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FALMOUTH — “You know why I love playing golf?” Blair O’Neal said to the girls huddled around her at the Falmouth Country Club driving range. “I love hitting the ball far.”

A former professional golfer and now host on the Golf Channel, O’Neal gave a lesson to girls from Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine as part of the annual Drive Fore Kids celebrity tournament fundraiser being held at Falmouth Country Club this weekend.

O’Neal’s goal was to keep her tips simple. She went over the basics of the stance, grip, swing and follow through, then let the girls let it rip. She offered encouragement and tips with each swing.

That’s how you get more girls into golf, O’Neal said. Focus on the fun aspects of the game, and don’t overwhelm them with the minutia.

“It’s not a game of being perfect. You’re going to hit a lot of not so good shots. I have to remind myself of that. But when you hit the good shots, really make sure you celebrate them,” O’Neal said. “I love working with any of the junior clinics, especially the girls. I started playing golf when I was 11. A lot of these girls are around that age, and some younger. So they’re getting a good head start on the game. It’s fun to see them and see their love for the game.”

The number of girls and women playing golf is increasing, but here in Maine, progress is slow. Last fall, 297 boys competed in the high school state championships, while just 26 girls took part. Last summer, 85 played in the Maine junior championships. Only seven girls were in the tournament.

Those aren’t unusual ratios, unfortunately.

“I grew up with the boys. I would be at the golf course every single day, and it was me and the guys I was playing with,” O’Neal said. “No other girls were there. Nowadays, there’s more girls playing than when I was younger, so it’s great to see … There’s a lot more these days playing, but we could always improve the numbers, right? Just introducing them to the game, letting them not feel intimidated, and just giving them some tips that make them feel confident.”

Ruby Haylock is one of the most accomplished female golfers in the state in recent years. She won the Maine women’s amateur title in 2020 and again in 2022, and her younger sister, Jade, won the event each of the last two years. Both sisters were in attendance Friday helping out with the lesson.

“I had a great group of girls around me when I was very young. I think they were all four or five years older than me, so I was kind of trying to keep up. When I got to high school, I was playing against mostly guys,” Ruby Haylock said. “Golf for females is about the short game, especially in high school. Playing from shorter yardage. Playing with guys, I had to learn to pound it off the tee.”

A recent graduate of Bates College, Haylock now works for Maine Golf as director of women’s and girls golf in Maine. She teaches lesson to girls and women at the Alex Re Rancourt Golf Learning Center in Freeport. Forty women took part in a recent free clinic, the first of a few planned for the summer, Haylock said.

“We’re making progress here,” she said.

Small things like the lesson Friday morning with O’Neal help that progress. As the hour neared an end, more girls hit the ball well, turning and smiling at their friends

“I just hit the best!” a girl said in delight.

That’s what O”Neal was looking for. A celebration of the good shots.