The list of accolades is endless. The awards seem to need their own room for proper display. And the kind words and praise flow continuously. Yet none of this is why Susan Roll, PGA of Carlsbad Golf Center got into the game, nor is it why she continues to pour her heart and soul into the game she fell in love with so many years ago.
Growing up on a ranch in South Dakota is not the normal breeding ground for a future Golf Professional. For Susan, however, who grew up in a golfing family, she made do with what she had, often driving a stick into the dirt as her target for hitting shots. When her family moved to Nebraska, she began to take the game more seriously, beginning lessons and eventually earning a college golf scholarship and winning All-Conference honors two separate years at the University of Wyoming.
She began working as an Apprentice Head Professional in Wyoming before her big break came in the form of an Assistant Golf Professional job at Rolling Hills Country Club in Golden, CO., just outside Denver.
It was there that she earned her PGA membership and met one of her dearest friends and mentors, LPGA Professional Pat Lange.
She went to work for Lange for several years before being hired by Cobra Golf in Southern California to head up their women’s marketing program.
“I immediately sensed there was something special about her,” said Lange, an LPGA member for over 40 years and a member of the LPGA Hall of Fame.
“She was so eager to learn everything about the industry. She wanted to know about marketing, club fitting, and she was already an excellent teacher, so what more could there be? She always was ready to learn, with boundless energy and enthusiasm.”
In 2003, Susan started working towards owning her own facility, and Carlsbad Golf Center became her own private “diamond in the rough.”
“I have always dreamed of having my own business, and to be in golf which was my first love and my passion and to be able to run a business was just the best thing in the world. My accountant told me he hoped
I knew what I was doing, because it was something new I was stepping into. But that first day I came in and told everyone first off that no one was losing their job, that we were all a team and we were all going to make this work. And then I ripped the ‘discount’ sign off the wall.”
Knowing what areas she could succeed in and what areas to avoid being such a small outfit has really helped Susan and the rest of the team hone in on a perfect niche market where they have wildy succeeded since she purchased the facility back in 2003.
“I knew what I could do well was my love and passion and knowledge for equipment, so I knew I wanted to develop one of the best custom club fitting programs in the area. Now we’re really well known for our custom fitting as well as very highly skilled and knowledgeable staff and friendly people. We like to think of ourselves as the Cheers of golf.”
Ever since purchasing the Carlsbad Golf Center with partner Dana Chaiken, Susan has taken an altruistic business approach, feeling that the best way to help others was to help them help themselves. That mantra came about as Susan grew up in the game and through the influential people in her life who helped her achieve her dreams.
“I knew right away that I loved helping others more than I wanted to help myself playing, so I decided to focus my life and what I could give back around helping others like my mom always did and like Pat Lange always taught me. There’s always enough to go around, and we need to help each other, and we’ll all be better. That’s how I have tried to live my life. My staff here has allowed me the time off to go serve on the PGA committees and do all of the things I do, and I cannot thank them enough. But giving back has always been a way for me to feed my soul if you will, and be a part of something great like we do here at the PGA.”
As Susan has expanded her goals beyond just running a practice facility, she has spent more and more of her time helping the PGA bring more golfers, especially women and juniors, into the game. She serves on the SCPGA Growth of the Game Committee and Women’s Committee, two of her strongest passions.
“I have always dreamed of having more and more women in the game of golf, and getting more juniors involved. I have always loved working with them, and after nine years at Carlsbad Golf Center we have such an unbelievable opportunity to get more people into the game; to bring them here and teach them and get them excited. We all got into the game because someone a long time ago reached out and touched us and got us to fall in love with golf, and now serving on the Growth of the Game committee I get a chance to bring new golfers in and welcome them to the game.”
As one of 80 women golf professionals in the Southern California PGA membership, Susan has also worked tirelessly to expand the playing opportunities for women and to encourage them to become more involved in Section activities and governance.
“With Nikki Gatch (Section Foundation Director and Assistant Executive Director) and Kim Falcone (PGA Professional at La Jolla Country Club), we wanted to figure out a way to get more women involved playing, to make it fun as well as competitive. We started with our Women’s Play Days and expanding the Championship with Callaway Golf as the title sponsor of both, and we can’t thank them enough for their support. I think it’s really cool that this year we had our first ever Women’s Player of the Year.”
Susan shows a passion and love for what she does that is equalled by very few. She sees her time at Carlsbad Golf Center not as a job, but as an opportunity to help people enjoy life more fully.
“When you love something so much, every day when you get up, it’s like you don’t work a day in your life. When I get up and do everything I do, I just love it. I never thought about how long I’d have to work or how busy I’d be or how many hours it would take. I loved where I work and who I work with.”
“Every day I have lived my life to try and be the best at what I was doing. You never think even for a minute that what you’re doing has anything to do with this special moment in time, and I can’t think of anything more spectacular than sitting here talking about this award. For my peers and fellow PGA Professionals that are honoring me in this way, I cannot thank them enough. I never dreamed in my wildest dreams that I would be receiving this award.”
Not only is Susan being honored as the first female Golf Professional of the year in the 51-year history of the award, she’ll also be accepting her PGA National Merchandiser of the Year award in January during the PGA Annual Meeting. These two extraordinary honors will sit alongside her three Section Merchandiser of the Year awards, two San Diego Chapter Merchandiser of the Year awards, Section Horton Smith award and her Section Club Fitter of the Year honor.
Tom Addis III, CEO and Executive Director of the Southern California PGA, has definitely seen some incredible PGA Professionals over the years, but he holds Susan in the highest of regards.
“I think she’s not only one of the greatest Golf Professionals in the country but also one of the greatest entrepenuers. Many of her business ventures are for the betterment of the golf industry and the game, as well as the PGA Golf Professional.”
An old friend, Pat Lange, sums it up best. “She sees the big picture, she’s driven by excellence, she’s selfless by nature and she’s always up for a challenge. Her ability to think outside the box is what makes her so special. Link this with her incredible business savvy and it’s no wonder she’s such a smashing success. She sets the bar high for all of us who are in this industry and who love this game.”
