MULTIPLE FIRSTS FOR AMERICAN STUDENT INTERN AT ROYAL DORNOCH GOLF CLUB

The arrival of a new intern to work at Royal Dornoch Golf Club this summer notched up a number of firsts.

Noah Sparrow, 19, who spent three months at the club, is the first intern from the relationship we have started with Penn State University this year.

Noah joined our golf operations team to gain experience in meet & greet, starting, ranging and also working in a pro shop as part of his degree in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management.  He is working on the PGA Professional Golf Management option of the degree, which helps students prepare for a variety of careers within the golf industry and also meets the standards and accreditation by the Professional Golf Association of America (PGA).

Noah is the Pennsylvania university’s first international placement in more than ten years and the first ever to Scotland.

He has thoroughly enjoyed his time here, as highlighted in his testimonial: “This past summer at Royal Dornoch has been one of the best in my life. Looking back, I have made so many friends with both the staff and the members. All the memories and friends I have made here will last a lifetime, from going to the pubs some nights with the members and my friends and going on a golf trip to Royal St. Georges … my time here has been better than I could have imagined.

“I am so happy and proud to say that I have worked for three months at Royal Dornoch Golf Club and hopefully I will be able to do it again”.

It was a pleasure hosting Noah and we hope his experience will help him in his academic work and also his future career. We certainly hope that this is the first of many interns coming here and that we create a long-lasting relationship.

We are used to offering help and support to young people who are considering a career in golf management. Royal Dornoch is within a short drive from the Dornoch campus of the University of the Highlands and Islands which offers both Professional Golf BA (Hons) and Golf Management BA (Hons) degrees in partnership with the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA).

The UHI golf management team was instrumental in beginning our tie up with Penn State University after I was asked to sit in on a meeting the two organisations were having at the PGA Show in Orlando a couple of years ago.

As Penn State is the main educational institute for professional golf and management in the USA, it has a number of students each year who need experience in the industry as part of their course. It is always looking for clubs to send students to and, with Royal Dornoch being one of the best in the world, it was very keen to have us on board.

We also want to try to send some of our staff and students to Pennsylvania, so will be working on that in the coming months.