A diverse group of professionals connected with the golf industry assembled at the PGA Show in Orlando to share their journeys and discuss the opportunities, challenges, and successes of immigrants in golf.
“I learned how great this country is, working on recovery efforts after Hurricane Katrina and seeing how people come together in times of pain,” said Silvia Serrano, originally from Spain and now Director of Learning and Development at the Country Club of Virginia.
“The immigration process is draining, but it is so worth it for the person immersing herself in the culture and the people in her team learning there are many other ways to do things,” added Serrano, a member of the Club Management Association of America, about her experience with the 850 people in the staff of CC of Virginia, many of them immigrants.
Luis Guerra and his family were part of that immigrant experience among ground crews and clubhouse employees. “My mother worked at a golf club for 20 years as a maintenance worker. And my first real job was as a golf cart guy saving up money for college,” said Guerra, now Director of Field Engagement for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC).
Guerra cited the few data points available about Latinos and immigrants in the golf industry, showing that more than half of the groundskeeping, maintenance, and food and beverage workforce is made up of Latino immigrants. “It took a long time for my family and me to see the golf course as a place to enjoy, not just a place to work,” added Guerra.
Shayain Gustavsp, a Canadian LPGA Pro born in Pakistan, added her perspective. “Growing up, I did not think you could work in golf, I thought you could only play golf because I did not see anybody like us teaching or in the front of the house in a golf course,” said Gustavsp.
“There is a correlation between coming to a new country and trying to get into golf. There is a parallel,” added Coach Shayain, who, among many other projects, has created a YouTube series on affordable golf and how to play golf for $50 or less.
Estela Morales Segarra, co-founder of the Connecticut Latinas Golf Team and founder of AmiGolf Academy, can relate to the experience of coming to a new country and getting into golf. “My first challenge was to learn English, and then I saw the opportunity to become a golf coach,” said Morales Segarra, who learned how to play golf with her father in Mexico.
Now as an LPGA Class A Member and Financial Literacy Coordinator and Facilitator, Morales Segarra is trying to connect her training as an accountant and her coaching to introduce young immigrants to golf.
Morales Segarra, Gustavsp, Guerra, Serrano, and many of the estimated two million workers constitute an essential element of the golf industry. A booming sector in the United States that, in 2024, had 545 million rounds played, 28 million participants (including more than 3 million Hispanics), and the most golf course development since 2011.
To watch the presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A16jJ2pEciA