Since the inception of the game of golf, women have worked to gain an even footing with their male counterparts. That ongoing struggle does not just take place on the course; it also occurs off it in the golf shop and the maintenance facility.
Golf course superintendents are innovators who take pride in how they produce a great product under increasingly trying circumstances. Women in the industry want the same thing - to be recognized and respected for their ability to do the job the same as any man. It really is that simple.
Just how long have women collectively been getting the short end of the stick when it comes to golf? Tracing the roots of the game is no easy task, but the answer to that question might be much longer than you previously thought.
The game in its current form dates at least to 16th century Europe. Some historians, however, believe golf got its start in early Rome in a game called paganica. If we are to believe that, it stands to reason that as Romans were conquering foreign lands, they swatted feather-filled balls with curved sticks along the way, and in the process, some say, brought what is now known as golf to Europe. If the game of golf and its earliest iterations are indeed more than 2,000 years old, it is entirely possible the game owes as much to Caesar Augustus as it does Old Tom Morris.
More recently, many of the game's stakeholders have worked to promote the role of women across the game of golf and the business of golf. There is no question that positive strides have been made, especially in maintenance. There are more women working in golf course maintenance than ever before. Career-development seminars specifically for women at industry education conferences are now the norm, and there was even an entire team of women who volunteered at this year's U.S. Open at the Olympic Club thanks to the efforts of Troy Flanagan, director of golf maintenance at the San Francisco classic. There are many men throughout the industry who understand the value of women on their teams and are steadfastly dedicated to mentoring them and promoting their careers. But there is still much work to be done.
Just how much work remains to be done was illustrated by what was intended to be a good-natured post on social media by a woman working in the business. Miranda Robinson, assistant superintendent at Cordova Bay Golf Course in Victoria, British Columbia, has been outspoken in her efforts to lift up her colleagues across the industry. Recently, Robinson addressed the plight facing women in golf in a recent post to social media that took a jab at many of the issues she and other women face while working on a golf course. The post struck a chord with many as it generated a significant amount of feedback.
"I was just sort of kidding with that," Robinson said. "I was surprised. I had no idea it would get that much attention."
More recently, many of the game's stakeholders have worked to promote the role of women across the game of golf and the business of golf. There is no question that positive strides have been made, especially in maintenance. . . . But there is still much work to be done.
The reality is the way some view the role of women in golf has nothing to do with golf at all, and everything to do with how they view women in any setting. And that is much more difficult to change.
During the past several years, as career development for women has come to the forefront, many have admitted that they owe a great deal to the men who have mentored them or otherwise influenced their careers. But it is the other men they have encountered along the way, the colleagues who work to undermine careers, fellow superintendents who shun their female counterparts at industry events, golfers who mistake them for beverage cart operators or those who do worse. They're all still out there. The women who have to deal with them won't mention them publicly, because they do not want to be labeled as troublemakers, or that person, or do anything that will compromise their careers. Plenty have told us that off the record.
That the role of women in golf continues to be a topic in the 21st century is both stunning and disappointing.
When Syngenta held its Ladies Leading Turf event at the 2020 GIS in Orlando, there were less than a half-dozen men in the mostly packed room. By the time everyone in attendance adjourned to the hospitality room for free food and drink, that room already was packed largely by those who ignored the symposium, but showed up for beer and appetizers. It included university professors, superintendents and association big-wigs.
Opportunity lost.
The path to equality across the industry for women only can be won course by course, club by club, fox hole by fox hole, because that is all that is within our control. Initiatives without buy-in are pointless.
We have seen over the past 20 years with all the grow-the-game programs that have come . . . and gone . . . how fruitless official industry initiatives can be. The greatest minds in the game got together and for years pumped out one idea after another that were designed to attract new players, convince existing golfers to play more and to speed up pace of play. All were met with varying degrees of success, or lack of it. The reality is, it does not matter whether a plan designed to increase rounds played or make the business more accessible to women works at a golf course down the road, on the other side of town or across the country. What matters is whether it works for you.
All women want is professional respect and recognition afforded their male counterparts. But hey, Rome wasn't built in a day. In actuality, it took 800 years, and we don't have that kind of time.