Nathan Wattier expected to be disappointed.
Instead, he was thrilled when he opened the email response from TPC Sawgrass regarding his volunteer application to be a part of the grounds staff for the 2017 Players Championship.
“We are happy to welcome you,” the correspondence started. That was all the eager 20-year-old needed to hear. He finished his seasonal internship at Millbrook Golf Resort in Queenstown, New Zealand, and made plans for a 16-hour flight to Florida, hoping it would be another step toward his dream of working full-time in the golf course management industry.
A native of Paris who grew up in the French Alps, on the border between France and Switzerland, Wattier is one of 80 volunteers who made their way to Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., this week to help Jeff Plotts, director of agronomy and golf course operations, and the team there prepare TPC Sawgrass for the 2017 Players Championship.
The volunteers have come from 14 different countries and they have swelled the work force to 150 for the week. Wattier’s duties include mowing on holes 11, 14 and 17. But he is hungry for more.
“I was hoping to get a college scholarship and play golf in the U.S.,” said Wattier, whose father is a good golfer and a missionary pastor. “But I had a leg injury as a senior in high school and couldn’t play golf for six months. I was disappointed it didn’t work out, but I am now happy with where I am at. Someday, I want to be a golf course superintendent.”
“I am a one-way ticket to anywhere,” said Wattier, who speaks two languages. “I want to build a career. I have been in touch with Penn State about studying in the turfgrass management program there. I have been in touch with Dr. Kaminski there, but I have get a good grade on an English-as-a foreign language exam. But until then, I will try to gain as much experience as possible and see some interesting things.”
— Craig Smith, GCSAA director, communications and media relations
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