Feb. 17, 2004

Michigan State sophomore netminder Rod Tocco had the opportunity of a lifetime during the summer of 2003 as he spent the summer as an intern at the exclusive Bel-Air Golf and Country Club in Los Angeles. The St. Clair Shores, Mich., native shares his experiences and challenges from this summer.

This past summer I interned at Bel-Air Golf and Country Club in Los Angeles, California. The course is located right next to the campus of UCLA and is relatively close to everything Los Angeles is known for. It is approximately 10 minutes from Santa Monica, and the Sunset Strip in downtown Hollywood. It is also about a half-hour North of Manhattan, Venice, and Hermosa beaches.

When I got there, I was considered a second assistant to the Superintendent at the course. The superintendent is Brian Sullivan, a Michigan State Graduate. He is assisted by another Spartan graduate, Nathan Radwick, and also by a graduate of the University of Illinois, David Ahlstrand.

My primary responsibilities were managing portions of the crew throughout the day and water detailing in areas around the course. Bel-Air is a top 100 course in the United States, and I was amazed at everything that went on there in regards to attention to detail. I really wanted to learn the managerial aspect of being a superintendent through this internship, because I have worked on a course for the past six or so years and done all the leg work to step up the latter in pay and respect. This is basically how I became interested in Turf management.

The course was designed by George Thomas and opened in 1927. It is laid out in six individual valleys. The course is totally private and the only way to be able to golf there is to know a member and be willing to be accompanied by a member or assistant pro as you play. There is golf 364 days a year at Bel Air Golf and Country Club.

The former Pro was Eddie Merrins; one of the world's most well known as the trainer of Tiger Woods and many others. It measures 6,482 yards from the tips and is a Par 70 with a USGA ranking of 72.00. Regular members at Bel Air Golf and Country Club include Pete Sampras and Joe Namath - just to name a few. I also saw Sylvester Stallone, Danny DeVito and Joe Pesci over the course of the summer.

While I was there, I opened the shop everyday a half hour early for 6 a.m. starts during the week and 5:30 a.m. starts on weekends. Every morning consisted of a frantic and rigorous run of the course to set it up for the golfers and water anything that needed it. This usually took until just before lunch whereas we would back track through the course to check on all the crews that all had individual tasks to perform. After lunch it was time for attention to details and more watering. Post lunch, the crew worked until 2:30 p.m. but a lot of the time, the assistants and myself were staying until 4 p.m. or later to check everything over and water areas. I sprayed herbicides, fertilizers, and pesticides at least once a week on the greens, which became almost like regular routine to be spraying. I only took about six or so days off all summer and worked as much as I could to learn as much as I could.

As soon as the workday ended, I was running one of three 5-mile layouts through the city, and/or lifting on a weight bench in the back of the Bungalow I was living in. In the evenings, I often took trips around town if I wasn't too tired for dinner or a movie. Occasionally, I would even go with the guys I was living with to Santa Monica or the Sunset Boulevard to see the city.

I like the lifestyle that comes with being a superintendent. It is hectic to keep control of the course at times, and days can be long, but the rewards of having a nationally ranked course are outstanding. Once you are an established Superintendent and have two or so good trained assistants, life become easier and allows you to be a good family oriented man as well, which is important to me.

I am aiming at going to grad school now and possibly teaching Turf Classes at a University in the future, but I hope to eventually end up back on the course, where I enjoyed my high school summers and now my college summers as well.

By Rod Tocco, MSU sophomore goaltender