LAYING THE GROUNDWORK
Before the first shot is hit at any VSGA championship , exhaustive behind-the-scenes work prepares a course for high-level play . Here ’ s how it all comes together | by ARTHUR UTLEY
It was 7:30 a . m . on a chilly May Tuesday at Richmond ’ s Willow Oaks Country Club , three days before the start of the 52nd Virginia State Golf Association Four-Ball Stroke Play Championship . “ Who turned off the heat ?” one member quipped at the first tee as she waited for the rest of her group to arrive . A few holes ahead of her , two VSGA staff members — Josh Coates and Kent Holubar — were already on course , intently studying the greens and looking for equitable hole locations for the upcoming two-round championship .
Two days later , on a much warmer and muggier Thursday morning , Coates and Holubar walked more than five miles , armed with paint guns and more than a dozen cans of spray paint , set to mark every hazard on the course with lines of red or yellow . Through the years , the VSGA tournament staff has earned a stellar reputation for its ability to run an event , and much of the work takes place well before anyone arrives to hit a shot in a practice round .
Marking a course , choosing hole locations and meeting with Rules officials are just part of the extensive preparation for a championship .
24 V IRGINIA G OLFER | J ULY / A UGUST 2017 vsga . org