By Steve Eubanks, Contributor, Golf Business Magazine:
Summer help is one thing. Internships with bright, motivated college students who might want to pursue a career in the golf industry are something else entirely. In an era when good help is harder to find than ever, establishing an internship program to attract and train good young people could be a boon to your club.
Just look at one of the best in the world. This year, Medinah Country Club outside Chicago has 24 interns from as far away as Wales, Spain, England, Ireland and states all over the U.S. It’s an annual thing the club has run for three years now where interns spend either three or six months working under the tutelage of Medinah Director of Golf Marty DeAngelo.
“Interning at Medinah Country Club has been an amazing experience,” said James Lentino, who graduates from Clemson University this coming December. Lentino hopes to pursue a career in the golf industry after he leaves school.
After the summer, he will have more than four years’ worth of education in the industry. Medinah oversees more than 400 rounds of golf a day with 225 golf carts, along with tournament operations and a learning center that is hopping all summer long.
A mom-and-pop municipal course might not provide the same learning environment, but that doesn’t mean an internship is out of the question. Every college has a placement department these days. Finding the right candidate for a summer is often as easy as a couple of calls.
“There is no place like it,” Lentino said of his summer in Chicago, where he and the other Medinah interns stayed together at the Eaglewood Resort & Spa, a 15-minute walk from the golf shop and close enough to the train to enjoy the sights and sounds of the city. “Between the history and resources available to you, no matter what you are interested in, Medinah has it for you, and the professional staff has your back at every corner.”