The impact of gender‐differentiated golf course features on women's networking

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider whether golf functions as a networking barrier for women in professions that require networking for career success. Design/methodology/approach – Data from 496 golf courses, in addition to demographic data and data about salaries in sales, managerial, and marketing and sales professions in the USA, were used to assess if differences in tee box placement between men's and women's tees would predict participation and salaries in networking‐oriented professions. Findings – The analyses indicate that differences in tee box placement between men's and women's tees did predict differences in participation and salaries in networking‐oriented professions. It was found that the greater the distance between men's and women's tees, the lower the salaries and participation rate for women. This effect was greatest for the marketing and sales profession. Research limitations/implications – Golf is one networking barrier among many, and so other networking barriers that have deleterious effects on women's advancement and success should be explored. Further research might include observational studies of mixed‐gender golf groups, and might also explore whether women choose not to pursue networking occupations or women are not selected for jobs that require networking on the golf course. Social implications – Companies should be aware of how venues selected for networking might have disparate impacts for men and women, and select venues that are as gender‐neutral as possible. Originality/value – This paper is, to the authors' knowledge, the first empirical investigation of gender relations in non‐traditional work settings with female participation and earnings in occupations that require networking for career success.