I was literally green with envy when I discovered that my dream of being the only female on a male varsity team was already being lived by another woman.

Last year, Tanya Nestor was the lone woman on the varsity golf team. No, she didn’t win this roster spot through a raffle or sweepstakes. Nestor, who has been playing golf for four years and has worked at three different golf courses, was simply the only female that tried out.

While membership on the golf team certainly isn’t limited to males, women have only been invited to play on the team since last year. The 2002/2003 season marked the pilot year for women’s golf at U of T, but the final decision on extending the membership to women only passed in September. This seriously impaired the coaches’ scouting and team selection process. According to Nestor, “the golf program for women is on a trial basis and if there is not enough participation they will not be able to continue playing”.

Luckily there has been more female interest in the golf team this year. Assistant coach Michael Hunt was pleased to report that they started in the spring with five girls, and have since pared it down to three. Nestor remains on the team, and the rest of the triumvirate includes Meeka Choo and Sara Clark.

This Friday, U of T will enter it’s first ever women’s team of three at the upcoming tournament in Waterloo. Since tournaments are divided into individual and group categories, last year the solo Nestor only competed as an individual. This season, she will be joining her teammates in the group category, and as a team the top two of their three scores will be counted. The trio will be competing against such schools as Western and Guelph, both of which boast two or three teams of female golfers. Each team holds three women.

As enthusiasm for the sport grows and the coaches continue to scout for new female talent at tournaments and intramurals, it seems less and less likely that Nestor will ever again hold the team’s coveted spot of lone female golfer.

The arrival of more talent does not dash Nestor’s dreams, however, nor does it steal any of her glory. In fact, she is excited about the new talent on the team and the prospect of playing with the other girls. Although she admits she had a good time playing and practicing with the boys last year, Nestor seems more enthused about promoting the team for next season.

Assistant Coach Hunt is looking forward to this season and to coaching the women. He notes that despite the new talent, Nestor is “still the best we’ve got.” He’s also hoping that more will be coming soon. “U of T is a big school,” he comments, “there have got to be some more good women golfers out there.”