golf at Flourtown Country Club. Photo Credit: Brandon Stearns

Permission Not Needed But Invitations Accepted

Where do we go from here?

The NGF tracks something called Latent Demand - people who’ve never played golf but say they’re very interested in starting. In the U.S., that number NGF reports includes more than 7 million women.

That means 7 million women are already curious. They’re open. They’re looking. They’re ready.

I don’t think they’re waiting for permission to play, I think they’re waiting for the right invitation.

They’re waiting for spaces that are welcoming, not intimidating.

For leagues that feel social, not judgmental.

For clothing that makes them feel confident and stylish - not like they’re wearing a shrunken men’s polo.

They’re waiting for the signal that they belong.

Making Space For All

If anything is abundantly clear from all these stats, it’s this: women’s golf isn’t a fleeting trend. It’s a lasting transformation.

It’s being driven by 13-year-old girls getting their first par. (Or in my case, still trying to get my 3rd ever birdie.)
By 20-something women banding together for a round instead of staying on the sidelines.
By working moms carving out a Saturday tee time and refusing to apologize for it.

It’s being driven by you. And it’s being driven by us.

Here’s what I’ll leave you with:

Let’s keep showing up.
Let’s invite someone new.
Let’s wear what makes us feel great.
Let’s build a golf culture that invites everyone.

Because if numbers tell a story, the future of golf is here.
And she’s just getting started.

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Citations

Female Golfers Fuel Cultural Shift. National Golf Foundation. (2025, June 5). https://www.ngf.org/short-game/female-golfers-fuel-cultural-shift 

Golf participation: Growing & diversifying. National Golf Foundation. (2025b, February 14). https://www.ngf.org/short-game/golf-participation-growing-diversifying/ 

Rothman, E. (2025, May 27). Girl power: Young women are golf’s fastest-growing segment. USGA. https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/articles/2025/05/young-women-golfs-fastest-growing-segment.html 

Fitzgerald, C. (2025, May 29). USGA invests in women to drive the growth of golf. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinefitzgerald/2025/05/29/usga-invests-in-women-to-drive-the-growth-of-golf/ 

Levins, K. (2025, June 3). The number of women golfers is at an all-time high. and these three figures point to even more growth. Golf Digest. https://www.golfdigest.com/story/women-play-golf-womens-golf-day-national-golf-foundation

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