Butler native Anne Hutchinson succeeded in a man's world long ago.

Becoming the only female finalist for GolfWeek Magazine's 2003 Superintendent of the Year Award is a mere bonus.

Hutchinson, 39, grew up on Country Club Road - right next door to Butler Country Club. She worked on the golf course during the summers of 1987 and 1988, between college semesters.

"I did a lot of hands-on labor there, whatever needed done," Hutchinson said. "I became fascinated with golf course work. So much of the job depends on the weather.

"You're never quite doing the same thing day in and day out."

Originally a communications major, Hutchinson struggled to find a job in that field. She returned to Butler Country Club and worked there from 1990-92.

Her field of study soon changed. And after a steady rise to golf course superintendent in Texas, Hutchinson became one of nine nominees nationwide for the Superintendent of the Year Award. She did not win the award.

"There are 23,000 members of the Golf Course Superintendents Association," Hutchinson said. "Only 150 of us are women, but those numbers are getting better."

Hutchinson took the two-year turf management program at Penn State University, then completed an internship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. She was eventually hired as a full-time laborer there.

In 1999, Hutchinson accepted an assistant superintendent's position at Brook Hollow Country Club in Dallas.

She was hired as superintendent of Pinnacle Golf Club in Mabank, Texas, in 2002.

"Because she was trying to make it in a male-dominated industry, Anne had some big hurdles to overcome," said Bob Gegick, Butler Country Club course superintendent. "She had to work twice as hard, be twice as forceful with employees."

Hutchinson admitted she was challenged.

"Some of the members were surprised when I was hired," she said. "They wondered why they were getting a woman.

"Then they began seeing me on the golf course every day and the attitudes started to change," she added.

Hutchinson said previous superintendents at Pinnacle Golf Club stayed in the office and showed up to work only a few hours each day.

The quality of the golf course suffered as a result.

She stands only 5-feet-3, but Hutchinson has taken on the muddiest jobs on the golf course.

"I've seen her in action," said Jean Hutchinson, her sister and a Butler resident. "Anne's not afraid to get dirty. She's really in her element on the job."

She's not afraid to put in long hours on the job, either.

"I'm the first one to arrive at 6 a.m. and the last one to leave," she said. "The last couple of superintendents here didn't show up for work at all some days. They let this place go down the toilet."

Hutchinson saved it by getting a new fairway unit to mow the fairways, laying sod and replacing sand in 52 bunkers.

The club's owners have been hesitant to replace an antiquated irrigation system because Hutchinson keeps fixing it.

"I'm not one to sit in my office and let everyone else do the work," she said.

"She was the most conscientious employee I ever saw," Gegick said. "Anne always made sure she did a good job. Obviously, she's still that way."

Thursday marked her two-year anniversary as Pinnacle Golf Club's superintendent.

The course's golf pro, Chris Jefferson, wrote GolfWeek a letter nominating Hutchinson for the magazine's award based on her work during her first year on the job.

While Hutchinson doesn't plan to retire at Pinnacle Golf Club, she does plan on staying at least two more years to see through more improvements in the course.

"I do the best I can with what I have to work with," she said. "If I can work eight hours a day and go home knowing I earned my money, I'm a happy camper."