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Abstract
Golf is one of the oldest sports in the world, with early forms of the game dating back to Holland in 1297 (Stirk, 1998). Throughout history, women in golf have faced institutional barriers including discrimination and exclusion. The deep-rooted history of golf has reinforced these rigid barriers for girls and women over time. The purpose of this study was to understand historic and current institutional barriers to girls and women in golf and how LPGA*USGA Girls Golf has shifted the institutional dynamics of golf through institutional entrepreneurship. Further, the history of LPGA*USGA Girls Golf was understood through corporate social responsibility. The significance of the study was rooted in it being the only empirical investigation into a female specific junior golf program and how institutional entrepreneurship can be used to understand temporal change in a highly institutionalized field. Data collection methods in this intrinsic case study design (Stake, 1995) included semi-structured interviews with 34 participants and document analysis of 47 documents. Thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006) was used to analyze the data. The results of this study included four major themes: a) Title IX laying the foundation for change, b) partnership development to grow the organization, c) shaping youth through flexible and female specific philosophy and curriculum, and d) optimistic results and hope for the future. These themes suggested that although golf is a sport with well-established social practices and rituals, LPGA*USGA Girls Golf has started a movement that is softening historical institutional barriers.