By LOGAN RIPLEY

2019 is a milestone year for the MGA Foundation as we celebrate 25 years of the GOLFWORKS student intern program. What began in 1994 with just 12 students working at 6 clubs has significantly grown into a successful program - in 2018 we had 304 students working at more than 65 MGA Member Clubs.

The MGA recently caught up with Don Cervantes, Assistant Superintendent at Glen Oaks Club on Long Island. In 2009, Don was a GOLFWORKS intern at Garden City Country Club, working on the grounds crew under Superintedent Russ MacPhail. He spent the next two summers back at GCCC, and it was through his internship that he decided he wanted to continue his career in golf course maintence. After high school, Don attended The State University of New York at Cobleskill, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Turfgrass Management. Cervantes spent the summers throughout college working at different golf courses around the country, including Los Angeles CC and Oak Tree CC, and after graduation began working at Glen Oaks with Superintendent Craig Currier.

Hear Don and Craig's thoughts on GOLFWORKS:

Nearly 3,000 students have participated in the GOLFWORKS program since its inception. GOLFWORKS is designed to give its participants exposure to the many career opportunities within the golf industry and beyond 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. In addition, GOLFWORKS provides a good salary as well as networking opportunities to its interns, and a way for interns to learn the skills necessary to pursue their career interests. Participants have gone on to careers in the golf industry, while others are successful in other fields.