Spring/Summer Turfgrass Internship/AIT advancement for graduating turfgrass students

The Honors Course is seeking a motivated Turfgrass Management Intern who is looking to gain hands-on experience managing championship-level golf course conditions at one of the premier golf courses in the United States.

This internship provides an opportunity to work alongside an experienced agronomy team while learning the daily practices required to prepare and maintain championship playing conditions. Interns will be actively involved in all aspects of golf course maintenance and turfgrass management, with an emphasis on developing the technical skills and practical knowledge needed for a career as a Golf Course Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent.

Internship Experience

As a Turfgrass Intern at The Honors Course, you will gain experience managing:

• 36 acres of Zeon Zoysiagrass, including fairways, tees and approaches
• 27 acres of Tahoma 31 Bermudagrass
• Multiple additional turfgrass varieties within a 3-acre Turfgrass Research Nursery
• Championship-caliber playing surfaces maintained to exacting standards
• Turfgrass under tournament-preparation conditions daily

Interns will experience the daily decision-making involved in maintaining championship playing conditions, including adjusting cultural practices based on weather, plant health, playability and visual inspection.

Areas of Learning

The internship will provide hands-on exposure to:

• Daily golf course setup and championship preparation
• Mowing and grooming practices
• Fertilizer and plant-growth management
• Herbicide, fungicide and pesticide applications
• Irrigation management and troubleshooting (2022 RainBird two-wire and HDPE irrigation system)
• Turfgrass fertility and plant nutrition
• Soil and water management (USGA Moisture Meters)
• Aerification and other cultural practices (Toro 648, 1298, HydroJect, DryJect)
• Disease, insect and weed identification and management
• Growth-regulator programs using GDD
• Turfgrass research and data collection (alongside UTK)
• Equipment operation and maintenance
• Weather monitoring and agronomic decision-making
• Tournament preparation and recovery
• Record keeping and agronomic planning (Playbooks and GreenKeeper)

Turfgrass Research

The Honors Course maintains a 3-acre Turfgrass Research Nursery, providing interns with exposure to a variety of turfgrass species and cultivars.

Interns will have the opportunity to observe and participate in research projects evaluating turfgrass performance, management practices, fertility programs, plant-growth regulators, pesticides and other agronomic practices.

This provides a unique opportunity to see how research translates into practical management decisions on a championship golf course.

Championship Golf Experience

The Honors Course regularly hosts major USGA amateur championships and maintains playing conditions at a championship level on a daily basis.

Interns will learn what it takes to prepare a golf course for high-level competition while developing an understanding of how agronomic practices change leading up to, during and following a major championship.

The goal is to give interns experience that extends beyond routine golf course maintenance and prepares them for the demands of a career in championship golf course management.

Bilingual Work Environment

The Honors Course provides a bilingual English-Spanish work environment. Interns will work alongside members of the agronomy team who speak Spanish and will have the opportunity to develop practical Spanish-language skills used in the daily workplace.

Learning Spanish in a real-world golf course environment can be an important professional skill for future leaders in the turfgrass industry.

What We Are Looking For

The ideal candidate will:

• Be pursuing or have completed a degree, certificate or coursework in Turfgrass Management, Agronomy, Horticulture or a related field
• Have a strong interest in golf course agronomy
• Be motivated to learn and willing to work outdoors in all weather conditions
• Demonstrate a strong work ethic and attention to detail
• Be willing to perform both routine maintenance and technical agronomic tasks
• Work well as part of a team
• Be willing to learn and accept responsibility
• Have an interest in pursuing a career as an Assistant Golf Course Superintendent or Golf Course Superintendent

Previous golf course experience is beneficial but not required.

What You Will Gain

At the completion of the internship, candidates will have gained practical experience in the management of multiple warm-season turfgrass species, championship golf course preparation, turfgrass research and daily agronomic decision-making.

More importantly, interns will develop the technical knowledge, work habits and leadership skills necessary to pursue a career in golf course management.

This is an opportunity to learn turfgrass management by doing it every day—not simply by observing it.