This past summer, I did my internship at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm in Potomac, Maryland. I'm getting my two-year Turfgrass Management certificate from the University of Maryland, and I'm a student in the Institute of Applied Agriculture’s program. This internship gave me a chance to see what it is really like to work on a golf course. I worked with the maintenance crew and spent a lot of time around the superintendent and assistant superintendents, which gave me the opportunity to learn about many different parts of the golf course maintenance team and what the job is all about.
During my internship, I did a lot of different jobs around the golf course. One of the jobs I enjoyed the most was sodding. I liked seeing the old turf get removed, putting down the new sod, and then watching it start to become established. It was definitely hard work, but it was satisfying to look back and see the finished product. I also enjoyed mowing because I liked seeing how much better the turf looked after it was mowed. It was cool to see how the work we were doing could make such a noticeable difference on the course.
I was also able to learn and help with many other jobs. I changed cups in the morning before play, mowed tees, fairways, approaches, greens, rough, and native areas, rolled greens, aerified, fertilized greens with a rotary spreader, and helped with irrigation. For irrigation, I learned how to use modules to raise irrigation heads and replace couplers and heads when they needed to be replaced. I also learned how to use a donut for watering. Getting experience with all of these different jobs helped me understand how much work goes into maintaining a golf course every day.
One of the most surprising things I saw during my internship was a spray rig accident. A spray rig flipped over while carrying 300 gallons of herbicide, which spread over an area of about 50 feet of rough and killed the turf in the affected area. Luckily, everyone was okay, but it was something I never expected to see during an internship. It showed me how important it is to be careful when working around equipment and chemicals and how quickly an accident can happen.
My internship also made me think more about my future career and goals. My goal is to work my way up in the golf course industry and eventually become a golf course superintendent. One of the biggest things I learned from talking with the superintendent was how much behind-the-scenes work goes into running a golf course. Budgeting, organizing, planning, scheduling, and managing different programs are all important parts of being a superintendent. Before this internship, I knew those responsibilities existed, but I did not realize how much time and effort went into them.
Overall, my internship at TPC Potomac was a one-of-a-kind experience. I do not think I would have been able to experience and learn everything I did at another course. I really enjoyed working with the maintenance crew, superintendent, and assistant superintendents. Everyone I worked with made me feel welcome, and after spending the summer there, it started to feel like a second home. This internship gave me a lot of valuable hands-on experience and made me even more confident that becoming a golf course superintendent is the career I want to pursue.
