For weeks Sharon Murray had wanted to play the new golf course, which had received stellar reviews. The Ohio woman finally got the chance on her 53rd birthday. Murray, who enjoys golf as much as any clad-in-Nike-gear-from-head-to-toe male golfer, was excited about the outing.

But by the time her 18-hole round had ended, Murray wanted to forget about her golf experience, which was disappointing. It's not that Murray shot a 140 and lost a dozen golf balls to the drink. Murray was upset because the course's staff treated her and three friends inferiorly because they are women.

Murray says the foursome was rushed to complete their round. At the turn, the women were hurried to complete bathroom breaks (one stall) and consume their lunches. On the back nine, a ranger ordered the women to pick up their golf balls because he said they were delaying other players.

"We weren't holding up anybody," Murray contends.

Murray, who tees it up several times a month, says she's usually treated well wherever she plays.

KAREN DAVIS DIRECTOR OF GOLF EDUCATION EWGA

"Most courses are accommodating to us," she says. "But this was just a bad experience."

Murray's ordeal may reflect where the golf industry stands today with women. While the industry is not as discriminating to women as it once was, it still needs to advance in making more women feel accepted to the game.

In fact, golf courses would be doing themselves a favor by throwing roses at the feet of women walking in their clubhouse doors. With rounds and revenues flat to down in many regions and competition for new players steep, golf courses need women players more than ever from an economic standpoint. But to attract more women to their tranquil settings, golf courses must focus on several variables, from improved customer service to proper course setup.

Women and Golf

The good news is there's more emphasis on growing the game with women than ever before, says Mike Tinkey, deputy executive director of the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA). "There's a more concerted effort on national and local levels than there has ever been," he adds. "Are we there yet? No. Are we on our way? I think so."

The percentage of women players among all players has hovered between 22 percent and 24 percent (about 6.57 million) the last few years, according to the National Golf Foundation (NGF). At the same time, however, the NGF reports that millions of women have left the sport because "the entry barriers were too high."

Still, there are signs that more women are playing the game. While the number of core women golfers (playing at least eight rounds per year) has hovered between 2 million and 2.5 million for several years, there has been a clear increase in the number of occasional female golfers (one to seven rounds per year) — an increase of 10.7 percent in the last five years, according to NGF. Tinkey says the push to attract more women has been aided greatly by American Express, the sponsor of Women's Golf Week, a grassroots player development program spearheaded by several industry organizations, including the NGCOA, the LPGA, the PGA Tour, the United States Golf Association (USGA) and the Executive Women's Golf Association.