Pro Golfer Documents Mansplaining While Practicing

Pro Golfer Georgia Ball Documents Mansplaining From Amateur Player While Practicing

By Regina Sienra on February 26, 2024

Professional golfer Georgia Ball believes in getting more people into the sport she loves deeply. That's why the 26-year-old often records herself while she practices, giving clever tips and encouraging others. However, her camera recorded something else recently. While working on her swing, a man came up to her to give her some unsolicited advice. Despite telling him what she was up to, the guy insisted, putting Ball at the center of one of the most revealing displays of mansplaining recently seen on social media.

Oxford Dictionary defines “mansplaining” as “the practice of a man explaining something to a woman in a way that shows he thinks he knows and understands more than she does.” This perfectly encapsulates what's happening in the 90-second clip. While Ball is a certified PGA pro and instructor, the man confidently goes up to her and says, “Excuse me. What are you doing there? You shouldn't be doing that.”

Bewildered but polite, Ball replies that she is going through a swing change—something golfers regularly do to improve their technique. The explanation seems to fly over the man's head, who tells her to “follow through a lot quicker,” adding that he has been playing golf for over 20 years. Ball brings up the swing change once again to no avail.

Hoping to put an end to this, Ball takes a shot to show that she really knows what she is doing. As the ball flies into the distance, the man takes credit by saying, “See how much better that was?” The golfer, trying to keep it together, explains herself once again, but figures it's best to thank the man for his advice as he finally leaves.

Looking back, Ball told Sky Sports how she felt during that moment. “It was an awkward conversation at the time but I was just concentrating on what I was doing… I am glad I can look back on it now and see the funny side to it.” While many of her followers asked her why she didn't put him in his place, Ball said it's not her style. “To be honest, I am a humble person, it is not in me to call him out or say I am a PGA pro, it is just not in me to do that.”

While Ball later told The Guardian that most of her experiences with both men and women are good, the clip speaks of a phenomenon known all too well by women around the world. In 2022, Cambridge University Press published a study on mansplaining in the modern workplace in which 95% of respondents reported having experienced at least some form of these condescending words of advice. If you're ever on the receiving end, know that you're not alone. If you're the one offering “advice,” first have a conversation with yourself about whether anyone asked for it or if it's necessary.