British professional golfer Georgia Ball doesn’t need unsolicited advice from men, but just like the experience of many women, it’s practically par for the course.
This week, Ball uploaded a 90-second clip to social media that shows the golfer being interrupted by a man at a driving range who had some corrective feedback about her swing. The video, which has since been viewed over 10.5 million times on TikTok, saw thousands of people in the comments accuse the stranger of “mansplaining.”
Mansplaining — a word that was officially added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2018 — refers to when a man explains or gives unwanted advice on a subject that he assumes a woman has no knowledge of.
In the video, Ball, who is a certified PGA pro and coach, is seen practicing her swing at a driving range near Liverpool in the U.K. Her attention is pulled from the green when a man, who does not appear on camera, approaches with a call of, “Excuse me.”
“You shouldn’t be doing that,” the stranger insisted.
The man told Ball she should follow through on her swing and was moving too slowly on the way up.
Three times in the clip Ball explains that she’s going through a “swing change,” but the stranger persists. (A swing change is common among golfers looking to change or better their technique.)
The man proceeds to tell Ball he’s been “playing golf for 20 years.” (The comment earned a side-eye toward the camera from Ball.)
In the end, the stranger praised Ball’s “corrected” swing and encouraged her to keep up her form.
The video of the awkward interaction drew both praise and criticism for Ball. Though surprise at the mansplainer’s gall dominated discourse, some felt (for better or worse) that Ball was overly kind. Many suggested she could have, and should have, told the man that she was a professional golfer.
“I really wish you told him your expertise and didn’t continue with the giggle and sweet replies. I would’ve done exactly that too but we need to assert ourselves,” wrote one commenter on TikTok.
“I’ve been driving for 25 years but I’m not about to give Lewis Hamilton some pointers,” commented another.
Ball told the BBC she is too “humble” to make the disclosure about her career.
“I wouldn’t interrupt and say that,” she said, adding that the man was “right in what he said” about her swing.
She said she doesn’t normally experience mansplaining, but said she was “grateful” for all the positive responses to her video.
“I’m just glad I can look back at it now and laugh about it because the majority of people and golfers are all just out to help each other,” she said.
Ball is known to set up her camera and record her practices — or other, more impressive swings — to post on social media.
Comments