Combining life as a golfer and mother is not easy, but thanks to the LPGA’s on-tour creche and new maternity arrangements, babies are on the increase.

As the next edition of Women & Golf is on the shelves NOW, here’s a sneak preview of what you can expect from columnist Lewine Mair this issue.

Today, on the LPGA Tour, the conversations are as likely to be about babies as birdies. All of which is hardly surprising when you consider how, after twenty years and more of the on-tour creche - it is sponsored by Smuckers - barely making sense, the number of infants is dramatically on the rise.

Seven babies were born in 2018, while three mothers are currently playing a waiting game. The trio in question are Australia’s Sarah Jane Smith, whose baby is due in July, Brittany Lincicome (September) and Jackie Stoelting (October).

The ‘baby-talk’ started in earnest at this year’s HSBC Women’s World championship when the women were taking a more than passing interest in a not dissimilar state of affairs at the Singapore Zoo. Though the women professionals could hardly be said to be on a ‘critically endangered’ list, a monkey from that category, a Celebes Crested Macaque, had just presented the facility with its first baby in seven years.

Back in America at that time, Smuckers were busy signing on extra staff for the 21 home-based events which they will be covering this year. The golfers rave about what is on offer from these peanut butter sponsors, with all of them putting the emphasis on how their offspring will receive the same care and educational opportunities from the same members of staff each week.

In keeping with the above, the LPGA have introduced an updated maternity arrangement designed to provide new mums with more in the way of flexibility. To give just a couple of little insights, a player can take her maternity leave in the year of the child’s birth or, if she prefers as much, she can wait until the following season. Mums will now have two years from the date of their baby’s birth to return to the tour, at which point they will revert to the same playing status as they had before the child arrived - and stay with that same status for their first twelve months back.

This is just a snippet of Lewine Mair’s full feature in the latest issue of Women & Golf magazine. You can pick up Women & Golf, on sale NOW, or click here to subscribe now to read the full feature and enjoy W&G delivered to your door!

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