The M.A.M. & RBC Heritage

The SCJGA staff has been on the go the last few weeks. It all started early in April with our annual kickoff at the Par Tee Demo Day on the 5^th in West Columbia where we held a Clubs 4 Kids Clinic, the City Long Drive Championship and had the golf industry’s leading equipment manufacturers demoing the latest and greatest equipment.  The following week was that of the Masters with the set up of our Junior Golf Foundation’s single-day largest fundraiser – The Columbia Golf Ball at the State Fairgrounds. The South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation raised over $40,000 on the Thursday of the Masters. We spent Friday in the office regrouping and tying up any loose ends from the previous evening and then prepping for the onslaught of the next week.

On Saturday, Chris Miller and Kirk Page joined Happ Lathrop in Myrtle Beach for the Monday After The Masters. The SCGA/SCJGA helps set up for the event in many different fashions. It may be placing trash cans out on the course, assisting in putting up the sponsor signs or any other need that may come up. Four more staff members came in on Sunday to assist. The big function of Sunday is helping finish the golf course, but we are responsible for printing all the scorecards for each player and pairings for the spectators. Unfortunately, we don’t get the final pairings until about 11pm. Then we must enter the information and get printing. This process usually wraps up around 1am. Some of our staffers start out Monday morning with Mike and Mike bus duty at 4:45am at the Alabama Theater, the rest of the staff arrives at the Dye Club around 5:30 to start the day.

Our staff is responsible for handing out and keeping track of 85 radios for the walking scorers and scoreboard, about 115 golf carts used by vendors, sanitation and volunteer duties. Chris Miller meets and instructs the Caddies and families on the days activities starting at 8:30am and then Emcee’s and officiates the Celebrity Long Drive Contest at 10am. We do utilize the opportunity with all of the celebrities present to get an item autographed for the Columbia Golf Ball, usually a guitar. Last year we had a total of 41 autographs of the pros/celebrities on the guitar.

Once the event ends, it’s time to round up all the carts and radios that were sent out, and also help “breakdown” the golf course including the majority of the rope and stakes Monday evening into Tuesday. We work hand in hand with the Arnold Palmer Golf Company to remove all the spectator rope and stake, signs, “Monster” score board take down, anything.  It was another great experience celebrating the 20^th Anniversary of the Hootie and the Blowfish Monday After the Masters Celebrity Pro-Am.

Then it was on to Hilton Head for the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing to staff our Sponsors Tent on the 18^th Tee.  Joe Quick and Biff Lathrop headed down to HHI Tuesday to aide in the Coca-Cola Youth Day and putting contest.  Poor weather conditions however cancelled the event.  On Wednesday we held a reception during the evening for Heritage Classic Foundation Trustees, SCGA Board Members, SCJGF Trustees, former SCJGA Alumni who are on the PGA Tour (we had nine former SCJGA players in the field!!!) and other special guests.  Thanks to Ben Martin, Jonathan Byrd and William McGirt who stopped by to visit!  Congrats to Ben for finishing T-3 and making a great showing and a nice pay day as well with a tournament total of nine-under-par!  Others making the cut and earning a paycheck were Scott Brown (-7), William McGirt (-5), Jonathan Byrd (E), Kevin Kisner (+1), Tommy Gainey (+5), and Mark Anderson (+6).  The RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing is the only PGA Tour stop in SC and it’s awesome to be a part of the event!

Hold on to your hats…SCGA & SCJGA Tournament season is about to crank up!  See you on the links!