Greenwich teen Claire Yu is on a mission to encourage girls, particularly those from underrepresented communities, to try golf. She has founded a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called GirlGolf to give middle-school girls the opportunity to experience the game and provide them with a pathway to continuing in the sport if they are interested.
GirlGolf will be hosting its first “Gateway” event in May at the E. Gaynor Brennan Course in Stamford, which will include instruction, food and drinks, and prizes for the girls and be completely free to participants.
To help gather equipment and raise awareness for the event, Claire and GirlGolf will be hosting a Golf Club Drive on Saturday, March 30, at the Cos Cob library from 10:00am to 4:00pm to collect donations of new and gently used golf club sets.
(Those interested in donating but unable to stop by on March 30th can simply text 917-370-2812 for free pickup at their home.)
Claire, an accomplished golfer who won the Greenwich Women’s Town Championship in 2022 at the age of 16, has always been troubled by the lack of girls in the sport.
“I love the game and believe that it teaches important values like honesty, self-reliance, and humility,” Claire said in a release, adding, “But golf has traditionally been a male-dominated sport, and it bothered me that so few girls play.”
Claire said ad her school, some years there were barely have enough girls to field a team, while the boys’ team has more than four times the girls’ number.
She said another barrier was cost.
“Golf has a reputation as a pricey sport, though great golfers like Nancy Lopez came from modest backgrounds and grew up playing public courses,” Claire said. “It disheartened me to think that so many girls never even tried golf, either for cultural or financial reasons. That’s why I founded GirlGolf. I wanted to introduce girls to golf in a fun and unintimidating environment.”
The inaugural GirlGolf event in May will include a clinic by local golf professionals and play on the course in a scramble format. GirlGolf has already received donations from local businesses and national merchants like Old Navy and Target to help provide golf attire, prizes, food, and drinks for the participants. Claire has reached out to groups like Western Middle School’s AVID program and regional Boys and Girls Clubs to publicize the event and encourage participation.
According to Claire, “Beyond the event itself, we want to give every girl the opportunity to continue in the sport. Part of the goal of the Golf Club Drive is to gather enough golf club sets to provide every girl who wants one with a set of clubs for the future. We’ve also reached out to organizations such as Youth on Course and First Tee to make it easy for the girls to continue playing after the event.”
Claire emphasized that all golf club donations are welcome, including men’s sets, and all donations are tax-deductible. GirlGolf intends to sell or trade any golf sets unsuitable for girls, with all proceeds going to the event and its participants. Claire stated, “GirlGolf is all about
introducing a new group of girls to the great game of golf. It’s about breaking down the barriers—whether societal or economic—that may have prevented these girls from trying the game. I honestly believe that all the girls will benefit from the experience, even those who don’t choose to continue with it. And I believe that we as a community will be better off having given everyone a chance to try the game.”