It has been almost two weeks for me at County Louth Golf Club (Baltray) settling in and becoming familiar with the green crew. Just as I'm figuring the lay out of the land, though, I head out for a week to the K Club to volunteer for the Irish Open. The crew at Baltray was kind enough to allow me to leave after such a short time, also understanding of this grand tournament opportunity.

Volunteering with the greenkeepers on a site like the K Club makes every moment a learning opportunity. Plus, being part of a crew who puts a golf course together for tournament play is very satisfying. Watching in person or on a TV you see the work put in and you can say, Hey I did that! So Im excited to see how this week will progress and the experience I will gain along the way.

The superintendent ('course manager' in Ireland), Gerry Byrne, collected me from the hotel and brought me to the maintenance facility. I was dropped off, given my mower, told who I was to follow and before I knew it I was on my first site to mow. You can say I literally hit the ground running.

My jobs for the week are to mow the intermediate rough and the tees for members and visitors. Luckily, I get to start the day on a Toro Sidewinder mowing laps around tees, fairways, bunkers and greens. The afternoon shift is when I have a stretch of the legs walk-mowing tee boxes.

The working hours for tournament preparation may be difficult, but seeing the results of the work put in sure does make it enjoyable. Bringing the golf course condition to tournament quality is important leading up to the weekend of play. I am proud to say I will be a part of the team gearing up the K Club for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open of 2016.