Christie Williams, a 17-year-old senior from Portland High School wants to play professional golf, but she received an alternate perspective on the game during the recent Travelers Championship in Cromwell.
Through The First Tee Careers on Course program, Williams was selected to shadow Tom Degrandi, TPC River Highlands’s director of golf course operations, to get a first-hand look at the business side of the industry.
“Golf plays a huge role in my life. It’s basically all I do besides go to school,” said Williams.
With aspirations to become a professional golfer, Williams’ path follows that of Nathan Grube, the Travelers Championship tournament director. Grube golfed professionally, but then shifted to work the business side of the game. Grube said the Careers on Course program teaches kids that playing professional golf is not the only option when considering a career in the game.
“As a kid, I didn’t understand that you don’t need to be a professional golfer to be involved in golf,” said Grube.
When Grube realized he couldn’t play golf professionally, he made a successful transition to a career within the game. He’s managed the Travelers tournament since 2005.
The First Tee Careers on Course program is a nonprofit youth development organization that began in 2013 when golf equipment manufacturer John Deere donated $1 million to First Tee.
It introduces young golfers to course management, hospitality, and coaching, among other aspects of the game.
Williams has been golfing since the age of seven, becoming serious about the sport in her freshman year of high school when she made the boys varsity golf team. Williams now attends various golf camps and plays in tournaments year round.
“I actually met my prom date through golf,” said Williams. “We took pictures on the TPC River Highlands course.”
Williams started coaching 5 and 6-year olds in golf last fall to explore other opportunities the game has to offer. Williams said she hopes to attend Methodist University in North Carolina for their professional golf management program.
The Careers on Course program orchestrates activities for 24 teenage participants. The selection process involves finding teens with different interests in golf, varying from playing the game to managing the course.
Program participants are separated into three groups as they are taken through day-long activities to gain hands-on course management experience. Pupils also learn about green management, plant protection, and water management, among other topics.
“Nobody is thinking about this end of the business that could also provide a career in golf,” said Degrandi. “Our program teaches kids that there are plenty of opportunities in the golf world for anyone.”
Williams was able to apply and expand her knowledge from the program during the Travelers golf tournament, where she helped prepare and manage the course alongside Degrandi in the early mornings and late afternoons.
Last year, Williams joined First Tee on a golf trip to North Carolina and will attend another golf camp this summer in San Diego.
Mark Moriarty, First Tee of Connecticut program director, said the key to the Careers on Course program is that it is activity-based and offers experience.
“Allowing kids to try everything themselves is what appropriately exposes them to the world of golf,” said Moriarty.n
