I have always enjoyed playing, watching, and learning about golf, so when I heard I could get an internship in the golf industry, I was ecstatic. I worked as a groundskeeper at Beartrap Dunes in Bethany Beach, Delaware. I found out about this job through my brother and some family friends who had worked there in the past. I started working on Tuesday after Memorial Day and ended on August 15th.
I worked 8, forty-hour weeks from Sunday to Thursday, 5 AM-1 PM. My shift would start with a quick meeting in the office where we were assigned our tasks for the day. I started with raking bunkers, which took me through the first half of the day. Then, after I finished my first task, I would go back to the garage and ask my supervisor, Mike Moyer, what I should do next. Mike would always tell me to “take your time with each task we give you because we strive for excellence”. The second task would vary, but I would either fill divots, weed wack, or mow the grass around the clubhouse. My favorite job they would have me do was roll the greens. This job was my favorite because it was the first job in the morning, and it was super satisfying watching my tracks remove the dew from the grass. I also had to learn a stick shift for this task because I had to drag the roller on a trailer, and the only machines that could hold a trailer were stick shift. Some other interesting jobs I got to try were mowing approaches and raking bunkers. Mowing greens was fun because the mower was tall and fast, so I had to be very careful when using it. Raking bunkers was fun too because it was on a sand pro, which is a three-wheeled machine that has a giant rake on the back that you lower and raise with a lever. This job was also really satisfying because it left a nice pattern in the bunker when I would finish it. I learned a lot about the importance of teamwork as well as my communication skills through this job because our grounds crew moved as a unit, doing individual jobs and jobs together.
Although I am not a morning person, this job was a great experience for me because I got to get out early and have a fun start to my day. I recommend this kind of job to anyone, especially those who are into golf, because they have great benefits, including free golf.
