We’re taking over, one first at a time!
Maulana Dotch has been playing golf since she was 12-years-old, learning from her father and almost immediately taking to the sport. In high school, she was a member of the golf team at Irving High in Texas, eventually becoming the only woman on the golf team at Bethune-Cookman University.
Following in the footsteps of Renee Powell, the first black woman to be elected to membership in the PGA of America, Dotch went on to make history. She became a Bethune-Cookman Hall of Fame athlete, a member of the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame, the first Black woman in Texas and second Black woman in America to earn her Class A, PGA Membership. Now she’s done it again, becoming general manager of the Hermann Park Golf Course in Houston, becoming the first Black woman PGA member to serve as GM of a golf facility, Black Enterprise reports.
The PGA is the largest sports organization in the nation, made up of nearly 30,000 golf professionals. The organization released a statement about Dotch’s appointment, saying, “The PGA of America is proud of Maulana Dotch for earning the prestigious leadership position in golf management, while achieving another impressive milestone in her successful career.”
“As a groundbreaking PGA Member, Maulana serves as a role model for women and girls and a source of inspiration for all who aspire to become PGA Members, as well as pursue careers throughout the golf industry,” PGA President Jim Richerson added.
Dotch says she hopes her story helps other girls know that what she reached is possible for them as well.
“This is nothing that’s out of your range,” Dotch said.
Congratulations, Maulana!
Photo Courtesy of Maluana Dotch/Facebook