Wonder women: Women in Golf 2020

Lorabeth West

Assistant director of agronomy
Hillcrest Country Club, Los Angeles

“I only do the grass, I don’t play golf,” says Lorabeth West, when asked how she got into golf.

She studied genetics at Rutgers University and got bitten by the turf bug after she took a horticulture class as an elective. West switched tracks and earned a degree in plant science, horticulture and turfgrass management.

West decided to move across the country to take a job on the golf course at Los Angeles (Calif.) Country Club. When the opportunity for the assistant director of agronomy opened up across the street at Hillcrest Country Club, she went for it and got it.

She manages a team of 10 on the golf course at Hillcrest. Even after this most unusual of golf seasons, where the golf course has been affected by shutdowns, nearby protests and wildfires, she loves that anything can change at the drop of a hat during the workday. “You always have to be on your toes, and it keeps things exciting. It’s hard to get bored,” she says.

Being a female in the golf industry didn’t really strike West as uncommon until someone pointed it out, she says. “That pushed me to strive and say, ‘Why’s that uncommon? Why can’t we all be a part of this?’”

Learning from other women in the industry at the 2020 Women in Golf event was a great experience, she says, especially the insights from Carol Rau on enhancing your resumé and communicating your ability to lead a team.

For those just starting out in the industry and in the interviewing process, West has another recommendation: “It’s a job that is driven by passion — so you need to find the place that you’re comfortable,” West advises aspiring superintendents. “There’s a lot of different outlets in the industry, from the golf course, fertilizer — all different sides of it. So, you don’t want to find yourself in a spot that you lose your love for it. You have to find where you’re comfortable and where makes you happy.”

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