The Country Club of Landfall’s top golf professional Sara Bush started playing golf with her brothers as a child. The early childhood interest took her from her home province of New Brunswick, Canada, to Macon, Ga., and even to an international tournament in Ireland before landing her a position as the club’s Professional Golf Association (PGA) professional.
While it is uncommon for country clubs to have a female head professional, Bush does not think anyone in the golf community has treated her unfairly due to her gender.
“I haven’t had any challenges a man in my position wouldn’t have,” she said.
Instead, Bush said females often have an advantage in the golfing industry.
“For females, the opportunity is greater than it is for males because it’s not as competitive,” she said. “I think being a female in the golf industry is a tremendous opportunity to help introduce other females to the game.”
By the time Bush was 14, she was competing in junior tournaments in New Brunswick.
An athletic scholarship took Bush to Georgia’s Mercer University, where she was captain of the women’s golf team.
“We did not do great as a team, but we had a great time together,” she said. “I did get to play in some notable tournaments. It allowed me to travel when I wouldn’t have otherwise.”
In 2000, amid Bush’s collegiate golf career, she played for Team Canada in the World University Championships in Coleraine, Ireland.
After two years at Mercer University, Bush transferred to the Golf Academy of America campus in Orlando, Fla., to learn the business side of the golfing industry. She earned an associate’s degree in golf course complex management.
In 2005, the Country Club of Landfall offered Bush a position.
“It is a very large and diverse country club,” she said. “It has allowed me to grow professionally.”
Bush recommends teenagers who are interested in making a career out of golfing start taking the sport seriously in high school.
“For the first two years of high school, it’s great to play a bunch of sports,” she said. “At 16, you’ve got to take a step back and make a decision about which sport you want to take more seriously.”
Bush said high school students who want to play collegiate golf and receive athletic scholarships should be proactive by researching many universities and submitting many applications.
“The scholarship may not be at the school of your choice, but the opportunities are out there,” she said.
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