As one of a handful of women golf course superintendents, June Blake is an outsider in what clearly remains a mans world.Still, the 33-year-old Blake, who since July 2012 has been superintendent of nine-hole Forest Park Country Club in Adams, Mass., believes that dedication and passion for her craft should be enough to prove she belongs.
Part of me likes to think that I dont have to go out and prove myself every day. I try not to look at it that way, said Blake, 33. I like to think that hard work will pay off no matter what field you are in even if you are the minority of the group.
Results on the golf course dont hurt either.
Our greens are the best theyve ever been, said Forest Park manager Bruce Cardin. I play a lot of golf, and they are the best in the county. They dont play second fiddle to anybodys.
Blake did not grow up playing golf, but as a three-sport star in high school, she always spent a lot of time outdoors. When she sought her first part-time, summer job during her high school days, an uncle who had crewed on a local golf course told her to consider a similar vocation. Blake, who never was one to work indoors, jumped at the chance to avoid afternoons and weekends that consisted of flipping burgers and making fries.
I needed a summer job, and there werent a lot of options, said Blake, now the superintendent at Forest Park Country Club, a nine-hole facility in Adams, Mass. Most jobs were at fast-food restaurants or things like that. And that wasnt going to work for me.
And she never dreamed that those summers mowing turf and raking bunkers at Wahconah Country Club in her native Dalton, Mass., would one day become a career opportunity.
That summer job continued throughout Blakes high school years and during summers home from Western New England University in Springfield, Mass., where she was studying business management. When she realized after graduation that jobs in that field werent as fulfilling as working outside, she abandoned pursuit of an office job for a return to the golf course.
Without a formal turf career, Blake continued to learn the intricacies of turf management first at Crestview Country Club in Agawam, and during her second stint at Wahconah.
She credits folks like former Wahconah superintendent Mike Gunn who hired her the first time in 1998 and his successor, Jeremy Stachowicz who re-hired her, for her on-the-job training.
Ive learned everything there from weeding to mowing, then stepping up to bigger equipment, she said. I worked closely with Mark Reardon, who is a great mechanic and taught me a lot. Over the years, Ive gathered a lot of information there that has helped me get to where I am today.
Her lack of a turf degree didnt seem to be much of a hurdle for the committee that interviewed and hired her.
Sometimes book smart is not the only thing you need to be successful in this business, Cardin said. Every course is different, and she is doing a fantastic job.
Its not clear how many women superintendents there are nationwide, but GCSAA counts only about 60 among its membership.
Although she acknowledges she is in the minority, Blake doesnt view herself as a pioneer.
I knew it was going to be tough because there are not a lot of women in this industry, she said. But if you love it and have a passion about it, there is no reason why women cant go out and succeed.
I just dont think a lot of women realize there is an opportunity out there because its always been men in this business.