Matthew Miller has always loved the game of golf and being able to work outside with his hands. With these passions, he is working to complete his certificate in Golf Course Management within the Institute of Applied Agriculture, now finishing his second year of coursework. This past Summer, Miller completed an internship at Oakmont Country Club in Pittsburgh, PA. He started working in late May and finished out in late August just in time for the fall semester to begin. Working 45 to 65 hours per week, Miller was able to use the knowledge that he’d gained from his Institute courses to assist on the turfgrass maintenance team.
On the job, his responsibilities included mowing, applying chemicals, and applying fertilizers. These daily tasks were assigned by the superintendent of the golf course, most often by word of mouth. If the superintendent was not present, duties for the day were assigned by a displayed whiteboard. At the end of each day, Miller was expected to clean the equipment that was used and then set it up for the next morning. One task that was especially exciting to Miller was getting the chance to aerify the entire green premises. This task had to be completed by the entire maintenance team working together over three days.
Miller feels very honored to have had the great opportunity to work under such a well-represented and praised golf course. Though Miller has worked for other golf courses in the past taking on similar maintenance tasks, he feels that he has gained more knowledge on managing a larger scale and larger budgeted golf course while working at Oakmont. He now understands the expectations of a golf course that has a greater reputation. Miller expressed, “the job was very strenuous but I would always feel accomplished at the end of each day and proud of the improvements made on the course.” Miller is excited to take what he has learned from Oakmont and work with other golf courses in the future.
