Golf - Brits Abroad
I
Mike McKenna, now plying his trade in India, reckons there are wonderful opportunities out there for young people in the turfcare industry. He explains; “A solid foundation of education in the British Isles can lead to some great experiences as this trade, this profession, can take you around the world, as I found out by signing up for The Ohio State University TOP program.”
“This program brings close to one hundred turf trainees and interns to America every year, and places them at the country’s top golf courses. There are many programs out there, but this one is by far the best, and I am a true example of that.” Read on ...
The 8th at Scioto Country Club. Mike considers it his second home
first heard of The Ohio State Program when I was eighteen. I had just finished college and was helping out during the summer at my local golf club. I soon realised that greenkeeping was my call
in life; after four weeks I was hooked. After the summer placement was finished, I was offered an apprenticeship and took it without question. Early the following year, I was looking
through a trade magazine when I saw the advertisement for the OSU program. Long story short, I had spoken with Mike O’Keeffe, the head of the program, and everything was going along nicely, until I spoke with a superintendent who told me I would be wasting my time in the States. “Grasses are different over there and you can never apply what you learn back over here.” I was young and foolish and I listened to him. This was the biggest mistake of my life at the time. Fast forward twelve years and I took a
seasonal job at Loch Lomond Golf Club. I had worked at the best courses in the North East of England (where I hail from) and worked on over ten European Tour events, but I wanted more. On arriving at Loch Lomond, I was told my flat mate was American and that he would be arriving, in a few days, from Ohio. Ohio? I'm sure that rings a bell. Seth Rainier arrived at the end of the
week from Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, which is where a young Jack Nicklaus learned to play golf. It has hosted the Ryder Cup, US Open, USPGA, US Senior Open and US Amateur. In the following months, my career was
about to change dramatically. Seth and I would talk turf after work and go through his college work, as he had just finished his degree at OSU. The literature was very advanced and took my interest immediately; I had never looked in depth before into pathogens etc. This went on for a few months, he showed me the Buckeye Turf site (
www.buckeyeturf.osu.edu) and I started listening to podcasts from Prof. Karl Dannenberger. Just before the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, I spoke with David Cole (the course’s superintendent) and he said going to the States would be a great idea. He had done it early in his career and highly recommended it. I spoke with Mike O’Keeffe again, and admitted my mistake. He was patient and understanding of me and guided me through the paperwork necessary and the visa process; an easy exercise with his assistance. Somewhat spookily, my first placement
was at Scioto and I learned a tremendous amount under Course Superintendent, Bob Becker. The crew consisted of eight full time guys, and the rest were summer casuals, mostly OSU turf students, plus a group of Hispanic labourers. We had about twenty-
five guys working in our crew, all from different backgrounds; it was great getting to know them and their personalities. The summer was brutal with high
temperatures and humidity. It took me a month or so, but I got used to it - better than the rain and cold back home. Water management is the key component in this part of the world; too much and you cooked the greens, not enough and they wilted and died. It was a great learning curve, watching how to use water efficiently with a well thought out IPM. One thing you have to understand is the
‘glass half full’ mentality that US superintendents work by, and Bob Becker is a great example of this. He wants to add value to your CV, so he asks you to make a list of “what you want and what you need”. I mentioned that I’d like to do a tournament - any tournament - whilst in the States. Well, he ticked that box for me in style, when he arranged for me to work the entire week at Muirfield Village for the Memorial; a tournament I had watched on TV every year, back at home. There were around seventy greenkeepers
working on the tournament and it was like a who’s who of superintendents from great American courses - Oakmont, Oakhill, Quail Hollow, Merion… Muirfield Village is one of my all time
favourite courses and, to get the chance to work on it, was a dream come true. Superintendent, Paul Latshaw, was first class; his passion for the job oozed out of him. It was another great learning curve. Fourteen on the stimp, wow! I still network with many of the guys I met during that week, That’s what the program can bring you - friends for life. Back at Scioto again, Bob and his assistants spent hour after hour showing and teaching
Mick McKenna - he’s the tall one - with Seth Rainer
PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2015 I 19
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