From the rugby league field to golf courses here and abroad, Kane Stannard’s life and work has revolved around turf. Cafe Reporter chatted with the course superintendent at Bexley Golf Course about greenkeeping, footy and food.
“My greenkeeping career pretty much started off in high school. I was in Year 12 and my brother was in year 10, and he left to become an apprentice greenkeeper at a golf club at Tweed Coolangatta Golf Club up on Tweed Heads. I was a semi-pro rugby league player so I didn’t bother working after I finished school; I was just bouncing around club to club,” Kane admits.
After a footy stint in Wee Waa, aged 20, he returned to play rugby league in Tweed Heads. “I was approached by a man who liked my work ethic and suggested I try greenkeeping. I did a week’s work and absolutely fell in love with it, and understood why my brother always talked about it. I did my four-year apprenticeship at TAFE and got nominated for a Greenkeeper of the Year award.”
Kane didn’t win the award but his career took off, with stints at Royal Pines Resort and Ocean Shores Country Club at Byron Bay Deputy. Love and football saw him leave the greens for the footy field and time in Kingaroy, where he also managed a pub. After that he played for a stint in England but also worked at the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club and The Cottage at Fulham.
“I take a lot of pride in myself and my work, so I embraced the challenge; I moved over there [England] on a one-way ticket. And going to a high-end golf club like that [Royal Wimbledon], with a lot of history, you’ve just got to embrace it and take it all in,” Kane says. The club celebrated its 150th anniversary during his time there, which saw the club host a visit from the Queen’s beefeaters. Another very English experience was dealing with badgers, a protected species, on a regular basis.
“I was loving life over in England. My course superintendent there, Sean Whip, was from Australia, and he hired Aussies to come over and do seasonal work. From his appointment, the standard [of greenkeeping] went up; we Aussies ramped it right up. We were considered one of the best courses in London at the time. You’re not allowed to use as many chemicals in England, so the work is more physical and practical — and that’s what I enjoyed the most.”
Kane returned to Australia during covid and to Sydney, landing a job at The Lakes for nine months. As luck would have it, an old acquaintance worked next door at the Bonnie Doon course, so Kane moved across there for an 18-month stint. But Kane wanted to climb the ladder and so briefly moved to Manly and then to Northbridge. When a role came up at Bexley, Kane applied simply to improve his interviewing prospects but they offered him the job as course superintendent.
“Each course is different and depends on whereabouts you are and the environment. For example, Bonnie Doon and The Lakes were built on sand so it’s very well drained and easily maintained. At Bexley — and I believe Northbridge as well — the soil is mostly shaded with a heavy clay base. This causes the course to hold water and remain wet for long periods, which isn’t ideal as it increases the risk of turf diseases. There’s a lot of variables and it all has to do with Mother Nature. You can be the best golf course in the world but if the conditions aren’t right…,” Kane shrugs.
Away from the golf course, Kane likes to eat out. “I love going to cafes where I can just relax, have a coffee and a nice breakfast. When I finish work here, most of the time I go back to Balmain and bounce around the little cafes on Darling Street. I like some of the restaurants in Balmain too. When it comes to food, when I’m eating out like on a Friday night, I try to go to themed restaurants; it’s all about experiences.” And steak. “I love steak. I try to go to every pub in Balmain — I think we have about 14 — and go to their steak nights and find out who’s got the best.”
Instagram stanazolstannard
