Watch: Ladies Leading Turf 2023
This year's Ladies Leading Turf gave the audience a glimpse into the remarkable experiences of panel members at the US Women's Open.
Alex Hills (Senior Assistant Superintendent, Bay Hill Club & Lodge), Jill Seymour (Superintendent, Charleston Springs South Course) and Sun Roesslein (Stadium Manager, NAAC) joined Troy Flanagan (Director of Golf Maintenance, The Olympic Club), David Fruchte, Director of Golf Course Grounds, Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club) and moderator Kimberly Gard to share their stories and insights from working on the volunteer turf crew preparing last year's US Women's Open venue, Pine Needles.
The initiative to bring together an all-female volunteer turf crew was the brainchild of Troy Flanagan, and following the success in 2021's event at The Olympic Club, it was taken forward by David Fruchte at Pine Needles.
Going mainstream
This year's panel also referenced a new docuseries, Breaking the Turfgrass Ceiling, which documents the experiences of the volunteer turf crew during last year's event, goes behind the scenes, and gives a sense of the scale of operation involved in preparing the golf course for one of the biggest events on the calendar.
New connections, lasting friendships
Following the panel discussion and Q&A, guests came together to network, forge new friendships and share their experiences in what was a record attendance since the event started as a small get together several years ago.
