Golf Resorts Woo Women to the Greens

Ashley Brooker, 15, practices her golf swing on the driving range Aug. 10, 2006, in Pinehurst, N.C. On the course for the fourth time in as many days, the teenager from nearby Southern Pines is part of a surge in female interest in golf during the recent years. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome) (Gerry Broome - AP)

PINEHURST, N.C. -- Ashley Brooker seemed oblivious to the silver-haired men teeing up next to her on a humid afternoon. She raised a golf club over her right shoulder, swung and watched the small white ball disappear in the sun.

"You have to concentrate. When you think about other things it can mess up your swing," the 15-year-old girl said as the ball landed on the driving range at Pinehurst Golf Resort, bouncing beyond many of the men's hits.

On the course for the fourth time in as many days, the teenager from nearby Southern Pines is part of a surge in female interest in golf in recent years. More and more, young women are picking up the sport in high school, where the number of players increased by 1,000 last year. Some then go on to play in college, where Title IX has helped fuel a boom in women's golf.

High-profile golfers such as 16-year-old Michelle Wie and LPGA member Annika Sorenstam have also drawn heightened attention to the game.

Though women remain a relatively small part of the multibillion-dollar golf market, their increasing interest has caught the attention of resorts looking for new ways of attracting customers. A number of them, including Pinehurst, are courting women through gender-specific classes and programs designed to introduce golf as a fun challenge.

Women make up just 18 percent of what the National Golf Foundation defines as "core" golfers _ the 12.5 million golfers who play at least eight times a year and average 37 rounds annually. At the same time, the number of occasional female golfers _ women who play between one and seven times a year _ jumped from 2.6 million in 1997 to 4.3 million last year.

"There is an opportunity to 'upgrade' the substantial number of occasional female golfers to more frequent players by providing more and better golf course access, playing opportunities and a social framework," National Golf Foundation researchers wrote in a recent study.

From Arizona to North Carolina, golf resorts are taking the advice offering everything from multiday getaways that combine golf and spa time to daylong crash courses.

In South Carolina, Kiawah Island Golf Resort offers three women's programs, including the two-day, upscale "Pampered Putters," which mixes a round of golf and on-course lessons with spa treatments, champagne and chocolate-covered berries.

At The Boulders in Scottsdale, Ariz. _ rated by Golf for Women magazine as the top course for female players last year _ there are golf and spa packages, and conditioning classes for golfers at the Golden Door Spa.

The Litchfield Beach & Golf Resort, on Pawleys Island, S.C., has a three-day "Girls Love to Golf" program with instruction, Oct. 12-15.

And a national group, the Women's Executive Golf Association, says it has designed a program to teach women to use golf in business that is being implemented by 20 local chapters.