Golf is a game built on tradition: 18 holes, sportsmanship and etiquette, self-reporting rules violations, green jackets and claret jugs. It's also a game traditionally dominated by men - on the course and in the maintenance building. Although women continue to make strides in breaking down gender walls in golf turf maintenance, they still have a long way to go.
A group of current and future superintendents say that although they make the same professional and personal sacrifices as their male counterparts, they've had to go above and beyond to earn the same level of respect from their colleagues. Still, none of them have second-guessed their career choice for a millisecond.
"There are males out there that are very respectful and treat me as an equal, whereas there are others that treat women as second-class citizens and can't wait for them to be replaced by a male counterpart," said Monica Lalinde, superintendent at Smyrna Municipal Golf Course in Tennessee.
"I knew it was a male dominated field but I did not care, it was what I wanted to do and I was going to fight for it."
The GCSAA says it has 101 women members, 31 of whom are Class A members and another 21 with Superintendent Member status.
A 1984 graduate of the Ohio State turf program and a former Buckeye golfer, Sherri Brogan, CGCS, has been in the golf business since 1986 and a head superintendent in the six-course Columbus municipal golf system since 1989. She has been superintendent at the city's Champions Golf Course since 1992, and GCSAA certification in 1998.
As an OSU student in the 1980s, it didn't take Brogan long to realize she'd chosen a major dominated by men. And she figured making a name for herself might not be easy. Like her male colleagues, Brogan, 53, has worked hard to get where she is today. Maybe, she admits, she's had to work a little harder, not that she's complaining, mind you.
"Did I know what I was getting into? To some extent yes. To the full extent? No. I've had to work a lot harder to get the same respect that a lot of my male counterparts, who I'm around every day, have gotten," Brogan said.
"When I was working my way up I continually had to prove myself. It didn't matter how good the golf course looked, I knew people were thinking ?Someone must have been helping her.' "
Would she have chosen a different career path if she'd known then what she knows now? Don't bet on it, because Brogan doesn't just think she's as good as any other superintendent in the business who happens to be a man. She knows she is.
"There are some superintendents who don't accept it, and there are some who are great friends who I know I can call and they'll help me any time," she said.
"I've been doing this so long, I don't really care. I can do as good a job as any of them. I love what I do, and I can't wait to get here to the course every day."
Arin Hawkins is head superintendent at Raymond Memorial Golf Course, also in the Columbus municipal family.
He knows when he needs to make a call to get advice from a colleague, he can count on Brogan, and vice-, Hawkins said.
"When you look at her qualifications, she's got it all," Hawkins said. "She's a senior member of our golf division, and she's certified. That's a rigorous process."We both look to each other if we have problems or issues. She's the first person I go to. We lean on each other heavily."
Like Brogan, Lalinde's days in golf began as a player. As a near-scratch golfer when she was a youngster, she thought she would make a living wielding a putter, not a soil moisture meter.
Lalinde saw her plans for a life as a professional golfer dashed by back pain when she was 18. She loved the game too much to walk away from it, so she chose a career in turf management instead.
A native of Colombia, Lalinde has been in the business for parts of four decades. At age 55, she's been a head superintendent for 21 years, including the past 14 at Smyrna Municipal Golf Course in Tennessee. She knew the field was one dominated by men when she graduated from Walters State Community College in Morristown, but that did not deter her then, or now.
"The biggest challenge was getting a chance to show what you could do and that you could do it," Lalinde said. "There was also the misconception that the job was too physical for a woman. You do not have to be Superman to do it, however, you cannot be afraid of physical labor and adapting your abilities to the demands of the job. The job is not too much to handle; it is demanding but not impossible."
Like her male colleagues, Lalinde has spent years putting in long hours on the golf course, often placing her job ahead of her family. Her dedication to her job cost her a marriage.
"The hours that you put in during the golfing season are long, and it is very easy to lose yourself in your job and forget that your family needs your time too," she said.
"The demands of the job are hard on families and you have to have a good support system, or your family will suffer. A strong support system is a necessity that I did not have.
"I can only speak for myself, but I lived in a state of chaos trying to be good at my job and trying to be a good wife and mother. I was never at peace either at home or at work. I am an overachiever and a perfectionist and tried to give 110 percent at both, and ended up with a divorce on one hand and a career and my daughter on the other. Families need you year round, not just during your slow time at work."
Carmen Kozak knew she too was entering a field dominated by men when she turned a summer job on a golf course into a career path. Initially studying business at Red Deer College in Alberta, Kozak eventually switched gears and earned a degree in turfgrass studies at nearby Olds College. At age 26, she's completing her first year as foreman at Riverbend Golf and Recreation Area as she completes her studies at Olds College in Alberta. Last year, Kozak was the first woman to win Toro's Future Superintendent of the Year Award, an honor bestowed each year in concert with the Canadian Golf Course Superintendents Association.
Her reasons for pursuing a career as a head superintendent sound pretty familiar."At first it was just a summer job, but I absolutely loved it," Kozak said. "Every season that I returned to the links I just kept falling in love with it more and more. The people, continual change of pace, as well as the physical nature of the job made me excited every day. I had the opportunity to work for and alongside some amazing people who showed their passion for both this industry and their job every day. The fact that I woke up every single day with a smile on my face, and not to mention the excitement of what the day was going to hold for me made it a pretty easy decision to pursue this career."
Even upon entering the business in the 21st century, Kozak quickly learned that as a woman she was in the minority. She says a lifetime spent in youth sports has helped her make the transition.
"Although at the time it seemed odd to be primarily working with males, it didn't deter my decision to continue working on a golf course," Kozak said. "I have had a lot of male influences in my life from my own father, hockey coaches, and swim coaches. For me it wasn't much different than how I was raised. I honestly believe that this helped make it an easy transition and allowed me to be very comfortable early on."
Like her more experienced female colleagues, Kozak still finds herself having to prove she knows the business and not just the jargon. She's also learned it's not just in the maintenance department where women suffer from stereotypes, it's throughout rest of the industry as well.
"One of the biggest challenges, not just for myself but many women face within this industry is proving ourselves," she said. "Proving that we can do the work, proving that we can have just as much knowledge, and proving that we want to be taken seriously on the job. The last thing I ever imagined myself doing prior to turf school or when I was first starting on a golf course was being able to talk irrigation or to discuss sprayer operation and calibration; basically anything that a stereotypical women wouldn't understand just because they are a women. Now I have the education and practical experience to that talk shop. We need to prove that we understand all aspects of the industry, including the game of golf, and we are not there just for the cute clothes."
Aretha Franklin said it best: "All I want is a little respect . . ."