As the sole woman in the six-strong team of coaches in her current role, Stroud is a case in point. Happily, that is not an issue for the 50-year-old as she has been made to feel an integral part of the club, but that has not always been the case in her previous jobs.
“I've been a pro for 30 years and I've had no one to turn to in terms of female advice,” she recalled. “In one instance, I had to take an employer to court because he made me redundant and didn't pay me.
“And I was at a very prestigious golf club when the head teaching pro’s job became available. I was the busiest teaching pro bringing in the biggest income but when I went for the position, I was told I wouldn’t get it because I was female.
“I related this to the HR department and was told I had to make a formal complaint. But I felt at the time I couldn’t do that because I didn’t want to be branded a troublemaker and I left the club.”
Stroud was similarly reticent when she came up with the concept of creating WWinG.
“I've been thinking about it for a year,” she admitted. “But due my own insecurities, imposter syndrome feelings, and all those things that affect women especially, I prevaricated.
“I thought I can’t start something like that, no one is going to be interested, so I put it off for a year. Then I realised that’s why I needed to do it because I’m not alone in how I think and feel.
“So I finally bit the bullet a couple of weeks ago and contacted the 30 or so female coaches I know through the love.golf programme I deliver and posted on my social media sites.
“I sent them a video explaining what I was doing and asking if they are interested in being involved. So far more than 20 have been in touch within a couple of weeks, which is amazing.”
Stroud has followed up the launch by creating a WhatsApp group that potential members can use to introduce themselves or communicate with each other via video, either individually or collectively.
“It's a lot easier on a video to explain yourself than is try and put it in text, which can be quite cold and impersonal” she continued.
“The WhatsApp group is only a couple of weeks old, and we’ve already had one of the younger pros ask for help with a problem with her fellow professional team at her club.
“She’s the only female pro at a male-dominated club and has no-one to turn to for advice. Also, because she’s young she won’t have experienced a situation like this.”
It’s likely, however, other members of WWinG will have and Stroud added: “We're setting up a Zoom meeting to have a chat and see if we can help, support, give advice, and, as a team, come up with a plan for her.”
Looking ahead, Stroud is flexible and open-minded as to which way WWinG will develop. In addition to WhatsApp or Zoom meetings there is the potential for face-to-face get togethers, golf days, and social occasions. Moreover, some of the issues members may have to deal with will be commonplace but unique to female coaches.
“Things that don’t affect men such as child care, motherhood, and the menopause, can be real problems for female coaches,” Stroud explained, “and we need to get that message across.”
She stresses, however, that men may have a part to play in the group, likewise other women involved in golf who are not coaches.
“As things stand it’s a collective of women that’s just started,” she said. “But when we’re more established, I think it would be good to get some like-minded men involved.
“If we are going to change how women are perceived within the industry and treated, then I think men need to understand our stories, the things that happen to us and the things we experience.
“As for expanding the membership – now it's just coaches because that’s the area I’m familiar with. But women are involved in all areas of golf – management, marketing, sales, retailing and greenkeeping – so we could open it up.
“But that would be a group decision. At the moment the group is mine, but the plan is for all of us to take ownership of it. That's the idea.”
For further information on WWinG, please send a short paragraph about yourself and why you would like to be a member of the group to nicola@nicolastroudgolf.com
