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About this blog

Ohio State graduate Peter Braun's 2014 internship at Mount Juliet Golf Club, Co.Kilkenny, Ireland

Entries in this blog

Intern/Volunteer Experience

Hobbiton: Magic in The Shire

New Zealand is home to the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogy movies. Peter Jackson sought out the best place for the movies and decided on New Zealand. He really enjoyed the Alexander sheep farm where he had a vision for The Shire, home of the hobbits, to be built and filmed. What a place it is! The tour took me around the Shire explaining parts of the filming, locating, and tour process. Below is some of the history and information I was told.  Located in Matamata, Hobbiton as it
Intern/Volunteer Experience

TPC Sawgrass Players Championship Volunteer

Being called the 5th major tournament is one thing, but to play and look like one is much harder. TPC Sawgrass Stadium course was very well conditioned making for a fantastic finish. from eventual winner Ricky Fowler. The volunteer program at TPC Sawgrass is only 5 years old, but is so well run that Superintendents come from all over the world to be part of the amazing agronomy team for the tournament.  For the tournament over 70 volunteers came to help from places as close as Georgia

My Final Day at The Hills

My final day of work at The Hills for Brendan Allen is finished. I cleaned out my locker, said good bye to the guys, and am ready for my trip to Auckland through the west coast. Working at The Hills was a pleasure. There is a great bunch of guys on the crew and that only improved the experience for me. The closeness of everyone is really unique to find in such a large crew. That only makes work easier. I wish everyone the best to their future endeavors.    I cannot thank Brendan enough for tak
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

5

Millbrook Resort and Jack's Point

Millbrook Resort is laid out just down the road from The Hills and co-hosted the BMW NZ Open. Today I got a tour of the course from Superintendent James O'Malley. After working in the pro shop he eventually moved to the golf maintenance where he did his apprenticeship. Now he is the Superintendent of 27 holes and 500 acres of property. Millbrook is a large resort club catering to all types of people. To keep the properties and buildings in good condition there are hundreds of employees. Lunches,
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

2

BMW NZ Open: Day 5

The day before the cut day went very smoothly. Morning jobs are finishing quicker and quicker and in the evening nothing broke down. To speed up greens some were double cut in the morning, others just cut and all rolled. Since tomorrow is after the cut over all players are better so greens were cut in the night to get greens a little faster for tomorrow.    For the tournament 4:30 mornings are very dark till about 7 so cutting cups would be very hard. To combat this they are cut the night befo
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

1

Milford Sound: The 8th Wonder of the World

On Saturday Rob and I took a Jucy Cruise bus trip to Milford Sound. Taking us deep into the Fiordland National Park, which is the largest of the 14 national parks in NZ, we saw a unique rain forest only hours away from Queenstown. This is one of the most interesting places in NZ and the world. Hence that some have called it the 8th Wonder of the World.    Milford Sound is a fiord carved out by glaciers making for tall mountains and water some 330m (1082.68ft) deep. The real beauty of the sound
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

2

The Hills Better in Pictures

Two weeks from today the first round of the New Zealand Open will tee off. Here are some pictures of the course prior to the tournament. We have just started cutting fairways to be burnt in over the next two weeks. I will try to take as many pictures of the course just before the start of the tournament with it in the best condition. Enjoy!   Hole #1     Don't or face Sir Michael Hill     Hole #2   Hole #3   Holes 1, 2, 3 Hole #4   Hole #5     Hole #6  
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

1

Cricket World Cup

NZ is co-hosting the Cricket World Cup with neighbor country Australia. Saturday was the opening round of group play and I watched NZ beat by 98 runs Sri Lanka. Being the second most popular sport in the world this event is watched all over the world. Like most Americans the most popular sports world wide are not really known to us. We don't play them and have not taken time to see what sports are out there other than the ones we Americans excel at. Here is a quick break down of the sport cricke
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

2

A Long 2 Weeks

The past two weeks have been crazy. The two month lease ran out and we moved on to our new agreement, but this meant that some perks went like the internet. Finally I have internet again so I can get back to blogging. Lots have gone on at the course and I took a little hike again. Eventually I will hike all over the trails here.   In the time I was away the course has greened up, the weather is getting better, and some final projects are finishing up. Brendan keeps stressing that certain proje
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

1

A Global Experience

The turf world is a global one. You can go all over the world to work on golf courses, athletic fields, landscape services, and much more. I can say that the past seven months have been some of the best in my life. Getting an international experience has been more than the work of a golf course. The golf course does take precedent, but getting a global experience means going out to experience the culture of the country you are in.   Programs like The Ohio Program (TOP) and TurfNet's make it ea
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

1

Taking to the Mountains

A full week of work was tiring, but fun. The cold weather has yet to leave. Days start cold, getting warmer during the days, but not very warm for the high. With the intense sun even on a mild day sun burn is a possibility. The only thing I can compare this to is windy days where it feels cool and in reality is not.    This week tees were completely core aerated, blown off, and topdressed. The process was done over 3 days. An update on the greens: they are coming back nicely. The cold weather
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

1

Going Down Under

Last Monday as I headed home from Ireland I did not know how crazy my next week and a half would be. As great as it was to be home for two days to see family I went to the dentist and had two root canals the next day. A great trip home. Then as I waited for my flight at JFK we boarded for 30 minutes before getting off and waiting another 4.5 hours at the airport for them to tell us that a leaking o-ring fix would be brought in from Newark, NJ and then it was taking too long so we got a new plane
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

2

How Quick Time Flies

It feels just like yesterday that I stepped foot on Irish soil prepared for the journey ahead. That was almost five months ago. I have less than a week left in Ireland and two days left at work. At every new journey I think time will turn just right, but it always goes too fast. My time at Mount Juliet has been great. In this final week I keep remembering my time here.      So far this week I have mowed greens, tees and fairways. I also helped spray greens and mowed some rough with the TurfC
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

1

Out With the Hot, In With the Cold

Some of the hottest weather I have experienced in Ireland occurred these past two weeks, but the course has gotten through it. A change in the weather for the past few days has given the grass a rest from the heat, but there has been problems with the irrigation system causing areas to not get water. Hopefully the problem is found and corrected soon. A trusty irrigation system helps the irrigation tech sleep at night.     Last week I worked on edging some bunkers, worked a bit on the puttin
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

3

Irish Open: Day 7 and Closing Remarks

What a week! I could not have asked for a better week to volunteer for the Irish Open. Great weather, good golf, and amazing people. I will surly miss the tournament and the people. I thank everyone who made this possible. Connor O'Driscoll and Simon O'Hara made it an enjoyable week and are some of the most kept together people I have met. Also, thanks to Aidan O'Hara and Robbie at Mt. Juliet for allowing me to take the time off to experience the wonders of a championship.   Connor, Pat, Mys
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

1

A Ride on the Dunbrody

During the late 1840s Ireland was struck by potato blight causing the potato famine. The Irish were devastated as their main crop was being wiped out and hunger spread all over. Thus emigration to America, Canada, Australia amoung others gave the Irish a chance to start over. To get to these countries the Irish boarded ships bound for the promise land.     The Dunbrody, sailing from New Ross, was one of these ships. Originally built as a cargo ship in Quebec, she started taking passengers
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

1

Holiday Weekend

Yesterday was the celebration of America's Independence, but I had to work and it rained almost all day. I heard back home the weather was great following some crazy storms in the past week. Still a lot of work was finished at Mt. Juliet this past week.    Core aeration and topdressing was done to a couple of tee boxes per hole. This is a necessary cultural practice to remove thatch, improve drainage, and increase air to the roots. At Mt. Juliet we use a Ryan aerator and on the tees a core cul
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

1

Cutting Cups and Picking Pin Placement

Changing cups is one of the most important jobs on a golf course. But why is this?  Wouldn't it be simpler to leave the cup placement the same all year? While it may seem like an easier solution and would free up man hours there is much more to it than that. Changing the pin placement has many benefits including: changing course play, reducing wear, and uses the designers plan.   Course Play: Golfer's Point of View  By changing the hole to a new spot on the green changes the way a course can
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

1

The Day Has Arrived

What a busy weekend I have had. On Sunday I graduated from The Ohio State University along with fellow classmates and fraternity brothers.      Today I woke up bright an early for a flight to Atlanta to meet up with Jon Kiger and a day of tours at East Lake Golf Club and Stone Mountain Golf Club. At East Lake, the course where the great Bobby Jones grew up playing golf, Assistant Jason Tharp met us and gave a tour around. We saw the effects a large tournament can have on a course for months
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

0

A Great Welcome to Ireland

Yesterday I was fortunate to hit the ground running thanks to the itinerary that Jon Kiger put together. We visited three links courses in 9 hours! Immediately after landing we drove to Rush Golf Club to meet course manager Eddie Donlon.   Eddie is very enthusiastic and passionate about the turf industry. Rush Golf Club is the first links course that I have ever seen and what a sight it is. I love how open the links course is and how it has blends of natural and maintained growth to create a q
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

0

Typical Irish Weather

Today I experienced the weather of Ireland, one minute raining and the next sunny.   First, Jon and I did a free tour of the Kilmainham Gaol (Jail). The jail was the first of its time to have prisoners in individual cells and have faith in rehabilitation. It is also the home of many famous people involved in the Easter Rising in 1916.    Interior of the Kilmainham Gaol    Following the tour we traveled to Croke Park, home of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association), which seats 83,000 fans.
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

0

Oldest Two Courses and a Ryder Cup Course

Thursday started off bright and early at 6:30 for a meeting with Trevor Dargan, course superintendent at Woodenbridge Golf Club. Woodenbridge is the second oldest course in Ireland, starting in 1884. Even though there was a steady rain, Trevor gave an exciting and energetic tour of his revamped facilities and eventually showed the course as the rain subsided. Trevor has a crew of six to maintain an 18 hole course, a number which I have seen a trend so far at the courses I have visited with Jon K
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

0

A Day on the Radio

After a great night's stay in the County Louth Golf Club, Jon and I met with course superintendent Paul Malone for a visit. The course is a links style course and is really open with steep, sharp mounds all over. This gives the course great character and makes for an interesting game of golf. Paul said that he has a staff of seven employees that maintain the course at the highest possible level. Before the winter set in the course went under a few changes; some greens were renovated, a few bunke
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

0

Arrival!

A busy two days led to the arrival at Mt. Juliet Golf Club in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny. On Saturday my trusty guide Jon took me to the ancient burial site of Newgrange. The 5,000 year old temple is older than the Great Pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge. The history behind this tomb is rich and can be seen in the intricate artwork of the time on the stone.      That afternoon Dundalk FC and Sligo Rovers were playing for the Setenta Cup finals at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Jon set me up to vol
Peter Braun

Peter Braun

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