Heather Davis joined the USGA’s Greenkeeper Apprenticeship Program for the 2024 cohort and is volunteering this week as a member of Pinehurst Resort & Country Club’s U.S. Open maintenance team. A longtime Pinehurst resident, Davis, 46, worked as a teacher before transitioning into her second career.
How did you get interested in golf course maintenance?
I used to teach at a private Christian school and would take on an extra job in the summer. My husband was working at a local golf course and after he suffered an injury, his co-workers half-jokingly said I should take his place. I loved being outside and gardening, and once summer came around, I decided I would give it a try.
Once I started working, I really got into it and kept asking questions about the machines and why they were doing certain things, like aerating. I had played a little bit of golf before taking the job but gained a whole new appreciation for it after seeing it from the maintenance side. I found myself really enjoying it and felt for the first time ever, I love my job.
How did you learn about GAP?
My boss at Knollwood Country Club knew Carson Letot (GAP’s program coordinator). I spoke with Carson on the phone shortly after and I told him I love my job, but don’t feel like I’m adequately trained for it. I also felt limited because I didn’t have an educational background or knowledge about turf. I knew what I was doing and was doing it well, but I needed a boost of time and resources to help move my career forward. He said GAP would be the perfect fit.
What has your experience been like these past several months?
Overall, it’s been amazing. The instructors have been extremely supportive and willing to teach me everything I want to know – and they don’t mind all my questions! It’s intimidating going into a field that you don’t know and I was sometimes feeling like I was struggling to keep up, but the course has helped significantly in understanding the intricacies not just of what we’re doing, but why we’re doing things. We learn a lot during the classroom sessions, but being out on the course has been invaluable.
How has GAP impacted your career aspirations?
It’s made me feel like I can do this. I went from just wanting to give something a shot to understanding how intricately everything works. The program covers golf course design and how that impacts maintenance, as well as the construction of greens and bunkers. There are so many moving parts to what goes on at a golf course that I never knew and would have taken me a long time to learn without the program. GAP has accelerated my knowledge and experience and helped me feel a great deal of pride in the job I’m doing.