2019 golf tournament begins the search for 800 volunteers

Though it’s more than half a year away, organizers for the inaugural Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational LPGA Tournament are working behind the scenes, making sure that the golf tournament is no bogey.

Organizers have put out the call for volunteers to help the tournament run smoothly. Dow GLBI says it needs 800 volunteers for the weeklong event, which occurs July 15-20, 2019 at the Midland Country Club.

“You can’t run an event of this size without volunteers,” says Matt Hilliker, Tournament Director of the Dow GLBI.

“We’re building a small city on a golf course, bringing in thousands of people, 144 golfers. We need the support and can’t do it without it.”

Some volunteers have already started in the planning efforts. The rest will begin training a couple weeks before the event.

Hilliker says that volunteers don’t need to be avid golf fans. Volunteers will be spread across more than 20 different committees, some strictly golf-related and some not.

But for fans of the game, the opportunity to volunteer could provide the chance to be a part of the game itself. Committees include roles such as walking scorers, where volunteers follow the golfers from hole to hole and keep score, and marshals, where volunteers ensure fair play and golf etiquette.

“This is a great opportunity to support and showcase the community. It’s a nationally televised event with people coming in from all around the world,” Hilliker says. “It’s a great event highlighting all that the Great Lakes Bay region has to offer.”

In addition to being part of the tournament, volunteers receive two official tournament volunteer golf shirts, one official tournament hat or visor, two complimentary weekly grounds passes for family and friends, two volunteer appreciation party invitations and meals and beverages during scheduled shifts. There is a $45 registration fee.

Visit Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational to apply online.

Got a development news story to share? Email MJ Galbraith here or send him a tweet @mikegalbraith.