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Going for the buzz
at Sawgrass
ach year John Deere,
in association with the
British & International Golf
Greenkeepers Association and the Golf
Course Superintendents Association
of Ireland, sends seven association
members to Ponte Vedra Beach in
Florida to join the agronomy team on the
Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass for the
duration of The Players Championship
– the unofficial fifth men’s Major
tournament. alongside the home greenkeeping
team as part of the volunteer course
maintenance force of over 90, are:
It’s an incredible experience, where the
volunteers get completely immersed in
the hosting of the PGA Tour’s flagship
event with flights, accommodation and
other costs all thrown in. Representing
the British and Irish associations, the
successful seven selected to join the
John Deere TPC Sawgrass Volunteer
Programme in March 2020, working
E
BIGGA
• South East: Ben Hunter, deputy
course manager, The Richmond
• South West & South Wales: Mark
Tucker, head greenkeeper, Neath
• Central England: Alex Brougham,
deputy head greenkeeper, Trentham
Park
• Northern: Peter Lewis,
greenkeeper, Royal Liverpool
• Scotland: Eddie Irvine, deputy head
greenkeeper, Trump International
Aberdeen
• International: Yannick Weber,
assistant superintendent, Cape
Kidnappers, New Zealand
GCSAI
•
Ireland: Dean O’Connell,
greenkeeper, Grange Golf Club
Previous successful applicants of the
scheme have described the experience
as life changing and overwhelming. One
of BIGGA’s 2019 delegates, Welshpool
Golf Club course manager Jon Gamble,
said: “TPC Sawgrass is an amazing venue
and is out of this world. The presentation
of the whole site is fabulous, from the
condition of the course to the flowers
and grandstands that sit very high on 17.
“They really do gear the tournament
up so that everyone who goes has an
awesome time, from a spectator point
of view. Going to Sawgrass has made me
want to go back every year now, just to
get that buzz from what you experience.
I would encourage and push anybody
that wants to go there, to do so.”
This year’s tournament dates are March
12-15, 2020; the John Deere sponsored
group flies out to the US on Friday March
6 and returns on Tuesday March 17.
The BIGGA and GCSAI volunteers on the John Deere stand at BTME 2020 in January (left
to right): Eddie Irvine, Alex Brougham, Mark Tucker, Peter Lewis, Dean O’Connell and Ben
Hunter. (Inset) Yannick Weber on his home course in New Zealand.
12
John Deere
www.deere.co.uk
GroundskeepingJournal.co.uk | Sept/Oct 2019