One of the perks of my job is the opportunity to work a PGA Tour event, The RBC Heritage. Here’s what a day in the life is like for our staff:
5:00 AM - Wake up to the alarm
5:05 – 5:20 AM – Get dressed and walk the dog. My co-worker Aric arrives to start the caravan that I drive. We only get two parking passes for our Assistants, so I drive five of us everyday.
5:30 AM – Staff members arrive to open the Practice Facility and Locker Room. Without fail a handful of players will be there before sunrise to be the first on the range and first on the golf course to get their work in early.
Our staff uses light stands so the early morning players can practice as the sun rises.
5:50 AM – After two stops to pick up three co-workers, we arrive at Harbour Town Golf Links. We park by Hole #18 due to our limited parking on property.
6:00 AM – The Golf Shop opens and we prepare to open four merchandise locations by 7:00 AM.
We keep the Bag Room open until the last player is finished at the Practice Facility.
6:10 AM – One of our staff opens the bag room.
7:00 AM – Overnight security leaves, so all our of merchandise locations open.
7:30 – 9:30 AM – Depending on the day, play starts during this time.
8:00 AM – The interns arrive for the day. We’ll have ten students from Methodist University‘s PGM Program and fourteen students from the Professional Golfers Career College assist our golf operations. Without their help, our merchandise operation would be impossible.
8:30 AM – Breakfast sandwiches arrive, usually the highlight of the morning. My choice is always the sausage and cheese biscuit.
9:00 – 11:00 AM – This is the slowest time of our day. Depending on traffic in the main golf shop and merchandise pavilion, our staff will get a chance to watch some early action on the course.
11:00 AM – 2:00 PM – Lunch is served! We utilize a building at our Racquet Club to cater a lunch for our Golf Professionals, Retail Professionals, sales reps and interns. Your 30 – 45 minute lunch break helps prepare you for the steady stream of customers the afternoon brings.
2:00 – 4:00 PM – This is our busiest time of the day and all hands are on deck. The merchandise pavilion is filled with customers while the golf shop is swarmed with guests as the phone seems to ring non-stop. These hours fly by while you work though!
A typical busy afternoon in the Merchandise Pavilion as shoppers find their souvenirs.
5:00 – 7:00 PM – Our day starts to wind down at most locations, except for our merchandise tent by the 18th Tee. As the leaders come through on the weekend or as the parties start in the corporate hospitality tents, that merchandise location stays busy until closing time…
7:00 PM – Our merchandise locations close when security arrives. We start the accounting process to balance the banks before we can leave.
7:45 – 8:15 PM – We finish balancing the banks, so we set the alarm and head home.
9:00 PM – After picking up a quick dinner (usually at Arby’s or Chick-fil-A) and dropping off three co-workers, I arrive back at home.
9:45 PM – I can finally go to bed after taking a shower and getting tomorrow’s uniform ready. There’s seven hours until it all happens again!
By the way, this is a day where everything goes according to plan. There’s no weather delays to make play last until darkness, no computer failures where our merchandise tent has to hand-write all transactions like it is 1989, no major issues that require a staff meeting at the end of the day…
