Machrie internships available in Golf Operations and Championship Course Maintenance
A golden opportunity to get a foot on the golf industry ladder is once again being offered by one of best golf courses in the world.
The remote Machrie Hotel & Golf Links on the Isle of Islay in western Scotland is offering two 3/6-month paid internships for golfing enthusiasts who are keen on a career in either Golf Operations or Championship Course Maintenance.
The lucky duo will have the opportunity to live on a beautiful Scottish island, play on the hotel’s championship 18-hole course and gain invaluable training with practical skills as well as career advice, CV development and interview techniques.
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Following his Championship Course Maintenance Internship last year, Freddie Leigh has since been appointed Golf Assistant at The Machrie and is a fantastic example of how this internship can lead to full-time employment.
He said: “The Machrie’s Golf Manager, Dean Muir, made it his objective to give us all as much experience in as many different areas of agronomy as possible.
“Ranging from course set-up, to hand-cutting greens, changing hole locations, top dressing, aeration, and projects such as turfing. To now be proficient in all of these areas, after just a season at The Machrie, is something that I am very grateful for.
“If you are thinking of applying for the golf internship programme at The Machrie, I would say that I couldn’t recommend it enough! It really is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and one that I am very glad that I applied for myself. ”
The Golf Operations Internship covers everything from marketing initiatives, retail management, running and planning golf days, Trackman use, event planning and administration, as well as training in customer services and health & safety.
Interns will learn the fundamentals of operating a golf academy, retail shop, golf club membership and facilities management and gain hands-on experience of day-to-day service to the golf operation. They will have the opportunity to work with different department heads and attend management meetings, gaining a thorough understanding of the inner workings of a successful golf hotel.
Meanwhile, The Championship Course Maintenance Internship provides participants with full understanding of the impact golf course maintenance operation has on guests’ experience. Interns will become fully competent in general course maintenance, learning how to preserve the perfect grass, general health & safety, and how to carry out risk assessments, as well as pre-planning, sustainability, irrigation systems and correct water usage, and bunker maintenance.
They will also become experts in daily course set-up, including mowing practices and grass heights, green speeds, bunker presentation, correct usage of machinery and tee and hole positions.
While enrolled on the internship programme, students will also have the chance to play casual and competitive golf on the world-renowned course. Designed by Willie Campbell and recently modernised by course architect DJ Russell, it is ranked 75th in the Top 100 best courses in the world by Golf World Magazine.
Interns will also have access to the hotel’s impressive range of golf facilities including a six-hole Par 3 Wee Course, five-bay driving range, golf simulator room, Trackman and short game area.
Applicants are encouraged to sign up here. The deadline for submissions is 12noon on January 31st with internships running April-October of this year.