Abi Crosswood, First Assistant at Newquay Golf Club, reports on her recent internship at Augusta National, where she helped prepare this iconic course for the 2010 Masters
A
fter applying to take part in the Ohio State University
international exchange programme never, in my wildest dreams, did I think I would have got such a perfect placement! It was a real blessing, and a major career milestone, for me to work for six months as an intern at Augusta National, a venue that, in media coverage terms, is probably the number one golf course in the world.
The application process
It was quite a long application process. I decided I wanted to work in America back in March 2009, and it was six months later, around September time, that I found out I was actually going. After my CV had been
‘tweaked’ by Pitchcare columnist Frank Newberry, it was sent to Mike O’Keeffe who has run the OSU international exchange programme for a number of years. Mike then sent my CV to a number of golf clubs in the ‘top 100’ in the USA. Once an internship at the Augusta National became a possibility, the selection process began in earnest. My next step was to write a personal description and complete a number of other forms. This was the ‘paper sift’ to decide on suitable candidates for interview. Once I was through this phase of the selection the
Augusta people spoke to my employer, the Course Manager at Newquay Golf Club.
Fantastic news
After having some initial discussions with my Course Manager, the First Assistant and the Administrator at Augusta National interviewed me by
telephone. It was during the next week that I was told the fantastic news that I had earned a place on the greens team at Augusta National! However, it was not all done and dusted at this point. Augusta National had to run background checks on me and I had to sort out a number of formalities, such as my visa application. Only then was I all set for my adventure to the United States. In October 2009 I would start my six months internship.
A very daunting prospect
This was going to be such a big move for me. I had never been away from home before. I have only ever had the one proper job, working at the same golf club since I was 16 years old. Now, that same employer had permitted me to go on a six month sabbatical to America.
I had many apprehensions at first. I had no idea what to expect and it seemed like a very daunting prospect to just ‘up and leave’. I particularly did not want to let my employer down.
A great experience and an excellent introduction
On arrival into America I met Mike O’Keeffe in Columbus, Ohio for an orientation session, at which he briefed me fully on what to expect on my trip. I was also told about the short course training, and an educational weekend, organised by Mike and his team, which I was to
attend later on in my internship at Hilton Head in South Carolina. I found the course very enlightening, it was a great experience for me and an excellent introduction to the way greenkeeping is done in America.
It was also a good opportunity to mix with other greenkeepers of my age and to learn about their work issues and experiences. Although we were not together long, I still keep in touch with a lot of the people who were on the Hilton Head course.
Is this really happening?
After leaving Columbus Ohio, I got a flight to Augusta where lots of thoughts were running through my mind as to what to expect. As it happened everyone was very welcoming. As soon as I landed, an employee of the Augusta National picked me up from the airport and helped me settle into my new accommodation. I will always remember being driven through the gates and thinking ‘Is this really happening?’ After only a couple of weeks of settling into my internship I was given my main duties. I was scheduled to do a task known as ‘Greens Care’. Basically, this meant caring for two allocated greens on a regular basis and setting them up before morning play.
This usually involved mowing the greens and then raking the greenside bunkers. Following this, with any extra time, I would repair pitch marks, dust ball marks and pick any poa annua.
When raking the bunkers I would also take the time to pick any weeds, check sand depths and
remove any debris from the bunker and surrounding areas. Generally, if I was not scheduled for a greens care task in the mornings, then I would be doing spray applications instead.
An extra effort to improve the holes assigned to me
After the morning tasks were completed I would normally be assigned to ‘Hole Care’. This involved taking responsibility for the general maintenance of two holes, and then putting in an extra effort to improve the two holes assigned to me, these were holes 1 and 9.
Each green was ‘looked after’ by whoever was allocated that green under the ‘Greens Care’ system, and the large areas - such as the fairways and the large strips of second cut - were cut by a team of people on ride-on mowers. Everything else was my responsibility. For example, if I thought it would improve turf quality to mow any parts of these large areas using pedestrian methods, I could decide to complete the task personally and take it upon myself to rope off specific areas.
The main mowing duties on my allocated holes involved using a pedestrian rotary mower to finish the second cut areas, in and around the trees, and the grass areas around the bunker fingers to blend in with the fairway. This work was necessary because the ride-on mowers cannot adequately reach into these areas.
Once I was satisfied that these areas were in an acceptable condition, I was left to tackle other issues that I thought might benefit the
Crosswood’s Crossover ...
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