The percentage of women in Canada employed as golf course superintendents remains slight, although it has been on the rise in recent years. The percentage of women who are golf course architects is even smaller, but one Canadian is leaving her mark in golf and is driven toward making the game more equitable, diverse and inclusive.

Christine Fraser, principal at Christine Fraser Design, shared her vision about how innovative design can shape a more sustainable and inclusive future for the golf industry during a recent presentation delivered simultaneously in-person at the Guelph Turfgrass Institute and online. The event was sponsored by the GTI.

Fraser was born with golf in her blood. Her grandparents turned a 120-acre corn field outside Kingston, Ont. in the 1970s into a small golf course which remains in operation today and is still owned by the family.

“They (her grandparents) wanted to build something that was sustainable and would stand the test of time,” she said. “This is bare bones golf. It’s in the middle of nowhere. They didn’t have any equipment or expertise to move dirt when they were building it.”

The family-owned facility was the foundation from which Fraser learned what golf courses were all about. Growing up on a golf course, she said she learned the “language” of golf at a young age. She also developed the necessary skills to effectively play the game and was awarded a Division 1 scholarship at Stetson University in Florida. Playing the college circuit inspired her to consider how golf courses have evolved, and her focus shifted from playing golf to designing golf.

Fraser said playing golf competitively at such an elite level ended up taking the fun out of the game for her.

“I put my clubs away when I graduated and didn’t touch them for years.”

Although her desire to continue playing was evaporating, she realized there was still a future for her in golf in the field of course architecture.

“There are a couple of ways to get into golf architecture: the academic route or the construction route – hooking up with a contractor and building golf.” 

She opted for the latter, but said it wasn’t to her liking. “But it was incredibly informative of learning those layers of how to build a golf course.”

A move to Scotland

Fraser eventually pursued the academic route, studying landscape architecture at the University of Guelph, and was awarded a scholarship through the Stanley Thompson Society, getting the chance to further her studies in Scotland. Her thesis explored ways to increase and encourage golfer participation at a time when golf was on the decline. She learned that the main reasons why golf was experiencing a setback was because the game was deemed too difficult, too expensive to play and took too much time to complete a round.

“That trip to Scotland was the missing piece to understand the barriers to entry that golf has – the barriers in golf architecture that could be addressed. The way that golf is viewed in Scotland is different. It’s more of a service than a business in a lot of ways.”

While studying at the University of Guelph, Fraser met a third-generation U.K. architect named Martin Hawtree who would become an important mentor to her in the ensuing years. 

“We hit it off, and he offered me a job when I graduated.”

Fraser relocated to England to work for Hawtree who was acting as a consulting architect at the time for the Royal and Ancient Golf Club. Having access to various Open Championship venue golf courses influenced Fraser about the way she thinks about golf course design.

“I learned about accessible golf during my thesis at Guelph in terms of the way we retain and recruit new golfers. Without that, none of us has a job.”

Fraser said everything begins with the entry points into golf and creating facilities that allow people to learn how to play the game.

Her time in Scotland taught her the merits of equitable golf, such as being able to play at the Old Course at Saint Andrews the day after the Open Championship. 

“Anybody – no matter your skill, no matter your class, no matter your race, no matter your gender – is provided the same experience in an enjoyable and memorable way.”

Fraser said there are design strategies that can make golf more accessible for golfers with disabilities such as removing curbs from the entire length of cart paths and including tees that can be accessed without having to climb steps or which have steep slopes. Flags should have good contrast, she added, so that visually impaired golfers can navigate golf courses easier.

Because municipal golf courses cater to a broader spectrum of golfers of varying skill levels, they should be designed accordingly, Fraser said.

“Speaking as a woman, golf is not always super kind to us and considerate of us,” she said, noting that tee boxes should be situated in places that make golfers feel good and that all tees should be maintained to the same standard.

Meeting golfers’ needs

Courses that are 6,800 or more yards long don’t meet the needs of all golfers, she said, adding that those that occupy less land, use less water and less fertilizer while providing the golf experience many people want today have their place. She referred to her thesis, noting that the answer to recruiting and retaining golfers is to make the game more affordable, less difficult and less time-consuming.

“If you can allow someone to feel comfortable during their round of golf and want to come back and play again, then that’s probably more important than playing in four hours and nine minutes.”

Although golf has opened doors to promote greater inclusiveness in many areas, some doors remain closed. Muirfield, which has been the host venue of the Open Championship 16 times, was in jeopardy of being refused its place on the circuit until it accepted women as members. The club was steadfast in its no-women policy and said it would rather never host the Open again. 

Fraser accompanied Hawtree to a meeting in a section of the Muirfield clubhouse that was reserved exclusively for men. Club members asked “who the hell” she was, saying she didn’t belong there. Hawtree told the members it was important she attended the meeting, and suggested they meet elsewhere.

“Golf has moments like that. That’s part of the history of golf…part of the industry we’re in.”

Fraser said it’s “awful, upsetting and embarrassing,” and speaking up is the only way for golf to continue to evolve.

She noted that even such technological advances as artificial intelligence tend to stereotype women. At a recent presentation she attended, the speaker showed a computer-generated AI image of six individuals on a golf course – four of whom were men dressed in proper golf attire and two women dressed in crop tops and ripped jeans.

“That tells us a lot about how AI and our gender are stereotyped.”

Fraser said she would ultimately like to see a U.S. Women’s Open played at a golf course designed by a woman, constructed by a woman and shaped by a woman and where both the superintendent and head professional are both women.

“But that takes time.”

Fraser said golf courses that hire her services tend to have progressive views and think outside the box.