Caring for a golf course in a remote part of Western Australia almost single-handedly hasn’t stopped Kasey Williams from embracing her job and the sport.
Running a golf course isn’t easy. Now imagine doing it at just 21 years of age. Kasey Williams is the head course superintendent at Harvey Golf Club, a small country course two hours’ drive south of Perth.
It’s a role traditionally dominated by older men with decades of experience. But alongside just one other staff member, she’s responsible for maintaining the entire course. From sunrise starts to keeping the greens rolling pure, this is Kasey’s story.
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Australian Golf Digest Women: Why did you get into greenkeeping?
Kasey Williams: I pretty much never really knew what I wanted to do. I played hockey for my whole life and then I started working at the hockey club. I was doing all the irrigation of the turf and everything – well, artificial turf – when I was like, 15, 16, at school.
I didn’t really know what I wanted to do. I wanted to get into the sport industry and then a job came up on Facebook at lunchtime at school and it was looking for an apprentice at the golf club. I said to my co-ordinator at school at the time, “Oh, what about this?” And he was like, “Is that even a trade?”
I finished school on a Wednesday, started at the golf club on Monday. So I started my apprenticeship at 16.
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There must be something therapeutic about mowing a fairway.
For me, it’s like you can go to something and leave with it looking better. In the long term, how you can transform something that’s a living organism, really. Industry-wise, it’s just taken me places I never thought you could go.
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Being 21 and female, how do you go with the older boys – the volunteers?
The ‘vollies’ are great. They’ve taken me on like anyone else. It wasn’t going to be easy coming in. Then first few weeks were pretty daunting. I think they’re just happy with younger blood. It can be hard with the generation gap, especially OH&S and everything, but the club’s been really supportive.
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When I think of a greenkeeper, I think of mowing greens, raking bunkers, looking after the ‘retic’. What else do you do?
Everything here.
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Everything?
I can go from mowing to irrigation and a lot of my job’s spraying, disease monitoring, managing and treating, which has been quite challenging, working that out. But also time management, organisation – I’ve been doing a lot of developing of an OH&S program.
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What’s the biggest hurdle between a country course like this to Busselton, where you’re from, which has a lot more staff?
Well, not having as many staff and then the budget also being a lot lower, which has been quite a bit to get used to. In a way, it’s simpler having less of a budget. Then I have to find the balance not to push myself with what we have.Sometimes it’s just stepping back and accepting what we have, but then also striving for better. It’s hard to upgrade equipment and everything. But then not having staff numbers, we need reliable equipment.
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What piece of equipment does this place need? What are you missing?
Our spray unit is our biggest [priority. It’s from] 2000, so it’s 26 years old. It’s had a bloody hard life. When I came here, I was an irrigation and spray technician, but at that point I found out the old superintendent wasn’t coming back, and then we went to a meeting and they appointed me as their superintendent.
It was pretty daunting, but I’ve never been someone that wants to sit around. I hate being bored. I’m definitely not bored here, but I’ve always wanted to chase the next step. Yeah, it was daunting, but everyone just encouraged me.
My old boss, Lance Knox at Busselton, he was like, “You’re doing it.” Obviously, he lost a staff member, but he’d rather see us go and grow. I ring him up all the time with dumb questions.
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Do you ever stop talking or do you actually do some work around here?
Well, I don’t normally have people to talk to! [Laughs]
For more on Kasey’s story and her visit from Ron Chopper, visit youtube.com/watch?v=LSrknkA5LJ4
