If you have been following the enhancements that I have been initiating within the Golf Course Turfgrass Management Program (aka, The 2-Year Program), then you know that the enhancement of the 6-month internship program has been a top priority. Students now complete an “Internship Preparation” class which helps prepare them for all aspects of the internship including selecting the right golf course, preparing the application, improving their interviewing skills, developing their summer goals and objectives, and various other aspects. In addition to this class, I have also made it a priority to visit each student mid-way through the internship to assess their performance and refocus their efforts for the second half of the season.

This year’s visits started last week with a trip to visit David Serra during his internship at WINSTONgolf in Germany. David is native to Spain and decided to conduct his internship in Germany for many reasons including his ability to speak German as well as his desire to ultimate work in Europe following graduation from the program.

At WINSTONgolf, David is working hard to prepare the Links Course for its grand opening in early July. The WINSTONlinks course was designated by Golf Magazin as the Best New Golf Course in Germany for 2011. The course was particularly interesting to me because it was established tee to green with a blend of find leaf fescue.While there, David has been an integral member of the WINSTONgolf maintenance team and is making great progress towards a successful career as a golf course superintendent.

View a map of the 2011 internship locations.

View photos from the visit to WINSTONgolf below.