Professional golf tour events come and go. Couples looking for a golf home rarely put “must host a professional tour event” on their list of must haves for a golf community. But as the residents of a number of golf communities have found, to their great surprise, a tour event literally in their backyards can enliven the experience of owning a home there.
The sprawling Landings golf community just outside Savannah will host its first such event beginning March 29 on its Tom Fazio designed Deer Creek layout. The inaugural Savannah Golf Championship will be played with the assistance of more than 500 volunteers from The Landings itself, as well as other people from the surrounding Savannah community, including a group of teenagers who will carry the signs that announce scores for each group.
“The response to the call for volunteers has been overwhelming from our members,” says Christina Danos, communications manager at The Landings Club. She added that a call went out for 400 volunteers from the community and, within two months, a total of 500 signed up to populate the 31 committees needed to run the event and to perform all the duties on the course to make this premiere event a success.
This enthusiasm for a pro event is not uncharacteristic in golf communities. The Landings residents will join other golf community denizens with not only the chance to volunteer but also watch some darn good golf. As the television ads proclaim during PGA Tour events, many of its players came up through the ranks of the Web.com. Also, the chance to host professional players on a course that members play at least a few times a week is undeniably attractive. And what golfer doesn’t appreciate the swing tips from watching people who compete at golf for a living.
Typically, the Web.com finds an enthusiastic bunch of homeowners willing to open their golf community homes to host players, their families and caddies. Many of the competitors on the tour do not make a lot of money – their caddies make much less -- and they are grateful for free lodging and a few meals over a long weekend of play. Residents of golf communities such as The Reserve at Lake Keowee, which has hosted a Web.com event, look forward to providing room and board for the players; competitors appreciate that the homes are so close to the golf course and practice range. For the inaugural event at The Landings, 75 homeowners have signed up to host players, their families and their caddies.
The Savannah Golf Championship runs from March 29 through April 1.
