John Deere TPC Sawgrass: You bet I would do it again!

The 2019 BIGGA and GCSAI volunteers pictured on the beach at Ponte Vedra in Florida

Matthew Shaul is a greenkeeper at Cleethorpes Golf Club in Lincolnshire and was selected to join the course maintenance team ahead of the The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

If you're interested in following in Matt's footsteps and joining the John Deere TPC Sawgrass Volunteer Programme, you can register your interest here. 

My experience of volunteering at TPC Sawgrass for The Players Championship was just magical.

 

From the moment we arrived we were shown the utmost request and hospitality.

 

Both personally and professionally, this was the highlight of my career so far. Just being at a top PGA Tour event in America was awesome and really showed what goes into the organisation of the agronomy team for a busy week ahead. 

 

TPC Sawgrass' Stadium Course is maintained to an incredible standard for the duration of the championship

 

 

There isn’t that much difference from the clubs we all work at; however the scale of the operation is completely different!

 

Would I do it again You bet I would! And like many BIGGA members who get involved with the volunteer programme, the TPC Sawgrass team has asked me whether I’d like to join them again in March 2020!

 

All of the people I met over there in the USA are friends for life. The networking opportunity a trip like this provides is just phenomenal. And let’s not forget the guys that went with me. It was truly a pleasure to work with such a professional group of guys and I must thank them for all the memories that we made. 

 

To all you greenkeepers out there, please don’t be shy in applying for the TPC Sawgrass volunteer programme. It is well worth the little effort it takes to apply and I’m so glad that I did.

 

If you're interested in following in joining the John Deere TPC Sawgrass Volunteer Programme, you can register your interest here.