Australian golf great Jack Newton is confident a steady decline in the number of young women playing the game can be reversed through a combination of new programs and a change in attitude.
Newton, whose win in the 1979 Australian Open and second-place finishes in the 1975 British Open and 1980 US Masters thrust him into the public spotlight, said the next generation of golfers could not be taken for granted. As well as implementing programs in primary schools, the host of the Jack Newtown Celebrity Classic urged all older golfers to play a role in keeping the game strong.
''When I started the foundation it was one-to-four [the ratio of girls to boys], now it is one-to-seven,'' he said. ''We have invested a lot of money in primary schools over the last couple of years. We have a program that allows teachers to be able to coach the basic fundamentals.
''We have invested, and I think we will get the benefit of that in two or three years' time. There are a lot of girls in that section. We will see a turnaround, but there is an issue with women in golf and girls in golf.
''There are some endemic issues as well in the golf club scene, where some older women don't like the girls to have their dresses or shorts a bit short and other things like that.
''There are a lot of golf clubs where there are senior golfers with plenty of time on their hands. Why don't they pitch in and help out with the kids, teach them some etiquette and things like that. You can't treat them like they are at school and are going to get the cane if they don't do what they are told.''
Newton said a chat with Australian tennis elder statesmen Ray Ruffels indicated the problem of attracting young girls wasn't limited to golf.
''I asked him about tennis and he said it was the same thing, there are no young girls,'' he said.
''There are a lot more girls playing soccer, but apart from that what are they doing? Sitting on their bums playing the computer?''
Ruffels' 15-year-old son Ryan - who stunned the golf scene by making the cut in November's Australian Open - is one of hundreds of young golfers to have been helped by Newton's junior golf foundation.
On the course, 31-year-old Sydney professional Aron Price made sure a day-one Cypress Lakes course record didn't go to waste as he recorded a five-stroke win in the serious side of the Celebrity Classic.
Price, who won last month's NSW Open, finished the 36-hole event on 16-under-par, but it was his stunning 11-under 61 on the opening day that created a stir. Price is hoping his bright end to the year will help him when he returns to the secondary Web.com Tour in the US next year.
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