LAYING THE GROUNDWORK
STARTING YOUNG
Learning how to run an event began when each member of the
VSGA tournament staff served a P.J. Boatwright (USGA) or AJGA
internship. The current VSGA interns, Kyle Hart and Max Baldwin,
will have their opportunities this summer.
“We’re big on giving the interns ownership of at least their part
of the tournament, be it scoring, scoreboard, checking every out
of bounds stake to make sure it’s straight, whatever,” Smiley says.
“It’s a lot of learning. I’d say from my experience as an intern and
from what I’ve seen the last 15 years,
to an intern, they will leave saying, ‘I
had no idea what went into running
a golf tournament.’”
Jones agrees with that.
“I played in a few junior tourna-
ments growing up, but I did not know
what went on behind the scenes.
Tournaments just sort of seemed to
run themselves. After just one tour-
nament as an intern, I realized it’s
not as simple as that,” she says. “My
intern experience really immersed
At left, Josh Coates and
Kent Holubar study a hole-
me in the tournament administra-
location sheet. Above,
tion experience very quickly.
Coates checks the slope of
“Anything from course marking
a green with a Breakmaster
to nine-hole scoring or setting tees
green reader.
1000
+
Cans of paint
used to mark
courses over
the course of
the year
anyone from a teenager to an octogenarian. It is important to
understand the needs and interests of each player. The goal of the
tournament staff is to make it a fun and competitive experience
for everyone involved.”
The age of the competitors and the type of event have a major
bearing on course setup.
“One of the most obvious things we look at with age is the
placement of the tees. Yardages vary quite a bit depe nding on
the ages as well as their playing abilities,” Jones says. “We want
to be fair and equitable with anyone who might be in the field.
You have to be mindful of any forced carry or potential trouble a
player could get in. There could be a hazard that may come into
play for super seniors or women, but not even be a concern for
regular men or juniors.”
The hole locations on the greens also matter based on age.
“Older players and kids do not generate the same swing speed to
put the same spin on the ball that someone playing in the men’s or
women’s amateur might. We may look to select a location on the
green for that [age] group to run the ball up,” Jones says.
vsga.org
3295
Entries into VSGA
championships
and qualifiers
in 2016
the morning of a tournament, there’s always something the
intern is involved with on the course and in the office. I was lucky
enough to learn from those who are now my coworkers, some
of the best practices and ways to run a tournament. We all have
developed our own styles, but we try to use the same basic ideas
and techniques when administering VSGA events.”
The longest days for the administrators come before the tour-
nament. Prep work such as checking the tees to be used, dotting
greens with hole locations, marking hazards with paint and stakes
and checking that out of bounds areas are well defined are best
done without golfers around. One of four vans is used to carry
everything the administrator needs onsite. Knowing how to pack
the van is a skill.
Thank yous to the VSGA staff for a job well done are plentiful at
the conclusion of a tournament.
“Our goal at the end of the day is to not have our name in the
press release. We don’t want the tournament to be about the staff
and something the staff did that took away from the event,” Smiley
says.
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