Alford and Oldmeldrum golf clubs both found that some girls were put off playing in sessions with boys.

“We have around 150 boys at Oldmeldrum but only a few girls,” says the Oldmeldrum ladies’ captain, Brenda Urquhart. “Most of those who went along to the mixed sessions didn’t enjoy being in a big group of boys. They said the boys would use all the equipment and wouldn’t give them a chance to play. They felt outnumbered and intimidated.

“It was obvious to us that the only way to make a breakthrough with girls’

golf was to set up a girls-only section.”

The club has signed 28 girls for a 10-week beginners’ course, while Alford Golf Club, which has Scottish schools’ champion Laura Murray among its members, has a class of 20. Girls are outnumbered almost 10-fold by boys at under-18 level in Scotland, with 25,000 boys and 2,700 girls playing golf.