Introducing the Little Pink Golf Book

What started off as an idea for a little guidebook for the women she taught at her golf academy has turned into a passion project for PGA Professional Abbey Gittings. Here she explains what the Little Pink Golf Book is all about.

I’ve been working here in Spain for the last six years at Marbella Golf & Country Club, I run my own Academy with a big focus on getting more women and girls into golf. During lockdown, like in the UK, Spain was completely shut down and I ended up with a lot of time on my hands.

I’m not one for sitting still and wanted to use this extra time wisely. It gave me the chance to reflect on the work that I had been doing out here and how I could help the women I coach and those I hoped to coach in the future.

Growing up playing golf, I had a lot of instructional books at home but none that were specific to girls. I did a little research online and found that the last golf book made for women was around 1992. This is where writing a book started. Initially, my thought had been to produce something for the women and girls that I coach. The idea was to cover all the little things that we work on each week and act as a reminder to them in between lessons.

Over the next few months, I wrote down ideas and put them into different segments. However, things came to a bit of a halt when things opened up in July 2020. I had to get back to coaching and it wasn’t until the start of 2021 that I really got back into writing as I was determined to finish the book.

I looked at what I’d written so far, and it was still just a jumble of notes which didn’t make much sense. It was then that I questioned whether I could really do this and if I had the time to complete it. I told myself that I could as I knew just how beneficial this could be to so many women, to keep them in the game and that gave me the motivation I needed.

There wasn’t a deadline, I just wrote when I had inspiration. One day it would be 10 pages and another it could be three sentences. As we approached the end of 2021, I got to the point where I thought I had covered everything that I need to talk about.

What is the Little Pink Golf Book all about?

It’s a golf guidebook book for all women, those who want to learn, those who have been playing for a few years and even those who have been playing for a long time. I coach people who still lack the confidence to go out onto the course and hear stories from others who have had bad experiences on the golf course that has put them off. 

I want to help them have something that will make them feel more positive about carrying on and making sure they stick with it. I think that's what I found over the years is a lot of women start playing golf, and do not make it past the first year of learning to play. I really wanted to focus on giving that golfer something that lets them know that everyone feels the same. There are so many women who are going through the same feelings that they are, so don't put too much pressure on yourself and don't worry too much.  The book explains the things that you need to know initially when you're playing golf.

There are 13 chapters that cover topics from why you should play golf, to golf terminology and coaching lingo. I also cover the stages of playing golf, right from a beginner through to your first competition. There are chapters on nutrition and golf psychology and some practice games and drills. By far my favourite chapter is the last one – the MANuscript.

The front of the book says “Never listen to men…” essentially, this is a bit of a guide for men. To explain what is going to be able to help the female golfer in their life, to learn, to feel more supported and ultimately keep them playing golf.

What’s in the name?

As I’ve already said I have a lot of golf books in my house back home and there was one in particular that I used to read all the time. I really hope that women and girls will feel the same about reading my book. I decided to keep the title simple and use a colour that would stand out and show that it was for women golfers of the world, for me that was pink. So, the Little Pink Golf was born.

Going to print

I was able to produce the book through Amazon, via their Kindle Direct Publishing service, where you can publish your own eBooks and paperbacks. Once I had the finished manuscript, you can upload it to Amazon. I was then able to order a draft copy so that I could do any final edits. It was great to be able to sit and read through the pages. It felt like I was actually reading the book properly. Four edits later and the book was ready to go – via Kindle or paperback.

So, what started as a little guide that I wanted to write for the women I teach, has become something a lot bigger. I believe I’ve covered everything that I’d like to get out there and like I’ve said, if the book can help a few women enjoy or at least feel better about themselves when they play, then I'll be really happy. Because my biggest ambition is to get more women playing.

The Little Pink Golf Book is available to purchase from Amazon for £12.89 in paperback and £9.99 for the kindle version.