Creating a home for the lived experiences of women club golfers in Scotland: two case studies undertaken in collaboration with the R&A World Golf Museum

Abstract

This paper will explore the place of women’s experiences within the collections held by the recently redeveloped R&A World Golf Museum in St Andrews [The R&A World Golf Museum is aligned with The R&A, golf’s governing body (outwith USA and Mexico)]. It will explore how women have been traditionally represented in the galleries and in academic research, highlighting the gaps that existed in our understanding of women’s experiences at a grassroots level within clubs in Scotland. The paper will discuss how the new museum galleries have started to address some of these absences and how they will be further addressed through an AHRC Collaborative PhD Studentship undertaken by Lauren Beatty. It will discuss in brief how and why oral histories have formed the main methodology for this study, and what the longer-term plans are for the use of these testimonies within the Museum in relation to education and outreach work. In doing so, the paper will demonstrate the value of combining both academic research and museum public engagement work.