Golf Grad Year

Graduate Roles: Golf Resort in the USA

Love golf? Want to work where the big names like Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Tom Fazio mingle? Keen to experience life at an exclusive golf resort whilst getting paid?

International Working Holidays is looking for current students or recent graduates to work at Big Cedar Lodge, an exclusive golf resort in the USA, for 6 - 12 months.

Roles

The roles available are on-the-ground, customer facing roles where you will improve your sales skills, learn how to upsell experiences and activities, and deal with customer enquiries. You’ll be living and breathing golf each day, whether you’re selling merch, signing up new members, working on the courses as a greenskeeper or simply chatting golf to all the guests coming through.

You’ll also gain valuable transferable and foundational skills to bring back home and give yourself a competitive edge when applying for work in New Zealand afterwards. Big Cedar Lodge is a renowned resort with high-profile clientele and a stellar reputation that will look great on any CV.

Your experience will provide a strong foundation for careers in sales, account management, business development, customer success, marketing, events, recruitment, client relationship management, operations and leadership. No matter what career you’re pursuing long-term, you'll return with practical experience that employers value.

Specific roles on offer at Big Cedar Lodge include but are not limited to:

• Travel Consultants
• Front Desk
• Retail
• Club sales
• Greenskeepers

Our programme advisor, Chloe, will chat to you about your experience and goals to match you with the best role for you. Due to the variety of the roles, no specific experience is required, just a willingness to get stuck in, learn fast and be open to new opportunities.

Benefits and inclusions

Big Cedar has six world-class golf courses designed by golf legends, including Payne’s Valley, Ozark’s National and Top of the Rock, a famous 9-hole par-3 course designed by Jack Nicklaus.

Big Cedar is also home to Thunder Ridge, a 20,000 - 50,000 person capacity nature arena and concert venue, hosting major artists and acts each year like Guns  N’ Roses, with generous ticket giveaways and discounts often provided for staff.

There are pools, arcades, bowling alleys, ropes courses, go karting, lakes, rivers and a driving range all on site, too.

Staff accommodation is available on site, so you can make the most of resort life. Financial assistance is also available to help cover the cost of fees, visa, insurance, flights and other costs associated with getting set up.

Big Cedar Lodge also offers staff discounts on merchandise, meals in its restaurants, and activities.

You’re likely to work around 40 hours a week, depending on business needs.

Eligibility

You must be a current student or a graduate who has completed their study within 12 months of departure. You must hold a NZ or Australian Passport.

How will I get there, and do I need to pay anything?

There are costs involved, including flights, insurance and programme fees. However, we offer an interest free financial assistance programme to help cover the majority of these costs if you are unable to pay up front.

How this works is rather than paying the fees and flights before you leave, the costs can be deducted from your wages each week. This programme is optional, with no hidden catches.

We will also organise your flights and transportation to the resort via our travel agent if you so wish!

Costs breakdown

The fees cover your job placement, visa sponsorship processing, visa paperwork,  insurance, pre-departure preparation and ongoing support in the USA. Flights are booked separately. Both the Programme Fee and flights can be covered by the financial assistance programme.

Application Fee - NZD $350

Insurance - NZD $600

Programme Fee - USD $2,150

Mates Rates promo

We also know that once-in-a-lifetime experiences like this are better shared with friends. For each friend you bring, receive an additional 10% off your Application Fee. Two of you means you both get 20% off the fee, three means 30% off, four means 40% off, and five mates gets you all 50% off your Application Fee. Just tell us when applying who your friends are so we can ensure the discount is applied.

Timings

Key departure windows are in March - April and September - October, so make sure to apply by December for an early 2027 start.

Interested in the graduate role of a lifetime? Apply now!