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The concept of apprenticeship is an ancient one. We see records from Babylon requiring artisans to pass on their expertise, and craftsmen in parts of the Roman Empire organized into formal groups to ensure standards within their trades. While many industries have transitioned to very different training strategies since then, some still require an apprenticeship as an entry ticket into the field.

In the golf course maintenance industry, we see limited evidence of organized apprenticeship-style training until the mid-1950s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the traditional route for golf course maintenance education beyond learning on the job is through post-secondary institutions that lean on coursework with supplemental experience via internships. Some programs and outlets, however, have begun testing the waters with an apprenticeship-style offering, which has fundamental differences from an internship that we will discuss below. Since 2023, the USGA has been working with golf courses and colleges to offer the Greenkeeper Apprenticeship Program (GAP) to individuals looking to begin or advance their careers in golf course maintenance. We’ve learned a lot about training and mentoring in that time and wanted to share some of those lessons along with the basics of how apprenticeship programs work.

Apprenticeship Structure

Apprenticeships vary by industry and location. Typically, programs are broken into certificate levels that help the prospective apprentice advance their career. In the case of GAP, graduating students are awarded a Journeyworker Card signifying that they have completed the formal apprenticeship training. Regardless of program length or concluding credential, apprenticeship structures are consistent: On-the-job training is the foundation, and classroom-based education supplements learning outcomes.

In GAP, we teach the scientific theories behind the processes involved in golf course maintenance, but an emphasis is placed on providing more time for participants to be learning at work versus in the classroom. Vocational education has always been anchored in the philosophy of “learning by doing” and we aim to strike a balance between learning on the job and preparing the apprentices for any tests needed for licensure, like becoming a certified pesticide applicator. GAP requires 240 hours of classroom training that complements 2,000 hours of On-The-Job training.

Best Practices in Mentoring an Apprentice

Many in the golf maintenance industry are familiar with how internships work, but an apprentice is not an intern. An apprentice completes a large amount of fieldwork with supplemental coursework, while an intern typically supplements a large amount of coursework with some fieldwork. An apprentice will be a fixture on the maintenance staff rather than a visitor. Apprentices are running a marathon; interns are running a sprint. Both require a customized training plan that fits their learning style and requirements from their academic institution, but the length of time to complete the plan and pace at which they progress may vary. Through observations and monitoring data collected in the first few years of GAP, we’ve assembled a few best practices that may help with hosting an apprentice at your course.

Create opportunities at work for apprentices to explain and apply what they’ve learned in class.
In our first two cohorts, we saw – on average – a 40% increase in understanding in areas ranging from pathology to plant physiology based on test scores at the start and end of the program. Providing regular opportunities for apprentices to apply that increased understanding is necessary. We see this successfully implemented when superintendents and mentors regularly task apprentices with explaining the agronomic concepts behind the projects and maintenance practices they complete. Asking for the “why” allows you to confirm that the apprentice understands or gives you a chance to correct any misconceptions.

Provide regular opportunities for apprentices to observe product applications, talk to industry representatives visiting the course, and make applications themselves.
We observed a high degree of growth in apprentice understanding and ability to perform product applications when mentors provided regular opportunities for them to observe the applications, talk to industry representatives visiting the course, and make applications themselves. Starting with a lower-stakes application like a wetting agent or an organic fertilizer makes it easier to give the apprentice autonomy over the application with minimal risk. You can then challenge them to observe the results and develop questions to ask a spray technician, superintendent and/or industry representative before moving on to more challenging applications.

Connect new tasks with previously completed ones.
Our program mentors observed an increased ability of their apprentices to take on a new task if it required techniques similar to previous tasks they were trained to perform. This makes sense, and it highlights the importance of building on skills as they are developed. Regularly assigning new tasks and reflecting on training outcomes plays a vital role in apprentice success. After providing apprentices with a new task, mentors should ask them upon completion to reflect about what it took to achieve success and how this new task relates to a previously completed task. This helps the apprentice identify common skillsets that they can refine and deliver to the next apprentice when it’s their turn to lead the training.

These best practices are intuitive and not necessarily groundbreaking, but the perspective of long-term training is key. It’s easy to throw a lot at an intern who will be devoting time to an intensive three- to six-month stint. It is a different thing to devote the required attention to someone who will be completing a long-term apprenticeship and possibly working for many years at the same course. Eighty-five percent of GAP graduates are still working in the golf course maintenance industry – many of them at the same course where they did their apprenticeship – and just under 50% have received promotions. This means that these individuals stick around, and not only need continuous development, but nearly half the time require training in a new position. Learning leads to more learning!

Conclusion

Apprenticeships are undergoing a renaissance in the golf course maintenance industry – particularly in the U.S. Across the country, apprenticeship programs are popping up in all shapes and sizes, and whether you’ve hosted an apprentice before or are considering it for the first time, we recommend reaching out to the USGA Green Section as well as the land grant universities and community college institutions in your area for more information on current programs and the potential to start new ones.

The next GAP cohorts begin in early 2026 with applications currently being accepted for the Pinehurst (Sandhills Community College) and Myrtle Beach (Horry-Georgetown Technical College) locations. Applicants from across the United States and internationally are welcome. Just this past year our programs in the Carolinas hosted students from Scotland and Ireland. Housing assistance is also available. International applicants are encouraged to apply early as there is a process for Visa application.