Graduate off to greener pastures

26 September 2011

Click for big version

An Otago Polytechnic graduate is off to Melbourne to start his new job as a sports turf manager at one of the most prestigious golf clubs in the world.

Hamish Buckingham, who graduated this year with a National Certificate in Sports Turf Management (Level 4), has been offered the sought after position at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Australia.

“I’m excited about moving to a big city like Melbourne and can’t wait to start work,” says the 19-year old. “I would watch all the top players in the world play on this course and now I will be preparing it for them to play on It’s quite surreal.”

The Royal Melbourne Golf Course has played host to some of the world’s biggest and renowned golf tournaments including the President’s Cup and the Australian Open.

“The Club is the pinnacle of golf in Australia,” says Otago Polytechnic Sports Turf Management Programme Coordinator, Gary Smith.

“Once a year we take our students over to Melbourne to visit some of the most prestige golf clubs in Australia. This provides them with an opportunity to meet some key contacts in the industry and step foot on courses they aspire to work on.”

Sports turf professionals are in high demand throughout New Zealand and internationally for the management and maintenance of golf courses, bowling greens, cricket wickets, rugby, soccer and hockey fields and artificial turf.

“Otago Polytechnic is the only institution that offers the sports turf programme full-time in New Zealand,” says Mr. Smith. “Our students have the unique opportunity to get placement at some of New Zealand’s top sporting venues, which opens up the door to jobs overseas.

Before completing his qualification and moving across the Tasman, Hamish completed work experience at the Alexandra and Wanaka Golf Club in Central Otago.

“Working for six months opened up the opportunity to work in Australia after our turf trip there. All the hard work has been worth it.”

A normal day on the job for Hamish will include mowing the greens and fairways, raking bunkers, general maintenance, fertilizing and spraying.

The golfing enthusiast is setting his heights high for a future working on the greens. “In ten years time I want to be working at the Augusta National Golf Club. You’ve got to be ambitious in this industry!”

Sports Turf Management is a two-year qualification and is on offer at Otago Polytechnic’s Cromwell Campus.

ENDS