Michigan Golf Journal August 2021

In the Michigan world of golf course superintendents, Karen O’Dell is one of a kind – literally. O’Dell is the head superintendent at the Wawashkamo Golf Club on Mackinaw Island, found in the middle of our state’s historic island perched high above the busier main streets along the shoreline. She is believed to be the only female head superintendent in the state. The lifestyle at Wawashkamo is a throw back in time at the circa 1898 golf course where hickory sticks are still used occasionally by patrons, including O’Dell during two annual tournaments. Golf Digest writer Ron Whitten is quoted as saying “Wawashkamo is a timeless piece of history.” The job and the location suit her personality well of a life growing up on a farm, learning the value of hard work and a job well done without much public fanfare. Her entire adult life has been working outdoors, first in the ski lift operations at the former Sylvan Knob (now Treetops) and ever since then in golf course A Super Woman ‘Super’ By Tom Lang Michigan Golf Journal Super Woman