Female golf course architects a rare breed
It’s an interesting, but obvious, problem - there are very few female golf course architects. In fact, so few that most can’t even name one. The most famous female golf course architects are Marion Hollins, who had a great influence on Cypress Point, and Alice Dye, who continues to have a great influence in her husband’s designs. Most recently, Pete Dye’s niece as become active in the design business.
It’s fairly easy to explain why women aren’t in the design business, most of which are fairly obvious. Golf is a male dominated sport. Land development is a male dominated industry. The male ego doesn’t like to be tamed in sport by a female. But that doesn’t mean that women aren’t getting into the industry. Like several PGA Tour professionals, some LPGA professionals are tossing their hat into the design ring. Nancy Lopez has been at it for quite some time. Also, Jan Stephenson and Amy Alcott have begun design careers - and they’re gaining momentum.
While Alcott, 51, is just getting started, Stephenson, 56, is considered the first successful female course designer. She got her start designing courses overseas in the 1990s and early 2000s, but has gradually built up a solid reputation in North America. She is currently involved in projects in Florida, Alabama, California, Canada and the Bahamas, with new requests arriving on her desk all the time.
‘‘I’m into it big time,’’ Stephenson said. ‘‘I knew it was something I always wanted to do.’’
Much like many other industries, the days of male domination is coming to an end for golf. The LPGA is a good step forward, but other golf jobs can also easily be done by women, inlcuding course design without any question. At one point it just becomes a question of supply and demand and there will need to be enough designers to fill the need, some of whom will definitely be female.