Women professional golfers on the Sunshine Ladies Tour face overlapping barriers that limit their success, including socio-economic constraints, limited sponsorship and underdeveloped pathways. Framed by the social-ecological model of Bronfenbrenner, the study examines how various aspects of their environment impact professional development in female golf. A qualitative descriptive design, grounded in a social constructionist framework, was employed to explore the lived experiences of South African professional golfers. Seven participants ranked within the top 100 on the Sunshine Ladies Tour, and one Professional Golfers Association of South Africa (PGASA) member, with a collective of 62 years of experience, were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. The primary researcher, a PGASA teaching professional, conducted semi-structured interviews developed from a systematic review. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis, which combines deductive and inductive approaches, aligning with Bronfenbrenner’s social-ecological model. Findings suggest that multiple interconnected barriers, including economic, social, and cultural factors, restrict opportunities for female professional golfers in South Africa. This study addresses a critical gap in the literature by centring the voices of South African female golfers and offers implications for more equitable policy and practice in professional golf.
Roos et al. (Sat,) studied this question.
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