Timothy J. Drzewinski , PGA
Baltusrol Golf Club
36-Hole Private Facility
Positions
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PGA Intern
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Golf Shop Attendant
TOURNAMENT OPERATIONS
THE INTERNATIONAL
The International was one of the few major member tournaments, open to any member. Being highly coveted and worth a lot of player of the year points, the interest was very high. The format of the event was net stableford. The tournament began in May and members registered in the Golf Shop prior to playing. At the end of each month I would go through the scorecards and build a list of the members that played. The next month only 75% of the field moved on. Next came June, the same process took place and I eventually eliminated another fourth of the remaining field. July the process continued. Once we hit August, the final month of the qualifying then took place. Eliminating the field to sixteen individuals I then set up the finals for September 30th. Preparing for September 30th required learning and help from the Professional Staff. This was where I was introduced to Event-Man. Using Event-Man I created scorecards, and alpha sheets with tee times. I also used Microsoft Publisher to create the scorecard backs. In addition, an email blast was sent out to the participants regarding their given tee times. Now, on the day of the event there were a few things I needed to get done. The tee times ranged from 8:00am to 9:00am so I needed to be ready well before then. I arrived to the Golf Shop around 6:00am and double checked my scorecards and tee sheets. Then I brought the alpha sheet to our Starter and Caddie Master where they assigned caddies to each of the twosomes. As they arrived our Starter organized the contestant bags and I stood on the first tee as the twosomes came with their designated tee times. Here I distributed the cards, explained the rules and format of the event and interacted with the participants. After all the twosomes were sent out I brought up the scoreboards and posted them on the bulletin board where the scoring took place. As the twosomes came in I was at the 18th hole waiting to greet them and take their scorecards. As the twosomes came in I scored the event and posted the scores. After the whole field was finished I created a results sheet and posted it inside the locker room. I received help and guidance from Reed Lansinger, who was one of the Assistant Golf Professionals.
EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION DAY
The membership provides an outing one day a year for the staff. This was one of my tournament responsibilities as I ran the event for the whole staff. The first responsibility I had was to get a list of the field from a sign up sheet posted in the caddie shack, and around the kitchen. Next, using the individuals who signed up I had to put them into Event-Man and know the serious from non-serious golfers. The non-serious golfers played the Upper Golf Course using a Callaway Scoring System where gift certificates were awarded to the top 20 net scores. Now for the serious golfers who played the Lower Golf Course played with a strict gross stroke play format. Gift certificates were awarded to the top 10 gross scores on this course. With the field inputted into Event-Man I needed to create pairings and a tee sheet, create scorecards for the participants, design scorecard backs for the event, make a proximity for longest drive, straightest drives, and closest to the pins, create cart signs, and make gift certificates for the winners. While the tournament was out on the golf course I had to set up a putting contest with nine holes for the employees of the club who did not want to play golf on the course. This was a fun addition as forty employees, who have never touched a club in their life enjoyed the day. I created scorecards and scorecard backs for this event as well as designed the putting course. During the events that were going on I needed to bring up all kinds of clothing and clubs that were to be given away after the event. I received help and guidance from Dean Miller, who was one of the Assistant Golf Professionals who helped me run the event.
EVENT-MAN TOURNAMENT SOFTWARE
Baltusrol Golf Club was the first facility where I was introduced to Event-Man Tournament Software. This was important for my career as I would go on to use it at Roaring Fork Club, Ocean Reef Club and Medinah Country Club. With now over five years of Event-Man Tournament Software experience I feel confident that I am ready for any event that is thrown my way.
PERFORMANCE CENTER
The Performance Center was the location where the Professional Staff gave lessons. The building itself had four hitting bays, with mirrors and video. In addition, it also had a fitness center on the bottom floor with a weight room and supervision of TPI Certified Trainers. Now, in the hitting bays there was Trackman and V1 Software, which was key for teaching. Being allowed to use the Performance Center when it was not being used for a lesson was very helpful to my own golf game and teaching. Creating a swing more consistently on plane was one of my goals by the end of this internship. Using the V1 Software and Trackman I was able to analyze my swing and interpret numbers that guided me to my goal. On the other hand, learning how to use Trackman was important for my career. Still trying to relate numbers to certain swing mechanics is a continuous learning process. There are pictures above of the Performance Center.
PGA Professionals I Worked With
May 2012 - November 2012
Director of Golf
Doug Steffen
Director of Instruction
Jason Carbone
Assistant Golf Professionals
Reed Lansinger
Ryan Fountaine
Colin McConchie
Dean Miller
GOLF SHOP ATTENDANT
MERCHANDISING
One of my main duties in the Golf Shop was to create and organize displays. Being detail-oriented was important. Some details that I needed to pay close attention to included paper-folding shirts so that the logo was showing, making sure all tags were tucked in the shirts, and that the sizes were in order. Shirts on hangers required other details. These included correct size tabs, shower curtains attached to the bottom of the shirts, and making sure all tags were tucked away. Some Peter Millar and Polo displays that I had helped design and maintain are displayed in the slideshow above.
SPECIAL ORDERS
Special orders are orders of goods that are not in stock in the Golf Shop. Therefore, we had an organized system to where we can order and write down orders. The beginning part of the process included a blank special order sheet. From there it was a matter of knowing everything the person wanted to purchase and all their information. We were able to order products and have them drop shipped or delivered to to the club. Once ordered on account we took down order information and kept multiple records in case of any discrepancies. It was extremely important to keep this organized. Without an organized special order system, poor member service is inevitable.
ANSWERING PHONE CALLS
Answering the phone at Baltusrol was different from any other golf course. The phone was always ringing. We had to greet the phone call with our name and that it was the Baltusrol Golf Shop. Listening to the needs of the member or guest we then tried to help. If we did not have the information requested we then made sure to follow up and find out for them.
INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
Receiving inventory was a crucial part of the Golf Shop. We received numerous boxes every day of merchandise. We had to go through the boxes and make sure the packing slip matched the package and that it was what we ordered and that we could account for it all. We had a receiving book with every company in alphabetical order, which was our way to keep records of what we had ordered. We then had empty excel sheets where we listed inventory numbers, whether it was for stock or a customer, description, date, invoice and packing list numbers.
SHIPPING
Shipping was a crucial part of our operation as we had an account with UPS Worldship. Shipping goods to individuals and businesses had its own process. First, we had a blank sheet of paper that listed all the information needed to fill out for records that we kept in a binder. This sheet is in a document below. This included everything from how it was being charged and the tracking number. Return Authorizations were a little bit different. We had two forms that needed to be filled out to complete a RA. The one sheet was the shipping sheet (unless a call tag or shipping label was emailed to us) and the other was an RA sheet. The RA sheet included what the product was, serial number, date, company, reason for return, account number, and further actions. Further actions would include returning for credit, returning for repair or returning for exchange. On the other hand, I would count inventory for goods that are in high demand and what we were running low on. This helped us stay on top of ordering highly demanded products. Some examples of inventory counts are below.
POS & HANDLING CASH
We created a process where we allowed credit card transactions, cash transactions, and member charge transactions. The credit card and cash transactions were performed separate from the POS, which only performed member charges. This process was important as it allowed guests to purchase goods they wanted, and allowed guests in outings to purchase merchandise.
CLUB REPAIR
The club repair I was involved in was re-gripping, extending, and painting clubs. In the six month span that I worked here at Baltusrol, I regripped over 700 clubs. On the other hand, another type of club repair I performed was painting clubs. This began when I painted the numbers on my irons orange. Members noticed my unique clubs and wanted it done for them as well.
ACCOMPANIENTS
Playing in accompaniments was one of the most rewarding parts of the internship. This was where an individual member made a tee time for himself and three guests, but the member had other obligations. Therefore, the member calls the Golf Shop and asks for one member of the Professional Staff to host their guests. I had the privilege of playing in accompaniments. This allowed me to network with guests of a member.
PLAYING WITH MEMBERS
Every Thursday the "Remig Boys" went out and played a best ball format. Whether it was best ball of the four, or two better balls of the four, it was a fun atmosphere. One member of the Professional Staff played in the event and played to a scratch. I was fortunate enough to play with this group of members five times, which allowed me to build relationships with the members. Beside the "Remig Boys" I tried to play when I was off the clock. This allowed me to play with other members who mainly played in the afternoon. I created numerous relationships with members by playing golf with them.
WEEKEND STARTER
Every weekend my shifts started at 7:00am. From 7:00am to 10:00am I was on the first tee. This was a great way to develop member relationships. I explained the events that were taking place that day. Some events included qualifiers, possible International participants, and other special events. This duty was one of my favorites as I was able to interact with the bulk of the membership. I interacted with every member going out and seeing similar faces every weekend helped me remember names. Remembering names is one of if not the most important tool in the golf industry.
