| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
There are lots of people, organisations and businesses involved in the game of golf who talk about growing the game and making it accessible to a more diverse audience of potential new golfers. In some cases, it seems like it's just a buzz phrase that's bandied around or hijacked to help gain credibility or grow profit for a business. For others, actions speak louder than words and what they are doing is making a genuine difference. In the drive to get more young women playing golf arguably no one is doing more than social media star and presenter, Mia Baker.
A few years ago, the 28-year-old from London didn’t know the first thing about golf. Then, just like so many people do, she got hooked. Getting bitten by the bug isn’t always enough – this game is hard. Then there are the various obstacles, especially for young women, which can put you off the sport for life.
Baker persevered. One of her first experiences of golf may have been underwhelming and rather uninspiring, but now she’s right where she wants to be – on a golf course trying to inspire other women to get involved and try the game. We sat down with Mia at her home club Foxhills in Surrey to discover how she made the journey from beginner golfer to a star of YouTuber, Instagram and TikTok.
Has sports always been a big part of your life?
I played hockey and netball at quite a high level, and athletics. I tore my ACL back at university and thought that might’ve been the end of it all. Then my ex-boyfriend’s dad took us out on a course in Spain, Sotogrande.
I never had an interest in grass my whole life until golf – it was amazing! They took me to the driving range and I hit loads of air shots. It was so difficult, but then I’d hit a few good shots and it was amazing.
Tell us about the barriers you came across when getting into the game…
I remember I couldn’t find anything at all for women in pro shops. I went to one retailer, their flagship store, and tried to get some shoes. It was so difficult to find any. I got in touch with the CEO and sent a really long email, not like in a moany sort of way, but just outlining how, as a female trying to get into golf, I didn’t know who or where to go. I couldn’t even see any females on this brand’s social feeds. I just wasn’t feeling inspired or like there was anyone to help me, or other women, get into the game.
Mia practices and plays at Foxhills in Surrey
Not long after that, you started your Instagram account, right?
My strategy was literally to raise awareness to help get women’s golf shoes into shops! Then I thought maybe I can inspire more women to play golf and businesses will start to stock more women’s stuff. I would watch other people’s swings all the time. From there, I started posting videos of me slowly getting better at golf.
You got the golf bug?
I wanted to hit it further and get a better swing. I think being good at golf is just so impressive and I love people who work hard and show that dedication. I think that's pretty special as a trait.
Did you have lessons?
I posted my swing on Instagram and a company called Skillest picked it up, which is basically an app for online golf coaching. They connected me with a coach out in Malaysia (Steven Giuliano). My whole swing was built online through these lessons where I’d record my swing, send it to the coach and keep working from there. It’s pretty cool to think my whole golf swing was built online during lockdown.
How did you find being a beginner?
I wanted to quit golf so many times – it’s so hard. I didn’t have golfing friends. I think if I had I wouldn’t have thought about quitting as often as I did. It’s not very fun if a group of guys asks you to come and play and you are the only girl – you play off the front tees and then you’re further apart. You feel a bit of an outcast.
How can female golfers get around that issue?
It’s good to find a group that are starting out at the same time as you – you’re all going to be in the same position. Play a scramble. Team golf is so much more fun because you’re working together and you’re not playing from really difficult lies and attempting impossible shots. Why make the game more difficult?
You found a way to get more female golfers and beginners connected, didn’t you?
I used to get a lot of DMs (direct messages) asking how do I find other female golfers. It was such a good question. I had the platform and thought I needed to do something. I went to a few courses and explained what I was trying to do, basically asking to help fund a women’s event. It was difficult… can you go through this group? Can you put a deck together? It felt so much harder than it needed to be. Pitch (an indoor golf venue in Central London) just said, ‘Let’s get this done!’
How did that go?
It was unbelievable. I’ve never seen so many young females in one space who all play golf. People were bringing people who had never played golf before, too. I had some of my friends from the Tour come, too. So many people went away with a new number on their phone and joined a new WhatsApp group, which was the aim. That was amazing.
You then started to get support from golf brands, right?
I brought in all of my golf clothing and put it in a bay so anyone who wanted it could just take it away. The next time I got in touch with adidas and asked whether they’d be happy to donate some stuff. We had a full rail and everyone got to take something.
Now adidas and Pitch are fully invested into the concept. They’re putting on their own women’s golf academy now to help support beginners into the game, giving newcomers some lessons.
TaylorMade have been huge supporters too, which is amazing.
In terms of being more of an appealing sport for women, is golf in a better place now compared to five, ten years ago?
It’s better, but I wouldn’t say it’s there yet. What I would encourage anyone to do, guys in particular, would be to go into a shop and pretend you’re buying something for your girlfriend or wife, and just see how difficult it is.
Sometimes guys need to put themselves in the shoes of a female and see what they would think and feel. Go to that shop and see if you find anything. If it’s in that corner on the sales rack right at the back and that’s all there is for women, you’ll be like: ‘That kind of does suck.’ One guy came up to me at one of my women’s events and said he’d never felt so uncomfortable in a golf space in his life because he was the only guy. That’s literally how we live our entire time.
Do you feel like progress is being made?
More people are inviting women, so more guys are inviting their girlfriends or dads inviting their daughters. That, for me, is the most impactful thing anyone can do – and it’s not that difficult. People may have said no to an invite a couple of years ago, but they might say yes now.
It’s so much easier to get into the game. When I started, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t go out because I haven’t got my golf shoes.’ I literally cried the night before I was about to go out on a golf course for the first time because I only had leggings, not golf trousers.
Ah, the issue of dress codes…
I play at Foxhills and there’s no dress code – it’s super chilled and super relaxed. Golf courses should be like restaurants – you can have the really fancy ones where you dress up smartly and it’s very proper – and that’s fine for some people. Then you have other people who want to go to Maccy D’s in their trackies. Why would you get rid of either? Both can have a place.
Social media channels like yours have helped attract more women into the game, too, yes?
Social media has been pretty impactful. There are more normal golfers like me out there. It’s content that can actually be watched. Before no one could be influenced by golf in the slightest because it wasn’t there. When I started, all I needed was that helping hand to get involved in the game, but I couldn’t really find it. Now I want to inspire people and be that helping hand.
Mia and Lili had time for a quick putting lesson after the interview
YouTube has been especially powerful?
YouTube golf videos started with professionals giving teaching lessons. When I started playing golf I didn’t even know what I was going to search; I didn’t know what a slice was, what a hook was, so it wasn’t very helpful for those who hadn’t played the game before.
My golf content sits more on the entertainment side, so it started with my journey and developed in collabs. I had huge imposter syndrome. Only this year was I like, ‘Ok I’m ready to go into the wild.’
Your content is very relatable, especially for beginners…
I remember playing my first ever golf tournament, and it was a Ladies European Tour event. I’m playing on the Ladies European Tour, in a team! I shanked my first tee shot because I couldn’t hold my club and I was shaking the whole time.
I felt under so much pressure because I’d just built a following and a lot of people were there to watch me. We’d just come out of lockdown and I hadn’t really been on a golf course, and I was just expected to play. It was a little bit different to playing into a net! With my content, I’m really just being me.
That sounds terrifying – and that can put beginners off, that very first time playing in front of people?
The girls were amazing. They like new people playing, but as a new person playing you think everyone is against you. Women are supportive, whereas men love banter. ‘That was a rubbish putt!’ A girl would be, ‘You can still make par’. I think girls do need to be treated slightly differently.
What would you say to your beginner self?
I would definitely say to stick to the practice you’re doing, but also reach out more to your friends and see if they’ll come on that same journey.
Which type of content does best for you on your social channels?
The ones that get quite a lot of views tend to be those cool creative shots from really awkward situations, like a low punch shot with a 5-iron through narrow trees over water – and it lands on the green! I’m not actually a very viral person on social media. I create content based on my journey and development. It's never been my intention to be viral because I don't want to be the one hit wonder.
You have your YouTube channel (@miaellax) and Instagram, but you don’t use Twitter.
I hate people arguing so Twitter doesn’t work for me. I love YouTube because of the long-form content. People really get to know you, you get to show your personality, and there will be someone somewhere that can relate to that.
What are your plans for the future?
My goal changes all the time but for me, there are so many avenues of women’s golf. I just want to continue to use my influence. I’m always thinking just how many people there are out there who have never played who might just have the best golf swing in the world. I just want people to know that I am trying my best and I'm just trying to inspire more people to play golf. I don't have a desire to have millions and millions of followers for no purpose.
BEGINNER GOLFER, LILI DEWRANCE, ON HOW MIA BAKER HELPED INSPIRE HER TO GET INTO GOLF
Mia Baker and Lili Dewrance
I first came across Mia after seeing her filming content at my golf club, Foxhills. Other than Golf Fitness Girl, I hadn’t seen any other female golf influencers at the club, so I was intrigued to know who she was. Her infectious smile and gorgeous golf outfits caught my attention, and I immediately asked my boyfriend, "Who is that girl?" His response - that's Mia, the happiest golfer on YouTube. I thought he was joking at first, but what I've now come to realise is that Mia truly lives up to this name. I immediately followed her Instagram page and quickly became captivated by her Reels and YouTube videos that speak to young female golfers.
Having recently started my golf journey, I felt a lack of connection and inspiration when scrolling through other golf-related TikTok and Instagram accounts. Mia’s page felt different because she stripped things back to basics while remaining positive and encouraging about progressing as a beginner golfer. I loved her focus on community and female friendships; she came across as genuinely passionate about creating a space for female golfers to connect and interact.
I think when you connect with someone on social media and regularly engage with their content, it can feel as if you genuinely know them. There's always the risk that content creators may appear differently in real life because Instagram is often their livelihood, and they may portray a glamorised or overly positive version of themselves. I had spoken to Mia a couple of times on social media, in passing at Foxhills and at the Women’s Golf Academy launch at Pitch London, but today was the first time I was able to get on the course with her and see the real Mia Baker.
During our practice putting session, Mia displayed a natural coaching style that was both encouraging and effortless. I felt reassured as she understands what it's like to be a woman trying a heavily male-dominated sport and wanting to prove to herself that she can achieve. I've seen the way she encourages Jenny and Emily on the Golf Girls YouTube channel, and this was exactly how she interacted with me at the driving range and on the putting green. We went through a couple of fun drills, analysed my golf swing, and discussed ways to work up to playing the full course. One of Mia’s suggestions was to organise a scramble on the Par 3 with some of the other women from the Pitch Academy. This idea excited me, and I am keen to make it happen.
The interaction was invaluable, and I can confirm that Mia is even more inspiring in real life than she is on Instagram. And yes, she is one of the happiest golfers I've ever met!
No comments:
Post a Comment