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Meet Will Bolin, 22, and Alex Loesch, 19, who recently arrived at PGA WEST® in La Quinta, California after completing the quintessential coast-to-coast American road trip—but with a twist. This year, the two are participating in “Turf Across America,” a phenomenal, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for up-and-coming golf course maintenance professionals. The internship program involves working for six months in two unique locations (New Jersey and California), each focusing on exposing participants to a wide array of turfgrass experiences.
Prior to the roughly 3,000 mile road trip, which included stopping at six renowned golf clubs and Golf Course Industry headquarters for a podcast with Guy Cipriano, Will and Alex completed their summer/early fall intern training at Union League National Golf Club in Swainton, New Jersey. The winter/spring phase of the internship is taking place at PGA WEST where Bowen, who hails from Texas, and Loesch, a New Jersey native, will have an opportunity to work on PGA WEST golf courses and experience the behind-the-scenes preparation for The American Express™ golf tournament set for January 15-21, 2024.
The ”Turf Across America” initiative is the brainchild of Scott Bordner, director of agronomy at the Union League National Golf Club and Bryan Stromme, vice president of agronomy at Century Golf Partners; both previously worked in the Chicago area. Also integral to the program: Patrick Haughey, superintendent at Union League, Tyler Bloom Consulting who handles program recruiting, PGA WEST Director of Agronomy Brian Sullivan, head superintendents and many other team members at both golf facilities.
“We’re really excited to offer this inaugural “Turf Across America” initiative to young professionals interested in making golf course agronomy a career,” Stromme says. “Will and Alex are enthusiastic, hard-working, and training with the best in business. And, they’re building a valuable network of mentors and peers that will broaden future opportunities.”
When I came across this ‘Turf Across America’ program, I instantly knew that I wanted to do it,” Will says. “At PGA WEST, I’m hoping to continue to build on what I have already learned and to learn more every day.”
“This opportunity to learn about turf has been super exciting,” Alex says. “Driving across the country and seeing top golf courses and how they operate has been so interesting because every course we’ve visited has different methods of working with the crew or working on the turf.”
Click “Turf Across America” golf agronomy internship program for complete details about the program and to apply.
Access the Golf Course Industry podcast featuring Will and Alex and the Turf Across America program on the Golf Course Industry website.