[Brian Ross]

Good afternoon fellow GCA enthusiasts!  My name is Brian Ross and I am one of the more recent additions to the discussion board, so I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and make myself available for any questions you might have!  I am currently finishing up my third year (of 5) in the Landscape Architecture program at Virginia Tech and like many, have hopes of breaking into the GCA field upon my graduation.  I am also trying to keep my expectations realistic as I understand the competitiveness of the industry as it exists today.  I also realize that I may have to wait some time and/or scrap and claw my way into the field before I am able to make my dream a reality.  I have been reading the board for a couple of months now and I look forward to finally being able to interact with you all and hopefully I can contribute positively to the many discussions on the board.

[Rick Shefchik]

Hi, Brian -- welcome. I wish you the best of luck in your career, and I hope you are able to achieve your dreams. I ask the following question with the same respect as I would if asking my daughter, the aspiring novelist: What do you intend to do while you're trying to break into your chosen field?

[Eric Smith]

Welcome Brian!  Got any Brian Ross doodles you care to share on the forum?

My best to you in your studies.

Eric

[Anthony Gray]

   Be Brave.

[PCCraig]

Welcome!

[Brian Ross]

Thanks guys!  To answer your questions...

Rick - I guess you could say I have not taken the traditional path when it comes to my education.  Though I am technically a junior working on my undergraduate degree, I am actually 27 years old, having spent a significant amount of my time since high school in or learning about the golf business.  This includes on the business side, as an Assistant Professional for some time and also on the maintenance side.  I have also spent a lot of time independently reading as much material on the subject as I have been able to get my hands on with my latest conquest being Dr. Hurdzan's book, Golf Course Architecture.  I have plans to do an independent study on the subject with my advisor in the fall and also intend to focus my senior thesis design on a GCA project, hopefully focusing on GCA as a remediation method for large scale mining/quarry sites.  I had hopes of interning at an office this summer, however I will be doing a study abroad program in Europe from May 15-June 22 and unfortunately, but not so much unexpectedly, I have not had any luck finding an internship for the remainder of the summer.  I plan on expanding my search area for next summer and with any luck, will be able to gain some invaluable experience in that regard before my graduation.  Post-graduation, I suppose it will come down to merit, and a little bit of luck, though I am more than willing to begin in the golf course construction or landscape architect fields if that will improve my chances.

Eric - Although I have plenty of doodles laying around, unfortunately I do not have anything golf-related scanned in that I can share at this moment.  I did participate in the Lido competition this year for the first time and will be more than happy to post my entry once the results have been announced.  I also hope to spend some time on the contest Charlie created, though I realize the deadline has passed for that.  I sure wish I had found that sooner than I did, but hopefully I can enter that next time!

Anthony and Pat - Thank you!!

[Mike Nuzzo]

Welcome Brian
If you found a good project this summer would you go back to school for your 4th year?

I am guessing a LA degree will not help you in this market.

As an FYI
It took me 5 years to get an offer as an associate.

[Brian Ross]

Mike,

Thanks for responding!  Interesting question you pose.  I have to say that based on the feedback I have received already, I HIGHLY doubt something like that will present itself.  I'm having a difficult enough time finding a GCA that even has a project right now, much less one looking for a partial-summer intern.  While I'm unsure about how the LAR degree will affect my chances, it does seem to be the popular route for aspiring GCA's, at least lately.  That, combined with the experience I hope to gain from my independent study this coming fall, the turfgrass management minor I hope to pick up, and my senior thesis project the following year, leads me to believe that finishing the LAR degree will be the most logical step at this point. 

If you don't mind me asking, how exactly did you go about your career path to GCA?

[Lynn_Shackelford]

Two things:
1.  Read a lot of books written by Geoff Shackelford
2.  Claim to be a relative of Donald Ross

And of course read Golf Club Atlas daily.
Seriously outside the discussion group there is some great stuff, Ran's reviews, IMO, etc.

[Brian Ross]

Lynn,

Thanks for the info!  I suppose it's certainly possible I could be somehow related to the great Mr. Ross.  

My father and my grandfather are Henry Donald Ross and at least as far back as I know, the side of the family from which I come is from central NC, though we are more from the Greensboro and Kernersville area.  My family hails from the same general area of Scotland as well.

I don't know a significant amount about Donald Ross's family situation (ie. if he had brothers/sons or anything like that) though.

To your points, I have read Grounds for Golf by Mr. Shackelford but that is the extent of my knowledge of his writings.  I will be on the lookout for other material!

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