02/03/2026
New Zealand Apprentice Greenkeeper to prepare turf at Australian Women’s Classic
Congratulations to Holly Kenyon, Te Arai Links chosen as the John Deere’s Women in Turf Program recipient for New Zealand alongside five other women from Australia.
As a second-year apprentice greenkeeper at Te Arai Links in New Zealand, Holly Kenyon is proud to see more women joining her team and has been quick to encourage others to consider the industry.
For four years, Ms Kenyon has worked across all aspects of course presentation and maintenance, including mowing fairways, tees, surrounds and greens, as well as w**d control and herbicide application, and is now formalising her experience to gain a qualification in Sports Turf Management.
Ms Kenyon said her pride in seeing more women in the industry had been shaped by her own experience in the role.
“When I first started, there was only one other woman in our department for a long time, and she later transferred to the North Course,” Ms Kenyon said.
“That left me as the only female on our South Course team for about eight months, and since then, I’ve encouraged two of my friends to join, so we now have five women across the workplace. It’s been awesome to see.”
Ms Kenyon’s pathway into turf began after a major change in direction. Following high school, she worked in face-to-face sales roles until the COVID outbreak triggered a redundancy causing her to return home and move into an office-based customer service role.
“I knew I wanted something different,” she said.
After stepping away from office work, Ms Kenyon came across a local Facebook advertisement for a greenkeeping position at Te Arai Links, at a time when the course was still being developed.
“The grass for the North Course was still being hydro seeded when I applied,” she said. “I gave it a go and I’ve loved the job ever since.”
In her current role, Ms Kenyon works with a wide range of John Deere equipment including fairway and greens mowers, tractors, sprayers and utility vehicles to support daily maintenance and course presentation.
Ms Kenyon said she was thrilled to be selected for the John Deere Women in Turf Program and is looking forward to learning from other women in the industry.
“I’m super excited to meet the other girls in this line of work and learn new things along the way,” she said.
She is particularly eager to gain exposure to championship-level course preparation, with Te Arai Links set to host the prestigious Asia Pacific Amateur Championship in October 2026, the winner of which receives an invitation to compete at two men’s major championships in 2027, the US Masters at Augusta National and The Open at St Andrews in Scotland.
“My own course is hosting an important event later this year, so seeing how things work in a competition environment will be a really good insight for me,” she said.
While Ms Kenyon does not currently play golf herself, she says that is not unusual among greenkeepers.
“I love preparing the course and seeing it presented at its best, and I’m still open to learning the game one day.”
For the full details on the John Deere Women in Turf Program, and the six recipients view the press release at JohnDeere.co.nz
