Historic meeting of female Golf Course Architects from around the world

Led by EIGCA Council member, Kari Haug, and EIGCA member Giulia Ferroni, the event brought together women golf course architect members from EIGCA, American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA), and Society of Australian Golf Course Architects (SAGCA) for this historic meeting to specifically discuss the outlook for the next generation of women in the golf course architecture profession.

“In my 35 years in the industry, this was my first opportunity to join a collaborative session with female architects.” – Lyne Morrison, SAGCA

Currently, there are seven female members across the three professional societies. The relative absence of women at the design table was first officially identified by the EIGCA in 2019 when the EIGCA signed on to the R&A Women in Golf Charter, making a commitment to “devise strategies to encourage more women to join and remain within the golf course architecture profession.”

The complete list of commitments EIGCA made to the Women in Golf Charter (WIGC) included:

• Devise strategies to encourage more women to join and remain within the golf course architecture profession
• Promote the importance of designing and upgrading golf courses to suit women golfers
• Improve inclusivity, diversity and equality within the EIGCA and appoint an Equality and Diversity Officer
• Encourage female members to join the EIGCA Committees and Council

With the recent historic meeting, the EIGCA is happy to say that it has made progress on all of its WIGC commitments. This October meeting was the first, but not the last as the architects plan to host a second meeting after the new year and widen attendance to women interested in a career in golf course architecture. Additional strategies to meet WIGC commitments are in progress or the planning stages.

One limitation for growing the number of women entering the profession that was identified in the recent meeting is that there is a lack of awareness that women even work in the profession. In addition, the combination of education and apprenticeship or mentoring is quite difficult to coordinate when the professional network is so small. The planned 2024 Zoom meeting for women interested in the golf course architecture profession should help to build networks, remove barriers, and identify pathways for young aspiring architects to realize their dreams.

Caption: Attendees (top left to bottom): Lyne Morrison (SAGCA), Lindsey Collumbell (EIGCA Executive Officer), Amanda Barbee, Giulia Ferroni (EIGCA), Jan Bel Jan (ASGCA), Kari Haug (EIGCA), Kristine Kerr (SAGCA).