turf management

Turf Management

Interning at Westfield Group Country Club

My Job in A Nutshell… As a Turf Management intern, my

responsibility was to utilize my talent and energy towards learning and improving both the North and South golf courses.

Here, a valve sprung a huge leak right before a big outing. We had to adjust in order to fix the leak before the shotgun went off.

A Normal DayI don’t think there is a typical day here on the Greens Staff. There’s always a well thought-out plan, that something throws a wrench into. I learned to adapt and roll with the punches, because of this.

Some Things I Learned

Horticulture

I learned how to properly fertilize, deadhead, and care for an assortment of flowers (it’s not as easy as you think).

Topdressing The task of spreading sand/soil mix across the turf in order to achieve a smoother and firmer playing surface.

Rake BunkersWhether it be hand raking, using a sand pro, or raking bunker edges; I learned it.

Moisture MeterWe use a device called a moisture meter to determine moisture levels in greens, collars, and approaches. This helps determine if and how much we need to water to maintain good levels.

Hand wateringGreens must be hand watered on hot/dry days when they lose their moisture. Someone hand watering must understand how to read moisture levels, hot spots on greens, and proper technique.

Typical LandscapingMulching, trimming trees/hedges, weeding, pruning trees, pond care, cutting lilies, plant classification, etc.

Buffalo BlowingWe use big blowers to blow off debris after mowing fairways, mowing rough, or even a hard rain. We also blow off debris before we spray certain chemicals.

Gator BagsGator bags are used to continuously water trees. We put them around young and struggling trees and then fill them with water.

Roll GreensWe roll greens after mowing them in order to increase green speed.

Cutting and Laying SodA sod cutter is used to cut sod pieces out of the nursery and transfer them to places in the course that need them. Laying sod is a process that needs to be done with care in order to give the sod a good chance to survive.

Mowing Operations and PatternsDifferent mowers are used for different turf. Every day the patterns and directions change. In this picture, I mowed the targets and chip green in a straight direction with clockwise clean up.

My Contribution and End Notes I think I contributed 100% effort towards

completing every task I was assigned in a timely and (mostly) successful manner.

I hope I also brought some fun and maybe a few laughs to work this summer.

My favorite event was the staff golf outing, but every day at work was enjoyable.

I had the experience of a lifetime, learned a ton, and made some great friends along the way; so thank you Westfield!