5 Awesome Golf Tournaments You Can Volunteer At Around The World

Are you an avid golf fan? Are you considering a career in golf behind the ropes and want to experience what goes into running a golf tournament?

Volunteering at a professional golf tournament will help you with both of these. Every professional golf tour recruits volunteers to help tournaments year round.

Tournament organizers recruit volunteers in various ways, some of which you can apply for online.

Below are five awesome tournaments from around the world you can volunteer at. (There’s also an FAQ at the bottom of the post)

The Turkish Airlines Open: European Tour

The Turkish Airlines Open was first held in 2013. In the fifth edition of the event (November 2017), Justin Rose birdied the last hole to win the by one shot. The tournament is held in Belek, Turkey, a town built around golf where you drive past 14 courses in 15 minutes.

This was my first experience volunteering at a golf tournament. Did I enjoy it?

I loved every moment helping out at this limited field event (78 players) at the Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort.

200 volunteers helped out as walking scorers, board carriers, leaderboard updaters, and marshals.

These positions are fairly standard in all the tournaments featured in this post.

Details here: http://www.golfvolunteersturkey.com

Women's British Open: Major Championship

Volunteering at a men's major championship isn’t easy. But why not head to Britain (host course varies) in early August to help support ladies golf and experience the British Open?

The women’s game can do with all the sport as it is played in the shadows of the men’s game year around. Maybe you can help grow the women’s game?

As Tiger Woods once said in one of my favorite quotes ever: “....That’s why we put on clinics. The only thing I can do is try to give back. If it works, it works.”

Basically, your volunteering might not grow the game directly, but you can try.

More details: http://ricohwomensbritishopen.com/spectator-information/

Australian PGA Championship: Co-Sanctioned On The European Tour & PGA Tour of Australasia

The Australian PGA Championship has been hosted at the RACV Royal Pines Resort in Surfers Paradise, Queensland since 2015.

Surfers Paradise is an energetic place to be. The organizers bring that energy to the tournament with international players returning because of the fun tournament atmosphere.

Held in late November/early December, you can apply for the ‘regular’ volunteering positions as well as opportunities to work in the ticket booth or even getting started early and setting up the practice range.

Apply here: https://championship.pga.org.au/event-info/volunteer/

 

Mexico Championship: A World Golf Championship Event

The Mexico Championship became a World Golf Championship event last year and with such a success, returns to Mexico City again in 2018.

The tournament organizer recruits 1,200 volunteers, significantly more than a ‘standard’ event. You need to work at least three days to help the continuity with so many volunteers.

The tournament embraces Mexican culture and vibrant traditions into the venue, making this an interesting golf tournament to volunteer at.

Apply here (you need to do so months in advance): https://volunteers-wgcmexicochampionship.pgatourhq.com or email Celcilia on [email protected]

Maybank Championship: Co-Sanctioned on European and Asian Tours

Asia continues to grow as a golf destination with the Maybank Championship in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, playing their part since 2006. Held around February each year, the Maybank Championship seeks a few hundred volunteers to help the event's goal of uniting the ASEAN region through the competition, fair play and camaraderie of golf.

They have a preference for volunteers who work all four days. Though they’ll be understanding if you would feel comfortable with three days with the Malaysian heat stifling when you aren’t used to it.

More details: http://maybankchampionship.com.my/be-a-volunteer.html

Golf Volunteering FAQ

Should I arrive to the event early?

Yes. Where possible, arrive a day, preferably two, before your first day. If you’re in a new place, you’ll want the extra day to work out how to get to the golf course and where the entrance is as some of properties are massive.

I went to the wrong entrance in Belek. Then spent 30-minutes walking to the actual entrance. Luckily this was a test run which allowed me turn up on time the following day.

Is it worth bringing your clubs?

The majority of tournaments are in areas with several courses nearby. If you take a day off and want to play a game, bring your clubs along. Some tournaments offer a free round on the host course for those working four days. In this case, you’ll want to book your tee time early as the as they fill up fast.

Are uniforms provided?

Most tournaments will provide a shirt, jacket, and hat. In terms of shorts and pants, traditional khaki or black color golf apparel is appropriate. All will be explained on the individual volunteer pages.

Do you get to meet the players?

As a volunteer, the best principal is to go as unnoticed as possible to the players. If you volunteer on a pro-am day, they are more willing to interact then. The players do appreciate volunteers, so the tournament winner spends time with the volunteers after their media obligations (kudos to Justin Rose for doing so).

Do you get to watch some golf?

As a volunteer, some roles let you naturally watch lots of golf, for example, as a walking score board holder. Other positions like static marshals should mean you’re facing the crowd rather than the players, especially when the crowds are large. As a volunteer you are usually provided with a tournament pass, allowing you to watch the golf when your aren’t actively volunteering.

Even as a passive volunteer, you might learn a few things from watching golf that can help your career.

When should you apply?

I applied to volunteer at the Turkish Airlines Open two weeks before the event. This event unique as Turkey isn’t a popular local game, therefore there isn’t a large supply of local volunteers Some events have a closing date for volunteer applications, so the sooner the better.

Has this inspired you to consider applying to volunteer at a golf tournament somewhere around the world to get further experience in the field of sports?

The five tournaments mentioned above are an example of places you can go to experience the world of golf. If you have another tournament in mind, volunteering information for each tournament can be found using a Google search like: ‘event name + volunteers’.

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BIOGRAPHY

Jub, hails from New Zealand and believes sports can make the world a better place. 2017 has been the year he has started to embrace his sports fanatic side in all facets.

You can read about his sporting thoughts and adventures around the world on Tiki Touring Kiwi, including an attempt to run a marathon. Maybe one day he’ll cure his chipping yips in Timbuktu?