Supporting Virginia ’ s eight military golf facilities
Eaglewood Golf Course
Cardinal Golf Club
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE COURSES AND JUAN GIRAUD
A
fter spending almost 30 years in the Air Force , Tyler Schaff retired from his last post , Commander of Joint Base Andrews in Prince George ’ s County , Md ., and moved to Charlottesville along with his wife ( also retired Air Force ) and family .
He left a big job with a lot going on .
While trying to figure out where he could fit into the Charlottesville community , in addition to volunteering , he spotted a job posting at the Virginia State Golf Association and called to inquire .
Schaff remembers having “ a real nice conversation ,” but the job wouldn ’ t be a good fit because he would have to work , when he really wanted to play golf .
A month later , VSGA Director of Championships and Golf Operations Josh Coates called Schaff back .
Exploring the opportunity to collaborate with targeted groups is a key priority in the ongoing VSGA ’ s Strategic Plan . Readers can find the plan summary at vsga . org .
The VSGA board included a goal of exploring the opportunity to collaborate with targeted groups , such as the military . Schaff recalls Coates saying , “ we don ’ t really know where to go for what this is . Would you be interested in helping us with that ?”
Schaff ’ s response : “ Only two things I know about life — one of them is military and one of them is golf . And I am passionate about both of them .”
“ It was a perfect opportunity for what he was looking for . It couldn ’ t have worked out any better timing-wise , and we couldn ’ t have found a better person to fill that role ,” Coates said .
The VSGA ’ s mission is to promote and serve golf in the Commonwealth . As one of the most respected golf associations in the United States , the VSGA “ has done a great job of serving elite golfers , golfers from private clubs , golfers who have the wherewithal to play in tournaments at the highest level ,” says Anne Greever , whose two-year term as VSGA President ends in January .
“ What we wanted to do was identify other areas that might not have seen that level of service and see if we could enhance the service we were providing to golfers and people who wanted to be golfers ,” Greever said .
The search determined military golfers — activity duty , reservists , retired and dependents — to be one of the largest of those targeted groups .
“ A huge group of golfers who might want access to golf , and we didn ’ t have any specific outreach to them even though the services have golf courses ,” Greever said . “ We didn ’ t want to tell people what they needed .
Sewells Point Golf Course vsga . org J ANUARY / F EBRUARY 2024 | V IRGINIA G OLFER
19