By: Jeff Day
DANBURY, Conn. (September 4, 2012) – In its 18th season, the MGA Foundation’s GOLFWORKS student intern program will provide more than 225 deserving young adults with meaningful summer work experiences at Met Area golf clubs, including Lauren Hutt of Brewster, N.Y., who is a second-year intern at Richter Park Golf Course in Danbury, Conn. Hutt’s responsibilities include working in the golf shop and assisting with outings and events with her supervisors, facility manager Karen Madaus and head golf professional Brian Gehan.
Richter Park’s seventh hole
Hutt, 19, never imagined working in the golf industry, but realizes that her internship has been a great opportunity to network, meet some great people, gain experience and make some hard-earned money.
“I don’t have the patience to actually play golf,” says Hutt, who will be a sophomore at Fordham University this fall. “It’s a hard game, but I do want to learn to play and have been strongly encouraged by everyone at Richter. I’m really good at selling golf balls and drivers, but not so good at hitting them at this point!”
Hutt says the best part of her job is the people around her that she interacts with on a regular basis, which includes customers and co-workers.
“The people I’ve got to meet are just unbelievable,” she says. “There’s Men’s Club President [and MGA Foundation GOLFWORKS Recruiter] Gary Lehman, who is my favorite and makes sure I meet everyone that plays.”
And when tragedy struck in February, Hutt’s supervisors were there for her.
“My dad passed away and I felt like my life was falling apart,” she said. “But Brian and Karen were there for me, offering hours if I needed a distraction and even visiting me and bringing food to my house. That’s a family and you don’t expect that in a work environment, and at 19 I have another family – it’s weird, but I love it!”
Hutt will be working in Fordham’s Athletic Department as a manager on Tom Pecora's men’s’ basketball coach once classes start. She aspires to work in sports when she graduates and feels that her GOLFWORKS internship has prepared her to achieve her goals, like the role she played in planning, preparing and organizing Richter Park’s Danbury Amateur in each of the past two years.
“I have an ultimate goal of running Madison Square Garden and I truly believe I can do it,” she says. “I like running and organizing events, like the Danbury Amateur. I handle registration, money, layout, volunteers – just about everything. – and my responsibilities at Richter as a GOLFWORKS intern have really prepared me for what I want to do with the rest of my life, whether it be in golf or not.”
About GOLFWORKS
Founded in 1994, the MGA Foundation’s GOLFWORKS program is designed to give its participants—high school aged students—exposure to the many career opportunities within the golf industry by providing meaningful summer work experiences. The young adults who participate in GOLFWORKS complete an internship in an environment that revolves around golf, which in itself can teach the lessons of honor, integrity and tradition and provides an activity that can be enjoyed for a lifetime.
