{"id":695550,"date":"2026-05-26T11:21:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T11:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/695550\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T11:21:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T11:21:14","slug":"women-in-turf-participants-stepped-inside-the-ropes-at-australian-womens-classic-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/695550\/","title":{"rendered":"Women in Turf participants stepped inside the ropes at Australian Women\u2019s Classic – News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Selected as part of John Deere\u2019s Women in Turf Program, the participants worked as volunteers alongside the experienced Magenta Shores Golf and Country Club greenkeeping team in preparing the course for the 2026 Australian Women\u2019s Classic, an event broadcast internationally as part of the Ladies European Tour.<\/p>\n

Across a full week of tournament preparation, the group was immersed in the day-to-day demands of championship-standard course presentation, where pressure and precision shaped every task.<\/p>\n

Magenta Shores Course Superintendent, James Newell, said the participants quickly adapted to the intensity of tournament week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe girls had a variety of jobs from mowing green surfaces, tee surfaces and fairways, to raking bunkers and networking with the crew,\u201d Mr Newell said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Women in Turf participants worked alongside the Magenta Shores Golf and Country Club greenkeeping team in preparing for the 2026 Australian Women\u2019s Classic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey really caught up to speed quickly and exceeded expectations. That energy and willingness to learn make a real difference during a week like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Leah Heyward, a qualified greenkeeper from Port Stephens, NSW, the experience reinforced the level of discipline required at the championship level.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything is 100 per cent attention to detail,\u201d Ms Heyward said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to look back at your work and think, \u2018Wow, I did that\u2026 professionals are going to play on a course I helped prepare.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond the technical experience, the program also fostered strong connections between participants, giving them an opportunity to share experiences and build industry networks.<\/p>\n

For Holly Kenyon, a greenkeeper at Te Arai Links in New Zealand and the program\u2019s first international participant, the opportunity to connect with others in the industry was a standout.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve made some great connections and friends with all the girls and we all uplift each other,\u201d Ms Kenyon said.<\/p>\n

The 2026 Women in Turf participants also included Carrol Davey from Toronto Golf Club in NSW, Pania Chadderton from the City of Kwinana in WA, Jorgina Kean from Sun City Country Club in WA, and Sienna Lee from Rich River Golf Club in Moama, NSW.<\/p>\n

John Deere Australia and New Zealand Small Ag and Turf Marketing Manager, Erin Wagstaff, said the John Deere Women in Turf Program was designed to create visible and practical pathways for women working in turf management.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe program gives participants direct exposure to elite tournament preparation, but it also shows women across the industry that there is a place for them in this career,\u201d Ms Wagstaff said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about showing what\u2019s possible. When women can see themselves in these roles, they\u2019re far more likely to pursue them.\u201d<\/p>\n

John Deere Golf and Turf Sales Manager, Corey Clark, also said the program plays an important role in building capability across the industry.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Women in Turf participants undertake tasks including greens preparation for the 2026 Australian Women\u2019s Classic.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main benefits of the Women in Turf Program are to highlight the importance of women in industry and give them exposure to what goes into the job day-to-day,\u201d Mr Clark said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt helps drive their interest and gives them the confidence to take the next step, develop their skill sets and continue building a career in turf.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Newell said programs like Women in Turf were critical to the industry’s future.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very male-dominated industry, and we\u2019d love to see more women being able to get opportunities to step into some of these senior roles,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

As the program continues to grow, its impact will be felt across the industry, with the women returning to their home clubs with new skills, broader perspectives and greater confidence.<\/p>\n

For women looking to start a career in turf or take the next step, Ms Chadderton had this advice:<\/p>\n

\u201cGive it a go. Find your pathway. There are so many different things you can do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n \u00a9 Golf Australia. All rights reserved. \n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Selected as part of John Deere\u2019s Women in Turf Program, the participants worked as volunteers alongside the experienced…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":695551,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[64,63,755,85],"class_list":["post-695550","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695550","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=695550"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/695550\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/695551"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=695550"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=695550"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=695550"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}