Fairway to success
Harriet Shephard is the editor of the online
Women & Golf magazine.
‘Women & Golf is a thirty-year-old brand focused on women’s golf, from crowd level to amateur,’ said Harriet. ‘We cover tournaments, but also subjects that affect club golfers, including instruction, fashion, even pilates – everything to do with the lifestyle and how to play. W&G is online only at the moment – we launched the website last year and we’ve got a beginners section and a members section for subscribers.’
Women & Golf covers a wide range of topics. ‘Golf is quite behind the times so there’s a lot to write about in terms of equality and why women don’t get more exposure and recognition,’ said Harriet. ‘Playing sport is so empowering and I speak to ladies who say playing golf is a massive event for them, a day out. Traditionally, it has been quite a male dominated sport but we’re trying to get more and more women playing. Women’s golf is perhaps more about skill and precision. This year has been really positive for women’s golf because during lockdown it was a sport you could play because you could socially distance. We held the Women’s Open here in the UK. So it’s to do with gender equality.’
Harriet runs interviews with pro golfers and women who have interesting careers in golf, as well as instruction, practical advice, and opinion and lifestyle features aimed at keen women golfers.
‘Typically readers are women in the UK with an average age of 47 we’ve also got readers in Europe and increasingly the US,’ said Harriet. We also see about 15% male readers which is good to see.’
Because golf is such an important part of readers’ lives, Harriet wants W&G to reflect why that is. ‘People are passionate about golf,’ she said. ‘Especially this year – golf has let people go outside and giving them an excuse to be social. I like Women & Golf to be quite informal, friendly, chilled. As much as being informative, golf is about having fun and being entertaining. I like a few jokes, and acknowledge we’re not all great golfers all the time. It depends what’s being written about really. It’s important that there’s a personal touch, creating a community. It’s quite a niche thing so it’s important to create a community where people can have an input.’
Immediacy is vital to Harriet. ‘I like to be – because we’re online – relevant and reactive and up to date. Being aware of what people are talking about, what the discussion is. If readers are talking about it, I want to be talking about it too. If people want to know about women’s golf, they know where the place to come.’
Harriet is happy to hear from potential writers. ‘We do have guest contributors. I’d say, get in touch, share your ideas. I love hearing ideas and opinions. Women’s golf is going through a resurgence and we’re increasingly in vogue. Now is a good time to be looking about writing about women’s golf.’
Features are 1,000 words max. Payment varies .
Details: https://womenandgolf.com/