When the best golfers in the world tee it up at Bellerive Country Club this week, the attention is understandably on the players and the competition.
But behind every tee time, leaderboard and gallery is a team of people working to make the BMW Championship possible.
For the PGA of America, that means showcasing the important role PGA Professionals play in championship golf — not only inside the ropes, but behind the scenes helping create an experience worthy of the game’s biggest stages.
It Takes a Team
Bringing a PGA TOUR event to a venue like Bellerive takes months of planning and thousands of people working together.
The BMW Championship has 2,000 volunteer positions across 16 committees, all of which were filled ahead of tournament week. Those volunteers are helping with everything from player and spectator services to hospitality, scoring, transportation and course operations.
For PGA Professionals, championship weeks provide another opportunity to put their expertise and leadership into action.
Bellerive PGA Director of Golf Michael Tucker, PGA, and his team have played an important role in preparing the club to host another world-class championship. Tucker’s career at Bellerive spans nearly three decades and includes previous championship experiences, including the 1992 and 2018 PGA Championships.
That experience matters when the world’s best players arrive.
Preparing the Course
Long before the first tee shot, PGA Professionals, agronomy teams and volunteers were preparing Bellerive for the challenge.
Director of Agronomy Nick White and his team have been working to produce championship conditions while preparing for everything St. Louis weather can bring. The Bellerive agronomy operation includes 48 employees and 64 tournament volunteers, with the team working around the clock throughout championship week.
It is work that often goes unnoticed by spectators, but it is essential to the championship experience.
The People Behind the Championship
That’s what makes the photos from this week so meaningful.
The players may be the ones competing for the BMW Championship, but PGA Professionals, club staff and more than 2,000 volunteers are the ones helping create the environment around them.
From the first setup in the morning to the final group coming off the course, there are people answering questions, maintaining the property, supporting players, managing spectators and making sure every detail is in place.
Bellerive has a long history of hosting the game’s biggest championships, including the 2008 BMW Championship, the 2013 Senior PGA Championship and the 2018 PGA Championship. Now, as the BMW Championship returns to St. Louis, the club’s PGA Professionals and the entire golf community are once again showing what it takes to host championship golf.
The players may be the stars of the BMW Championship, but PGA Professionals, staff and volunteers are the people making the week possible.