Ben Payne, last year's top student at Otago Polytechnic's
sports turf management course, based at Cromwell, has been
offered a job at one of Australia's leading golf courses.
Photo by Colin Williscroft
Being the top student in his class last year has landed
Ben Payne a job at one of Australia's most prestigious golf
courses.
Mr Payne, of Cromwell, topped his class at Otago
Polytechnic's sports turf management course in Cromwell and,
in a few weeks, will begin a job at Melbourne's Metropolitan
Golf Club, whose course is ranked in the top 10 courses in
Australia.
He visited the course last year as part of a class trip to
Melbourne to look at stadiums, golf courses and the
Flemington racecourse.
While at Metropolitan, a private members club, he dropped off
his CV.
"Of all the courses we visited, it was the one I liked the
most."
Rather than employ young people and have them just do one
job, the course superintendent likes to give his employees a
range of tasks to help them develop different skills.
That meant he would be doing everything from mowing to pest
control, irrigation to course development.
Since finishing his National Certificate in Sports Turf
Management last year, Mr Payne has been one of two
greenkeepers at Cromwell golf course over the summer.
At Metropolitan, he will be one of 19.
"It's going to be a big change - but what a great
opportunity.
"I'm going to take it with two hands."
As top student in his class last year, he has been given the
opportunity to attend the Australian Turfgrass Conference, in
Adelaide, in June, something he is not going to miss out on
because of his new job.
"I've already asked and the club backs the idea.
"They like staff developing."
He wants to be a golf course superintendent by the age of 30.
"I'm not sure where and I'll have to knuckle down and work
hard."
Gary Smith, the polytechnic's sports turf management
programme manager, is not surprised his former pupil has
landed the job he has.
"Ben set the standard for two years.
"He helped lift the other guys around him."
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