Golf is one of America’s most popular sports and hobbies, but there’s so much more to growing the game than cutting grass and setting tee times.
Essex County Club retail manager and assistant pro Amanda Davis knows this firsthand, and she’s been learning even more about the game she loves since being selected for the PGA LEAD program.
One of 15 golf pros from around the country part of this year’s class, Davis will be immersed in an 18-month program designed by the PGA to mentor the game’s next generation of leaders. There are monthly meetings with guest speakers, and the group presents a project to the National PGA Committee in the summer of 2025.
“While this program is just getting started for me, I’m most excited about expanding my network while also creating a foundation for future section and national board participation,” Davis said.
The LEAD program is a compliment to PGA WORKS, which aims to diversify golf’s work force. The sport is tremendously popular among women, so opening doors for more women to work in the game means a lot.
“I’m incredibly appreciative that this initiative exists. I can see progress and change in the industry even in the 20 years I’ve been a part of it, thanks to the trailblazing women that came before me,” said Davis, pointing out that Essex hired a female co-head pro Jean Walters more than 30 years ago.
In fact, pursuit of a Girl Scout Badge first brought Davis to a golf course in her native Illinois as a kid. There was a portion of the course called Youth Links that was specifically for junior golfers — adults had to be accompanied by a young golfer just to play.
“It was really a remarkable and immersive way to be introduced to the game as so many juniors don’t get the opportunity to get out on the course that young, let alone without an adult,” recalled Davis, who began to see the business side of golf when she caddied at the 2007 US Am Public Links.
She later caddied at the 2007 US Amateur, lighting a fire inside her that working in the golf industry was a real possibility.
Davis studied at Ferris State and Mississippi State in the PGA Golf Management program, which allows students to pursue both a PGA Membership and a college degree. The 16 months of internships that started in her freshman year were incredible experiences as well, she said.
After working at Friar’s Head (in New York), Kauri Cliffs (in New Zealand) and with the Peter Millar and KJUS brands, Davis made her way East. Her husband (then-boyfriend) Jack was looking for head pro jobs around the country and she still remembers her first experience here on the North Shore, travelling with the Peter Millar brand for some business at Myopia.
“I remember sending (Jack) a message from the parking lot of Myopia after spending a half-day on the North Shore telling him I wanted him to get a job up here,” said Davis. Two years later, coincidentally, the couple arrived when Jack was hired as Director of Golf at Essex.
“We think the North Shore has the perfect blend of anything you might want: city, beach, mountains — all within an hour or two drive. The people and community at Essex rival any club in the country. As cliché as it may sound, we regularly talk about how grateful we are to be here and at a Club like Essex.”
That was in 2017; by 2018 Amanda was working at the club, too. She’s now Senior Assistant Professional, and the pair are proud to have fostered a strong, safe environment for women getting into the golf business.
“We’re passionate in recruiting female interns and assistants,” she said. “Both in 2023 and this upcoming season, we’ll have two female PGA Professionals, a female PGA Golf Management intern, and a female graduating senior who is committed to start PGA Golf Management in the fall. Four women on a team is pretty remarkable and one of our greatest accomplishments.”
Davis felt that as a young student learning the business, being one of few females helped her stand out when she applied for internships. The hard time, she says, comes during the transition to high level management and head pro positions.
“Those positions are difficult to get for anyone, but too often we push our young female golf professionals into teaching or merchandising roles too early in their careers,” she noted.
The golf world is a small one: many industries can connect anyone with six degrees of separation, but Davis feels like in golf it’s more like two or three. She truly enjoys the networking aspect of the career and is excited to meet even more folks through the LEAD program.
“Jack and I both know neither of us would’ve had the opportunities and life experiences we’ve had without this industry. We’re really making it our mission to help be the change the industry needs,” Davis said.
