Women in Shropshire are swapping their stilettos for golf shoes and teeing off to a new way of networking thanks to a fast-growing sporting society.

Entrepreneur Helen Wilkes took a lesson from her male colleagues when she needed a more fun approach to doing business. The golf course has long been a place for men to make contacts while practicing their swing and lowering their handicap. 

So the former mortgage adviser set up the Stiletto Golf Society in Warwickshire to give businesswomen the chance to do the same and is now heading to Shropshire as part of its expansion. 

The movement has proved so successful that, already, Helen has given up her day job to concentrate on the venture and turned to Business Link in the West Midlands for help in growing her business. 

Since the launch event, last May, where 48 women attended a local golf club in Warwickshire, enthusiasts are turning up for regular monthly meetings. Now Helen plans to expand the society, with the eventual aim to expand into each county across the UK.

She explained: “I know from my own experience how hard it can be to build a business and what a fun way of making and exploring new contacts the game of golf can be. My aim was to bring executive women together to learn to play and practice in a fun, friendly supportive environment.”

Helen went on to add: “Business Link has been a great source of help and advice in growing my company. The specialist adviser, Danielle Cook, has helped me to reach more executive women to open up new opportunities within the wider business community through the development of the Stiletto Golf website – www.stiletto-golf.co.uk.”