Teeing up the tournament

For the first time since 2014, Louisville’s Valhalla Golf Club was home to the PGA Championship, and UofL was a driving force behind the exclusive event with students and alumni both behind the scenes and on the course.

The four-day competition in May hosting golf pros, families and rabid fans required a lot of hard work and preparation. It  also was a chance for several alums to show off the skills they learned at UofL, including its College of Education and Human Development and College of Business, whether it was in hospitality, ticketing or security.

“I was fortunate enough to go (to UofL) for my master’s program. It was one of the best decisions of my life,” said Kenny Martin ’16, manager of volunteer operations. “It helped me get started down the right path.

The path to the PGA Championship at Valhalla started years ago in preparation.

“We have to remember this is just a golf course,” said Larry Sinclair ’88, director of hospitality sales. “We have to build a small city that can accommodate thousands and thousands of people.”

Four out of the eight full-time staff members at PGA are UofL alumni. When there’s an event of this magnitude, preparation and teamwork is key. Sinclair, who earned a business administration degree, has been working with the PGA for 20 years. He is involved with everything from selling tents to various companies to making hotel accommodations -- and customizing the experience for the fans.

Around 200,000 people attended the tournament. Tickets for the championship were first available in June 2023 and sold out in three days. Natalie Hoppe ’21, the ticket and sales marketing lead for PGA, was in charge of coordinating communication with ticket buyers and marketing the event with various outlets.

While Hoppe focused on getting people to the event, Sinclair, Martin and Zach Miller ’20 centered on what to do with them while they were there.

Miller is the championship spec coordinator,  overseeing security, parking, emergency services and community relations for tournaments. Most of his job required off-site work putting him  in close contact with the community. He worked with surrounding neighborhoods to inform them about the tournament and also coordinated with law enforcement to ensure the safety of the event.

Accommodating all those fans also required a large volunteer presence. It takes around 3,000 volunteers to have a smooth-running operation, and recruiting, assessing and scheduling volunteers are all part of Martin’s role as head of volunteer efforts.

Luckily, Martin could reach out to UofL for help. The sport administration program (SPAD) in the health and sport sciences department offered a unique opportunity for students to connect with the PGA, including a class in which students visited Valhalla to learn different aspects of customer service in the sports world.

“We worked with the University of Louisville to provide customer service. Forty-four students were here each day to help with all our service area,” Sinclair said. “They come out here and administer everything they have learned in the classroom.”

Martin took that SPAD course while he was at UofL and credits the program for helping him climb to where he is today. He is glad to pay it forward with current SPAD students.  

“I never envisioned myself working with golf but that class opened the door for me and one connection led to the next and eventually led to where I am today,” Martin said. “I fell in love with working these golf tournaments.”

Valhalla also got a boost from two UofL Golf Club employees. Superintendent Noah Pier and Assistant Superintendent Adam Fisher joined the Valhalla crew for the championship. The UofL alums, employees and student volunteers each played a different but important role in the tournament’s success,  but many fans wouldn’t recognize names such as Sinclair, Hoppe, Martin or Miller since they’re all behind the scenes. One UofL alum, however, made his name known on the course – former Cardinal golfer Adam Hadwin ’09, who has been on the PGA circuit for more than a decade. Hadwin, ranked as the No. 49 golfer in the world, finished the 2024 PGA Championship tied for 60th at four under par.

For Louisville native Hoppe, who was working the tournament for the first time, it was a culmination of everything she’d been striving toward since her time on campus. Her favorite part was seeing what the tournament does for the city.

“Being from Louisville and seeing how much the city (supported) the event and how excited everyone was for the championship, just knowing my team and I have all been a part of it for the last two years, it (was) fun to see it all come together,” Hoppe said.