Eric Spalt (right), pictured with Golf Course Superintendent John Vinson, at Maryland Golf and Country Club.
Maryland weather is unpredictable, so a choosing to enter a weather-dependent career may seem risky. However, for Eric Spalt, a Golf Course Management major at the Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA), experiencing a typical Maryland summer first-hand on a golf course solidified his career choice.
Spalt, a native of Bel Air, Md., always wondered how to take his golf interest and catapult it into a career. Now 21 years old and a second-year student at the IAA, he has turned his dreams into reality. During the summer of 2017, Spalt interned at Maryland Golf and Country Club in Bel Air. He completed the required 320 work hours and gained valuable experience in golf course management.
As an intern, Spalt spent most of his time learning the basic functions of maintaining a golf course: walk-mowing greens, hand-watering playable areas, and raking sand bunkers. Once he mastered the basic practices, Spalt took on more responsibility. He trained new employees, implemented daily work by assigning crewmembers specific jobs, and helped plan future projects. Spalt’s supervisor John Vinson said, “I’ve taken notice of the interest Eric has displayed, and see him doing great things in the future.”
Spalt, in his first experience in the golf course industry, faced many surprising and unexpected events. He learned to always prepare for the unexpected. For example, he had to manage turfgrass in 90-degree weather. He realized how difficult it was to keep turf alive, playable, and looking good all at the same time. Some people say growing and maintaining turf in any form, especially on golf courses and sports fields, is the toughest in the Mid-Atlantic region. With high temperatures, high humidity, and at least a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms every day, even the most seasoned Golf Course Superintendent will worry.
“It's crazy how weather can make or break a workday for the superintendent and the rest of the staff,” Spalt said.
Learning to deal with the quick weather changes gave Spalt a new, proven confidence during his internship. Spalt’s knowledge of turfgrass and the game of golf, combined with his strong work ethic, prompted Vinson to offer him an Assistant Superintendent’s position upon graduation from the IAA in May. Spalt’s ready for the challenge.
