Lafayette, LA – June 2, 2021
This year’s USGA Boatwright Internship Conference was held virtually over a two-week period on May 19-20 and May 26-27. Current LGA Boatwright interns Caroline Buchan, Ben Carter, and Emily Gill attended the conference from their office at the LGA headquarters in Lafayette. Throughout their virtual experience, the LGA interns were able to attend virtual sessions with each department of USGA. These departments included: USGA People Teams, Handicapping and Course Ratings, GHIN, USGA Museum, Regional Affairs, USGA Foundation, Green Section, Championship Administration, USGA Brand Team, Rules and Amateur Status, and Championships. Each of these departments within the USGA had an available chat window for interns to interact with throughout the duration of the virtual experience. Each scheduled session showcased the day-to-day responsibilities of the respective department. Though this experience was held virtually, it was still a phenomenal learning experience for our interns. Ben, Caroline, and Emily would like to share some of their own experiences from the past two weeks.
Emily: The USGA Boatwright Virtual Summit was something I thoroughly enjoyed. Coming into this internship I knew a lot about golf as a golfer, but little from the administrative side. The conference allowed me the opportunity to reach out to representatives from departments and learn more on how to gain a perspective from the golf administrator. I was able to network with others in other AGA’s as well as those that work with USGA. It has helped solidify that golf is a passion of mine for my career as well. I look forwarded to continuing to learn within the organization and LGA.
Caroline: I enjoyed the Boatwright Virtual Summit this year. It would have been great to go to New Jersey, but the USGA really made the virtual summit entertaining and inviting. We got a full picture of everything the USGA does, and the different areas we can be a part of. I found it interesting to see some of the insider perspectives of their marketing choices for this year’s tournaments, and how each one has its own identity, yet they all come together under one umbrella. Getting to learn more about this organization, the Boatwright program, and the history of golf made this a great experience. I look forward to using the information gained and continuing to learn during my time with the LGA and within this industry.
Ben: It was very interesting being a part of the USGA Boatwright Virtual Summit this year. I had a slightly different perspective on the summit than Caroline and Emily since I have already been a Boatwright Intern for 2 months and have helped setup, administrate and operate a couple LGA tournaments so far this season. I really enjoyed learning more about the history of the Boatwright program and the inner workings of the USGA and their tournaments and foundation. Loving golf also made this summit really fun because we got to see some of the background and behind the scenes look at the Men’s, Women’s, Senior Amateurs and the US Open events for this year. Lastly, the USGA provided us with a ton of material to utilize in all aspects of tournament operations, and I am excited to put it to use with the LJGT this season.