57 time, and nobody knew what openings there might be. I was thankful that Tom asked me to do some work on the landscape side of a project – I have pretty strong knowledge of plant materials. And people who knew me from my career with Tom asked me to do work for them.” Her career since has been very busy. “I am very proud of the work I have done on golf accessibility for people with disabilities, women, juniors and seniors,” she explains. “It’s not just design; it’s about raising awareness. Most of the renovations I’ve done incorporate those ideas. In 2012, the economy was bad, golf was not in a good place, and some courses were closing. My principle to my clients was that they needed to keep golfers on the course, and that the golfers needed to have fun playing – which means pars and birdies. “In about 2012/13 I was talking to The Nest GC about renovating their two courses, and most of the board of governors were men. I presented to them and described how collegiate golf coaches would have their players play from the most forward tees at least once a week, because it taught them about course management, helped their short games, and enabled them to learn to go low. I explained that this doesn’t apply just to elite golfers, but to all club members. They were able to see the advantages for single-digit handicappers as well as higher ones. In 2015/16, we built sets of tees to create ‘a course within a course’ at 4,051 and 4,002 yards respectively. “I made the tees big enough so that even if elite golfers played these short courses to sharpen their skills and took large divots, there would still be quality turf for everyone else. Too often more-forward tees are too small, because golfers underestimate how many people want to play them. The USGA definition of a female bogey golfer is that she has a handicap of 24 and hits the ball 130 yards plus 20 yards of roll. But the ‘bogey plus’ golfer doesn’t hit the ball as far. When the handicap index limit was 40.4, fully 10 per cent of women were between 39.0 and 40.4. The moreforward tees made golf more fun for these players as well as everyone who could then choose to ‘tee it forward’. “Clients who were willing to have their courses be more inclusive 10 years ago helped set the stage for the increased engagement and participation we see today. Golf is more approachable and fun for more people!” In the end, Bel Jan’s message is one about inclusivity. “I want to mentor other women in the industry – I want them to believe they can be golf architects, but understand how much work it is,” she says. “I want to continue to help golf understand that people with disabilities can be and are golfers, and I want to help golf be environmentally sound.” JAN BEL JAN Bel Jan’s father (second from right), grandfather (centre) and her uncles all worked in the golf club industry Photo: Jan Bel Jan “ I want to mentor other women in the industry – I want them to believe they can be golf architects” Forrest Richardson presenting Bel Jan with a ceremonial gavel following her year as president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects Photo: ASGCA
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