Growing clubs through inclusivity – Royal Johannesburg

21 August 2026 – One of the things that makes the sport of golf truly unique is that many who are fans of the professional game, actively play it too. Over generations this has seen many impressive golf clubs being built and evolved across South Africa to cater to this full-time need.

Naturally for a great deal of time though, these clubs have been significantly male dominated. Resulting in golf having an environment where women not only didn’t feel welcome, but were actively limited in.

Royal Johannesburg CEO Paul Leishman started working in the golf industry over 30 years ago and remembers this all too well. “Back in the day when I was starting out, I remember women still used to phone the club to find out if they were allowed in the clubhouse bar. At quite a few courses then, even just getting on the course to play was difficult.”

Now in 2026, for Paul to talk about this really does sound somewhat unbelievable. As a proud signatory of the Women in Golf Charter, he and the entire Royal Johannesburg golf club are a fine example of golfing institutions seeing women in golf as nothing short of an essential role player.

The Women in Golf Charter is a R&A led global movement, establishing an industry wide pledge to drive gender equality in participation, employment and leadership. So much more than just another standalone workshop or awareness initiative, the charter provides a commitment to take real measurable steps forward for women’s golf.

Purposefully adopted by GolfRSA locally in 2023, 49 signatories of the Women in Golf Charter have since been added in South Africa, with Royal Johannesburg creating a benchmark in what living the charter looks like.

As CEO of a top club, Paul not only has to run a well-oiled machine, but also find opportunities for growth and evolution. Like other charter signatories, he is committed to Royal Johannesburg playing their part in establishing greater gender parity. He also feels though that doing so is essential for growing the club in general.

“When you look at the statistics and opportunities within golf in South Africa, women’s golf is simply an area that hasn’t had enough attention. In South Africa only 12% of registered golfers are women, compared to a global average of 28%. Women make up 50% of the South Africa population, they are major role players within professional industries and are naturally decision makers within traditional households too. Unless your club is some kind of a private outlier, I don’t think you have much of a future if you aren’t focused on doing more for women golfers going forward,” says Paul.

In a sports mad country, with incredible facilities and year-round climate for golf to flourish, Paul touches on some key points here. The numbers for women in local golf should be significantly higher. But what are the steps needed to create more parity here?

This is where GolfRSA’s strategic objectives and charter pledge map out a clear path for the future.

First up, the creation of environments in golf that safeguard and invest in women’s leadership and development. From here, reducing barriers to entry to create more employment and volunteering opportunities, creating specific women focused projects to increase participation and aligning that with stronger coaching support and training for women golfers.

Lastly ensuring greater visibility through female ambassadors within the game, and marketing initiatives to promote golf as a healthy and inclusive space for women and girls.

Even prior to signing the charter, Royal Johannesburg had been leading the way in living the above. Starting with the club having a full-time Ladies Golf Manager, affectionately known as ‘The Royal Mom’. Wendy Huddy relishes the task of coordinating all ladies golf at the club.

With this Wendy plays an essential role in nurturing the greater Royal staff, which currently sits at 21% female across all aspects of the Club’s offerings. This fairly low average is slanted by golf course maintenance staff where it is still traditionally male dominated – a slightly tougher area to transform.

Along with the traditional membership offerings available for all women golfers, Royal Johannesburg implemented the ‘Fore The Fun Of It’ programme. A specifically designed six-month long women’s beginner golf experience that not only offered a cost-effective route into the game, but also an opportunity to enjoy all that Royal Johannesburg has to offer.

The programme includes 10 beginner lessons with PGA Pro Stacey Burrowes. After six lessons, the learning then goes onto the course for the first time with an experienced golfer. Equipment is even provided, taking away that pressure of having to learn about and commit to further purchases at this early stage.

Within this safe and inclusive framework, participants also get a general understanding of golfing rules and etiquette within the golf course environment. This is done via special talks, along with getting the chance to engage with the club’s high profile female ambassadors.

Royal Johannesburg has put a lot of emphasis on building a greater female presence in the club and local game, with these ambassadors being key to this. Seasoned touring professionals such as Ashleigh Buhai, Cassandra Alexander and Nobuhle Dlamini bring a wealth of golfing experience from their lives on tour to the club. From here women getting into the game across all ages not only get a genuine reminder that women have a place in the game but also can make of life for themselves within it too.

Further to this the GolfSixes initiative has been a huge success in increasing female participation at the club. Initially introduced by the R&A for juniors, when Royal Johannesburg hosted the Africa Amateur in February 2026, Paul and his team were eager to extend the fun and compacted format within their unique offerings to women.

“As a club we are committed to the sustainability of women’s golf, with meaningful facility upgrades and initiatives that make Royal a place for women to enjoy coming back to. The GolfSixes is a great example of this, where players can get to feel comfortable being out on the course, enjoying the natural beauty on offer and then progress from there at their own speed.” adds Paul.

Taking this even further, Royal Johannesburg implemented GolfRSA’s option to play from specially assigned green tee boxes. Quite simply these tees are placed at the start of every fairway. The key to increasing participation in the women’s game is to break down some of the traditional barriers – one of which was naturally the difficulty of the game and rigid focus around scores and handicaps. The green tee option then (which is fully rated) is just a simple consideration to quite literally get the ball rolling towards more regular play and general enjoyment.

Another club ambassador actively living the charter has been Ncamisilie Khumalo.

The driving force behind The Tee Club golf experience, another pioneering initiative helping women getting to meet golf on their terms, Ncami has been a tremendous ally to Paul and his team in making Royal Johannesburg such an appealing golfing destination for women. Much like the influence that the touring pro ambassadors have at a golf club, Ncami’s presence is going a long way in attracting greater numbers to the game in a fun and engaging way.

From here the club is looking to increase their female membership percentage by between 5-10% per annum. Something they look to do with sustainable consistency as set out in the charter. Together with this they are also looking to encourage and promote roles in club operations too.

From these foundations, and with more clubs like Royal Johannesburg following suit, the Women in Golf Charter is helping everyone create an exciting blueprint for the game going forward. Ensuring a bright and inclusive future ahead.