A new generation of hip young women is flocking to the links and one Richmond entrepreneur says they shouldn't have to sacrifice fashion when they walk down the fairway.

"Women want to look like women when they golf," said Linda Hipp, founder and president of the women's golf fashion firm Hyp Golf Ltd.

The former business development officer of Orca Bay Sports and Entertainment is an avid golfer and in 1997, set out to marry her love of the game with her passion for fashion.

Her research into National Golf Foundation statistics showed 40 per cent of all new golfers are women and that the average age of female golfers was dropping to the 25- to 40-year-old age group.

However, this fashion-conscious demographic was teeing up in the older, ultra-conservative and almost unisex duds that have traditionally dominated women's golf apparel.

Hipp's mission was to bring female golf fashion up to date.

Convincing distributors and pro shops to carry its line has been the biggest hurdle, said Hipp. Many buyers labelled Hyp (pronounced Hip) golf too hip and too fashion forward.

"It was a tough haul for the first couple of years," said Hipp. "It's interesting to see the evolution since then."

But as younger women start competing and as the LPGA recognized the need to grow its audience, there has been more understanding about the need for more feminine-looking clothes. That recognition spread to retailers and pro shops.

"When they were ready to buy, we were top of mind," Hipp said.

Hyp Golf has been pushing the envelope -- and the hemlines -- in the staid world of golf fashion, and some big names are now taking notice.

Last spring during the Ladies' Professional Golf Association tour, Playboy magazine asked readers which player they'd most like to see featured in the magazine. Carin Koch came tops but readers' second choice was U.S. player Jill McGill, who happened to be endorsing fashion wear from Hyp.

Hyp Golf is approaching $1.5 million in sales for its fiscal year ending June 2003. "Our sales will probably just about double from the year before," Hipp said.

Hyp Golf's Richmond head office has seven employees and its sales force totals 12 in Canada and the U.S. Its products are in more than 125 pro shops and retail outlets in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

For the past two years, production has been split between Vancouver manufacturers and a mill in Shanghai, China. The company will explore opportunities in Asia and Europe and is also considering a men's line of clothes.

Jane Ralph, assistant manager in clothing and shoes at Golf Town Canada in Richmond, said women's wear accounts for half of golf apparel sales during golf season. Hyp Golf is "one of our top lines for sure."

Hipp is not alone in the industry. In Vancouver alone two competitors, Cracked Wheat and Heavenly Bodies, are chasing slightly different markets. Lillian Moe, merchandiser with Cracked Wheat, likes what Hyp Golf is doing but added there are more women golfers in the 30-plus age group, which is where Cracked Wheat is aiming. "We go out on the limb a bit but we try to stay focused on what we think the customer is looking for."

Many younger women, don't have the time to golf, she added.

Finding the right product mix for female golfers is tough for pro shops, said David O'Connor, manager of golf operations for the City of Burnaby. "It's really hit and miss." O'Connor said pro shops account for five to 25 per cent of a golf course's revenues.

Discounters, or high-volume off-course retailers, have eaten into margins during the past 15 years. Many pro shops now operate as a service to members and to enhance the golfing experience, he said.   - Phil Melnychuk    Business in Vancouver     11-17 March 2003