Siblings Jennifer and Taylor Pendrith have made quite an impact north of the border. Photo by Brent Long
Jennifer Pendrith is a staple among golf course superintendents in her region. A former high school band saxophonist, recently she started playing the musical instrument again. Add her on-the-rise PGA Tour golfer brother, Taylor Pendrith — who has
been known to tinker with a guitar on occasion — and they are hitting the high notes in their industry.
“When I was younger and playing in a hockey tournament, I had some time and went out and followed her around the golf course. I had a (golf) club, whacked the ball around while she was working. Nobody out there but me and her. I thought it 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 did back then. Now I have more respect for what she does. I play great
courses every week, and it has given me a greater respect for superintendents to get the course ready, sometimes having to do things on the fly, and make members happy.”
Jennifer, a GCSAA Class A superintendent and 23-year association member at Kawartha Golf & Country Club in Peterborough, Ontario, became a superintendent at age 28 and has been there for 22 years. A graduate of the University of Guelph in Ontario,
she initially pursued environmental studies, worked in a cemetery and spent some of her time during college at the Toronto Board of Trade Golf Course in Woodbridge, Ontario, learning from legendary superintendent Gord Witteveen.
After graduation, she spent three years as an assistant at Muskoka Lakes Golf and Country Club in Port Carling, Ontario. Jennifer made an impression there on GCSAA Class A superintendent Jim Flett, a 31-year association member. “She was meticulous
— very good with people. She was smart, too, having a biology background. She always had a smile and a good attitude. Attitude is so much. It shows your dedication and how much you care,” says Flett, the Ontario
GCSA’s president in 2017 and superintendent of the year in 2022. “She’s working at another old (architect) Stanley Thompson course. Some old courses can be challenging, and you’ve got to find solutions. She’s found solutions,
made the right decisions.”
Her way of doing things? “Back to basic cultural practices, getting turf in a healthier state. Basic things have made a huge improvement here, like getting green speeds the way we wanted,” Jennifer says.
Jennifer Pendrith (far right) and her team at Kawartha Golf & Country Club in Ontario. Photo courtesy of Jennifer Pendrith
Her brother took on her greens in his pre-Tour days — as a player and a helping hand. She knew long ago he had the ability to elevate his game to another level. “When he was 10, he could hit it a mile,” she says, “and one time
he came to Kawartha for bring-a-kid-to-work day and mowed greens and raked bunkers. He got a taste of what I do. I remember him playing out here once, and the members said, ‘Who is this guy?’ He made such an 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 out
to watch him while pushing her in a stroller.”
Taylor says, “That was pretty special. Everybody loves her there.”
Asked if he ever considered following in her footsteps, well … “She’s up so early. That’s something I did not want to do,” he says.
Jennifer and Taylor’s devoted and strong support system, parents Darrel and Jill, were on the scene with Jennifer when Taylor played in his country’s main event May 30-June 2, The RBC Canadian Open, which was held at Hamilton Golf & Country
Club in Ancaster, Ontario. Taylor, who was on the golf team in college at Kent State University (which included pro golfers Corey Conners and Mackenzie Hughes) tied for 21st. It was another solid effort for him, building on the triumph in Texas during
this his third year on the PGA Tour. “I’m so proud of him. This was his dream,” Jennifer says. “He’s worked so hard and never gave up and stayed positive, even through (injuries) setbacks.”
She, meanwhile, is staying busy. Later this year, the club will have a new maintenance facility and locker room for Jennifer’s staff plus improvements for her mechanics, such as a hoist and grinding room. Also, the club sold 23 acres of land that
included two holes, so they 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 6 inches of rain in only a few hours,
leaving the city underwater, streets impassable and homes damaged. The storm led to collapsed course bunkers, washed out an entire green and washed away half of the driveway entrance, plus it collapsed an entire waterway. She managed it in a positive
manner. “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 remediation of our entire waterway, and we implemented
a new master plan with many positive changes over the years.”
Though Jennifer and Taylor don’t see each other often and are separated by 18 years, they’re never far apart when it comes to the heart. “I’ll always be Jen’s brother,” says Taylor, who lives in Florida, and last month
tied for 16th in the U.S. Open. She is trying to plan a trip with her daughter to visit Taylor later this year in the Sunshine State. In the meantime, she’ll continue to get things done just like her brother is between the ropes. “The
longer I was here (Kawartha), the more I have come to love it,” Jennifer says. “There are never two seasons alike. Each one brings new challenges and surprises that keep things exciting.”
Howard Richman is GCM's associate editor