02/23/19 WOMEN WHO HAVE IT ALL--EXCEPT GOLF

WOMEN WHO HAVE IT ALL--EXCEPT GOLF

PLAYING GOLF MAY BE A GUY'S way to relax, but for many women, hitting the links is just one more sand trap in the game of life. A recent survey notes that women account for only 32% of new golfers annually, down from 37% five years ago. And with women leaving the game at the same rate they begin, that means 640,000 quit golf each year.
Why are so many hanging up their cleats? ''This is a time-crunch issue,'' says Leslie Day, editor-in-chief of Golf for Women, which did the survey. She says that between work and family, women just don't have the time.
All is not lost, however. The 11,000-member Executive Women's Golf Assn. now runs family leagues, which it says keep women in the game. Better gear also helps. Women's clubs and clothing have long drawn boos from the players, so golf pro Nancy Lopez formed a company to sell better-designed items to women. Says spokeswoman Elaine Scott: ''We're trying to get the right equipment to them, and hopefully, they won't leave.'' For women, that will be a stroke of good fortune.
EDITED BY ROBERT McNATT & LARRY LIGHT
By Dennis Blank