Sibling sensations: Jennifer and Taylor Pendrith

Siblings Jennifer and Taylor Pendrith have made a big impression north of the border. Photo by Brent Long

Jennifer Pendrith is a fixture among golf course maintenance professionals in her area. She was a former saxophonist in a high school band and recently started playing the musical instrument again. Along with her brother Taylor Pendrith, an aspiring PGA Tour golfer – who is known for occasionally tinkering with a guitar – they hit the top marks in their industry.

“When I was younger and I was playing in a hockey tournament, I had some time and I would go out and follow her around the golf course. I had a (golf) club and I would hit the ball around while she was working. Nobody out there but me and her. I thought that was pretty cool,” says Taylor, who won his first PGA Tour event in May (the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas). “I really didn’t understand what she was doing at the time. Now I have more respect for what she does. I play great courses every week, and it gives me more respect for the groundskeepers who have to prepare the course, sometimes do things on the fly and keep the members happy.”

Jennifer, a GCSAA Class A superintendent and 23-year club member at Kawartha Golf & Country Club in Peterborough, Ontario, became superintendent at age 28 and has been there for 22 years. A graduate of the University of Guelph in Ontario, she initially studied environmental science, worked at a cemetery, and while studying, spent part of her time at the Toronto Board of Trade Golf Course in Woodbridge, Ontario, where she learned from legendary superintendent Gord Witteveen.

After graduating, she worked for three years as an assistant at the Muskoka Lakes Golf and Country Club in Port Carling, Ontario. There, Jennifer made an impression on GCSAA Class A superintendent Jim Flett, who has been a member of the club for 31 years. “She was conscientious – very good with people. She was also smart, having come from a biology background. She always had a smile on her face and a good attitude. Attitude is so much. It shows your commitment and how much you care,” says Flett, the Ontario

GCSA President in 2017 and Superintendent of the Year 2022. “She’s working on another old (architect) Stanley Thompson course. Some old courses can be challenging and you have to find solutions. She found solutions and made the right decisions.”

Their approach? “Going back to basic cultural practices to get the turf into a healthier state. Basic things have led to huge improvements here, like the green speeds we wanted,” says Jennifer.

Jennifer Pendrith (far right) and her team at the Kawartha Golf & Country Club in Ontario. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Pendrith

Her brother took over her greens in his pre-tour days – as a player and a helping hand. She knew for a long time that he could take his game to new levels. “When he was 10, he could hit a mile,” she says, “and one time he came to Kawartha to bring a kid to work and mowed greens and raked bunkers. He got a taste of what I do. I remember him playing here one time and the members said, ‘Who is that guy?’ He made such a big impression at the club, even at a young age. In fact, our members were key players in helping him get to where he is today. And in 2011, he played the Kawartha Invitational and won it. That was the same year my daughter Brooklyn was born. I was on maternity leave and came to watch him while pushing her in the stroller.”

Taylor says: “It was very special. Everyone there loves her.”

When asked if he ever wanted to follow in her footsteps, he replied: “She gets up so early. I didn’t want that,” he said.

Jennifer and Taylor’s devoted and strong support, her parents Darrel and Jill, were on hand with Jennifer as Taylor competed in his country’s main event, the RBC Canadian Open, held at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Ancaster, Ontario, from May 30 to June 2. Taylor, who was on the Kent State University golf team (which also included professional golfers Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes), finished tied for 21st. It was another solid performance for him, building on the triumph in Texas in his third year on the PGA Tour. “I’m so proud of him. This was his dream,” says Jennifer. “He worked so hard and never gave up and stayed positive, even through (injury) setbacks.”

She’s staying busy in the meantime. Later this year, the club will have a new maintenance facility and locker room for Jennifer’s staff, as well as improvements for her mechanics, such as a lift and grinding room. The club also sold 23 acres of land that contained two holes, so those were rebuilt in 2021. “That was a fun challenge that I hadn’t had before,” she says. Speaking of challenges, Jennifer encountered a big one in 2004, when a flood dumped six inches of rain in a matter of hours, leaving the town underwater, roads impassable and homes damaged. The storm caused course bunkers to collapse, washed away an entire green and half the driveway, as well as collapsing an entire waterway. She handled it in a positive way. “I always believe that something good comes out of even the most difficult times, and this was no exception,” Jennifer says. “It sparked a complete bunker renovation, a redevelopment of our entire waterway, and we implemented a new master plan with many positive changes over the years.”

Although Jennifer and Taylor don’t see each other often and are 18 years apart, they’re never completely strangers when it comes to matters of the heart. “I’ll always be Jen’s brother,” says Taylor, who lives in Florida and finished tied for 16th at the U.S. Open last month. She’s trying to plan a trip with her daughter to visit Taylor in the Sunshine State later this year. In the meantime, she’ll keep getting things done, just like her brother does between the ropes. “The longer I’ve been here (Kawartha), the more I’ve learned to love it,” Jennifer says. “There are no two seasons that are the same. Each one brings new challenges and surprises that keep things exciting.”

Howard Richman is deputy editor of GCM