Women’s golf is booming at Miling Golf Club in Western Australia – thanks in no small measure to the club’s on-site crèche.

The northern Wheatbelt club, located around 200km north-east of Perth, reintroduced a babysitting service in 2021 having previously offered it in the 1990s-2000s.

The crèche now welcomes between 8-10 pre-school children during the weekly women’s comp, offering mums the perfect opportunity to socialise and sharpen their games on the fairways.

The service is also on offer at the club’s annual Open Day in June and during school holidays, when many older children also attend.

In a region where women golf club members commonly count in single figures, Miling has 20 – a number that represents a 50/50 membership split with men.

Club President and Ladies’ Captain Tania Turner said the crèche facility had played a pivotal role in growing women’s golf in the community since she oversaw its reintroduction.

“It’s had a huge impact,” Tania told GolfWA. “A lot of our new women have said that if it wasn’t for the crèche, they wouldn’t be able to play.

“It gives them some ‘time out’ for themselves for a few hours each week, and we make sure the competition is all over by 2.45pm to give them time to get to school to pick up their older children.”

Tania herself benefitted from the babysitting service back in the late 1990s when it was first on offer and is delighted to see it return to such positive effect.

“Quite a few of the parents who now use the service used to be looked after at the crèche themselves in the 90s and 2000s,” Tania added.

“My son and daughter are members now and clearly remember being babysat here when they were little. My daughter even uses the creche for her children when she comes to play. It’s nice to see it come full circle.”

The youngsters are left under the watchful eye of local farmer’s wife Lisa White in a dedicated play space within the clubhouse, with parents paying a nominal fee each week for the service.

To make it even easier for local families, the club heavily subsidises the annual babysitting charges, with members also raising funds to contribute to the cause.

It all adds up to a very family friendly environment – something that Tania believes is achievable at other regional clubs.

“Absolutely I think other clubs should consider offering a crèche,” she said. “You only have to look around here to see how much it has benefitted us.

“On club days, we have three generations of families here, from tots all the way up to grandparents.

"It’s a very sociable and welcoming place to be.”