Women's golf collective in Minnesota aims to help females find community and confidence

The game of golf is changing. In the U.S., according to the National Golf Foundation, 72% of golfers are men and 28% are women.

But women are now driving 60% of the growth in the industry. A Minnesota woman is among those working to level out the greens.

At Five Iron Golf in the North Loop of Minneapolis, nothing brings a smile like a good shot.

Abbey Swenson started taking the swings a few decades back, but it was a slow burn.

"My dad and my stepdad would go and golf, and I didn't seem to care, and then I think I might have shown interest and that's when my dad would tell me to meet him at the driving range after school," Swenson said.

Her turning point was later in life.

"I think I hated that I was missing out on opportunities at work. I think golf was coming up so much, and like, already being a woman in tech, and like a lot of the times being the only woman there in general. And now I, like, I don't even feel confident to go on a golf course with, you know, three guys and, you know, 'Oh well she's just here to drive the golf carts,'" Swenson said.

So, she started upping her game, but quickly realized things are better enjoyed shared.

"There's literally just, like, no resource that was there at the time that would make it easy," Swenson said. "I remember looking to join a golf league, and it was like, I would have to call the golf course and be like, 'Do you have a women's league?' And then even then, like, 'Well, it's full.'"

So she created a league of her own. Northern Greens Golf Collective. Women only. She hosts happy hours at simulators, range nights and tee times all over the metro. Members even go up north for golf retreats.

"All they have to do is sign up and everything else is taken care of. They just need to choose a tee time, understand some etiquette, and they can show up. Know that, like, I'm gonna be with women in a safe place. I'm not gonna be with men," Swenson said. "A lot of these people are strangers. When you first meet them, you don't know them, but you know that because they're coming through Northern Greens that they're all there for a common reason, because they want to build community in the golf space and provide a positive experience for people."

So far, it's been a hit. She's partnered with restaurants, brands and, of course, golf courses. In just two years, she's recruited 550 women and hosted 130 events.

"Going as a woman on a golf course might be, like, probably one of the most scary or hard things that somebody can do. And if someone now has got the confidence to go play a round of golf, and have a good time and now they feel like, you know, I can go to the movies by myself or I can maybe go sit at that restaurant bar and eat my dinner, I can do anything alone. My hope overall is it just helps instill confidence, like no matter what they do," Swenson said.

Northern Greens is always taking new members. You can find them on their website, Facebook, or Instagram.