IAA Internship Stories: Christian Brinkerhoff

November 11, 2015

When Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA) student Christian Brinkerhoff decided to study golf course management, he never imagined it would mean chasing alligators. But, chasing alligators off of greens was just one of the many tasks Brinkerhoff did this summer during his internship at the Ford Plantation Golf Club in Savannah, Georgia.

Brinkerhoff’s goal after graduation is to work in the southern United States, so the Georgia golf course provided the needed experience with warm season grasses. While he had expected to learn the basics of golf turf management, Brinkerhoff was pleased to also gain insights into the complex and in-depth decision making processes at the Ford Plantation. He said, “I could not have had a better internship.” His experience made him much more confident in his ability to do the job, and also helped him focus his career.

During the internship, Brinkerhoff increased his turf management, communication, and leadership skills. The golf course superintendent gave Brinkerhoff the opportunity to manage the grounds crew for one week; he did very well and received compliments from multiple supervisors. Although Brinkerhoff enjoyed being in a supervisory position, he admitted that at first he was nervous since the golf course had so much to manage. He received helpful advice along the way that he says he will use throughout his career in golf course management. One of the skills he picked up that he thought was really useful was a unique method to check greens using a knife. “They didn’t use any high tech equipment; they used a serrated knife to check the moisture,” explained Brinkerhoff. “It’s an old technique that I will probably use from now on whenever I need to check greens.”   

Overall, Brinkerhoff had a successful and informative internship where he made many great memories. This opportunity allowed him to gain experience in a different region of the United States, and will certainly open doors for future job opportunities.