TurfNet to Host TOCA Intern in Ireland this Summer
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By Jon Kiger, TurfNet
For the ninth year TurfNet will send a US-based turf student to Europe to work on a golf course, blog for TurfNet, and for the fourth year to represent TOCA as the media intern. Adam Galigher from Horry Georgetown Technical College in Myrtle Beach will spend the summer at historic Portmarnock Golf Club outside of Dublin, Ireland.
This is our first time at Portmarnock and our second time in the immediate Dublin area. It will be an historic summer for Adam and the crew at Portmarnock as they will host the R & A’s Amateur Championship (some refer to it as the British Amateur) in June. The qualifying rounds will also take place at The Island Golf Club in nearby Donabate. The Island Golf Club hosted Marty Richardson – the TurfNet/TOCA intern in 2017.
Galigher, 25 already has a music degree and is from Overland Park, KS. He has several seasons of experience working on a golf course and is roughly halfway through the program at Horry Georgetown. This is our second student from Horry Georgetown – Parker Stancil spent the summer in Denmark at Great Northern Golf.
In addition to serving on the regular crew, helping to host The Amateur Championship, and blogging for TurfNet, Adam has been approved to spend a week in Lahinch in County Clare as a volunteer for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Lahinch Golf Club.
I asked Adam a few questions that will help TOCA members get to know him better….
- What drew you into studying golf course maintenance?
I started working on a golf course about 3 years ago and fell in love with the work. There’s something truly special about being out on a quiet golf course while the sun slowly rises. I decided to go back to school and study turf management when I moved from Kansas to Myrtle Beach to be closer to family. I got a job at Myrtle Beach National and within days the superintendent, an alumnus of the Horry Georgetown program sold me on pursuing turf management as a career. Now that I’ve finished my first semester of the program at HGTC my desire to make a successful career out of working in this industry has only been strengthened.
- What are you looking forward to about Ireland?
The TurfNet internship in Ireland will be my first experience outside the United States. Through my network of friends and great mentors I’ve heard fantastic things about the country. I’m excited to experience true Irish golf links during my stay at Portmarnock. The culture will be much different to anything I’m used to. Whether it will be regular day to day experiences or how golf courses are managed, it will be interesting to see the differences. Enjoying the natural scenery of Ireland will be one of my top pursuits during whatever free time I may have. As an avid hiker I’m looking forward to exploring the area around Portmarnock and other parts of Ireland. It will also be a great experience to develop my communications skills while blogging for TurfNet and representing TOCA.
- Where are you from and what is your background?
I grew up in Overland Park, Kansas. Through grade school my greatest passion was music. Playing the double bass (upright bass) provided me with a very detail-oriented mindset as well as being goal driven. Through much hard work I was able to secure a full scholarship to study music performance at the University of Kansas. My experiences at KU have helped me greatly in finding success in turf management so far.
Adam plans to attend the TOCA meeting in Charlotte as he will already be in town volunteering at Quail Hollow for the Wells Fargo event there. He looks forward to meeting everyone there and representing both TOCA and TurfNet this summer.
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