FEATURE ◗ ANDREA LI
THE GROUNDS CREW AT CONNAUGHT GOLF CLUB IN MEDICINE HAT, ALBERTA.
PHOTO CREDITS: ANDREA LI
Women in Turf How one assistant is getting inspired and connected ◗ I was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta. I am a mom to a beautiful girl, Ruby. My family was raised on good family values with my parents teaching me a strong work ethic, self-discipline and loyalty. The first job I had was working for my Auntie. She owned a water store and as kids we were allowed to help bottle water. We would drive about 1.5 hours outside Calgary to the water plant that was located on a Hutterite Colony and spend a day bottling 500ml, 2L and 4L water bottles. I remember that it wasn’t a job I wanted to do as a living, but it did teach me what hard work was. After I graduated high school, I found myself working at a local greenhouse. I worked in the annual plant section, stocking shelves of fresh plants ready to sell. I knew this is what I wanted to do; be a horticulturist! Well, it was a short, temporary job for that spring, but my curiosity for horticulture work didn’t stop there. I applied for horticulture school and graduated in 2004 with a diploma in Landscape Management from Olds College, AB. I was an onsite horticulturist for a couple of landscaping companies where 18 GreenMaster | www.golfsupers.com
ANDREA LI WAS INSPIRED TO CONNECT WITH WOMEN IN THE TURF INDUSTRY AFTER THE GREEN START ACADEMY LAST YEAR.
I planted the flowers and maintained the gardens throughout the season. I helped plant flower beds all over Calgary, mainly at condo sites. A short time later, in the spring of 2005, my grandma found an ad in the local paper saying that a nearby golf course was hiring for the season. I actually frowned at the idea, but I didn’t want to disappoint
my grandma, so I applied. I went to my interview and I remember being really nervous. I suppose this was because I was out of my element. I sat in front of the superintendent and the assistant superintendent as both asked questions. I was shy and my answers were barely heard; my voice sounded like a mouse squeak. Despite my quiet nature, they hired me. I fell in love with the golf course; it was a beautiful piece of paradise. I put myself through the Winter Turf School at UMass in 2009 and began my new journey into the turf world. I am currently the assistant superintendent at Connaught Golf Club in Medicine Hat, AB. I have now been here for two years. Like most assistants, I take care of the irrigation repairs, train employees, set mower heights, mow turf, fertilize turf, apply pesticides and help the superintendent maintain acres of fine turf for the golf course. After attending the eighth annual Green Start Academy in August last year (2013), my imagination was ignited. I was, once again, the only female in the class. I was humbled that I could be the only female selected for an amazing opportunity to network. With that, I began to think of different