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Parker Stancil: Kerteminde Kin


Parker Stancil

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As some of you may know, in addition to blogging for TurfNet this summer at Portmarnock Golf Club, I did the same last year from Kerteminde, Denmark at a newly opened Nicklaus designed course called Great Northern. Check out that blog here.

My summer at Great Northern last year was much more enjoyable than I had expected. The course provided housing for international greenkeepers who had come to work from several different countries including England, Scotland, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, and more. With 15+ greenkeepers all in one house, I was able to make amazing new friends.

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Jack Sredojevic (left) and Jack Darling

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A bunch of my buds!

After returning to South Carolina in 2018, I had figured the chances of seeing my friends again would be very slim. However, once I was presented this opportunity to work in Portmarnock for 2019, I immediately started planning out a visit to Kerteminde!

My summer plans in Ireland made it slightly difficult to find a good weekend to fly over, because I was doing The Amateur Championship, The Irish Open, seeing The Open Championship, and more. The easiest weekend for me just happened to line up with Kerteminde’s “Harbor Festival”.

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The Harbor Festival gets pretty lively.

I attended the Harbor Party last year with the other GN greenkeepers, and I remember having a great time, so you can bet I was excited to get back!

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Me, Jack Darling and Jack Smilie

Saturday marked the first day of the festivities, and once I met up with my buddies, we ran down to the Harbor early. The whole town was raving with excitement. Kids were jumping off bridges, riding through the harbor on floats, playing games in the streets, and everyone was listening to live music. 

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Cruising on along!

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Some crazy Dane jumping into pretty chilly water.

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Not quite sure what’s going on here, but if they’re having fun.. let ‘em live.

Other than seeing my roomies from last year, I had the pleasure of seeing a few more familiar faces throughout my visit. Some encounters were completely by surprise, so I found it very pleasing to see the shock that came with.

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John Ungermand, the previous Director at Great Northern.

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An outstanding mentor, Aidan O’Hara, the superintendent of Great Northern.

I have found that friendships and relationships you make during your travels are extremely important for broadening your cultural knowledge and all round life experiences. I hope I can see my friends again soon!

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Me and my Kerteminde Kin!

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