It's time to shine a light on women in turf in this new 15 part documentary series 'Breaking the Turfgrass ceiling'
Just two per cent of members of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America are women, that's around 400 of the association's 19,134 members. With these figures in mind, it's not surprising to hear that there has been a drive in recent years to increase the profile of women in turf, not only in America but across the world.
A significant moment came in 2021 when the U.S. Women's Open was played at Olympic Club in San Francisco. Superintendent Troy Flanagan decided that he wanted to get as many women as possible to be part of the volunteer crew. He enlisted the help of Syngenta's Kimberly Gard and as the saying goes, the rest is history.
Breaking the Turfgrass Ceiling
The Women In Turf story is now being brought to life in a 15-part documentary series called 'Breaking the Turfgrass Ceiling' which goes behind the scenes at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Open to share the unique stories of women in the turfgrass industry.
It's a first-of-its-kind docu-series where 30 female turfgrass professionals break new ground in the industry as part of an all-volunteer crew helping care for the historic Pine Needles golf course.
Over 15 episodes, the series gets personal with the crew who give their heartfelt stories about a love for turf, maintenance, course architecture and the golf industry.
It gives us the opportunity to witness the tight bonds within this group of women who often feel like unicorns in an industry where they're the two per cent.
We also see them in action - mowing fairways in the dark, cutting cups at sunrise and hand mowing and hand watering the greens - for the best players in the world.
Episode 1 - The Origin Story
This premier episode of the Breaking the Turfgrass Ceiling docu-web series explains how Troy Flanagan, Director of Golf Maintenance at The Olympic Club, decided to address the absence of women in the turf industry as he started the Women in Turf Team in 2021…with a little help from some friends.
Episodes will drop every Friday starting February 10.
Episode 2 - A Day in the Life
What does a typical day look like for a turf crew at the US Women’s Open? Follow the Women in Turf Team behind the scenes at historic Pine Needles Golf Club as they assist David Fruchte, Director of Golf Course Maintenance, and his crew.
We're really looking forward to watching the series unfold and hope that it will inspire other women and girls to consider a role within the greenkeeping industry.
