The Friends You Make Could Last A Lifetime

By Mike Jamison

To anyone who has competed at least twice in the DuPont World Amateur Handicap Championship (now known as the PGA Tour Superstore World Amateur Handicap Championship), it is obvious that one of the major attractions is the camaraderie that is deeply rooted in the annual event in Myrtle Beach. Whether it is in the heat of competition on the golf course or in the festive atmosphere of the nightly gathering at "The World's Largest 19th Hole," sharing tall tales with newly made friends puts the smile on the face that is the World Am. The person you meet in your foursome on Day 1 at this year's competition quite possibly will become the friend you seek out at next year's registration day. As one regular participant said recently, "Golf? Oh, the golf is great. But the main reason I come every year is to see my buddies from around the country. Three years ago we didn't know each other. Now, thanks to the World Am, we are loyal friends." That's what makes the DuPont World Amateur Handicap Championship a terrific event for pre-existing groups.

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What better way to add spice to your regular Saturday morning skins group, or the men's association at your church, or the ladies golf society, or even your regular weekend foursome, then to carry the competition to the World Am? Talk about bragging rights.... "Groups are an extremely important part of our tournament, whether it is the group of 40 from the Golf Club of New Jersey, or the group of four that comes from a golf course in Nebraska," said Steve Mays, Tournament Director. "The tournament has grown because of our past participants sharing their experiences with their playing partners and friends back home. That is what leads to these large groups of players traveling together. They want to share their yearly experience of competing in the world championship with their friends."

One such group is the Golf Club of New Jersey. This is a competitive organization that conducts weekly tournaments for some 200-plus amateurs across New Jersey. Dave Formichella founded the Golf Club of New Jersey, and was a regular at the World Am prior to starting the club. He was so impressed with the World Am experience that he decided to use it as a selling point for his new venture. The top five players in points at year's end in New Jersey receive free entries into the following year's DuPont World Am. This is the group's eighth year. "Why not? The World Am atmosphere is what our club is all about," said Formichella. "It's a competition, seeing different competitors each day, hanging around and talking about it afterwards. It's what we run up here each week, but on a much bigger scale than ours." Formichella's club is a microcosm of the DuPont World Amateur, in that it attracts players of all ages and skill levels, from tournament-savvy scratch players to 36's that only play a few times a year.

The number of World Am competitors from the Golf Club of New Jersey has grown consistently, and this year he expects 55 participants and a total of 150 people, including family members, to flock to Myrtle Beach in late August. "On top of everything else, this makes for a nice family vacation," said Formichella, a single-digit handicapper who won Flight 1 in 1999. "I bring my wife (Madie) and kids every year. Myrtle Beach is great for that."

Bob Garcia can testify to Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday's affinity for groups. Garcia, a Guatemala resident for 14 years, has played in the past five World Amateurs and wanted to share his experience with golf partners back home. So he gathered a group of friends and called on Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, which assisted with the application process, travel arrangements and other details. He expects over 30 people to join him in the "Guatemala Gang."

Some groups completely envelop themselves into the World Am schedule and do little beyond what the individual participant does - compete in the tournament, enjoy the atmosphere of "The World Largest19th Hole" nightly at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, then do it all again the next day. Others, however, offer some value-added functions. "We hold a Guatemala Open on the last Friday of the week (following the tournament)," said Garcia. "We invite the friends we have made during the week. Last year we had 25 players. We hope to have many more this year." Garcia also conducts a cocktail party for the Guatemala Gang on the Friday prior to tournament week, an awards dinner on the last Friday, and bets on final placement in flights.

The Golf Club of New Jersey is less formal. "We all try to stay at the same place, though not everyone does," said Formichella. "Some of our players have purchased places at Myrtle Beach over the years, so we're not all together. We'll get together once prior to the tournament to arrange rides and night-time activities. And we try to meet up at the convention center at night. We do set up our own little competition. We throw in a few bucks and each day pay off the top five net scores. The final pot goes to the top five places in flights, regardless of net scores. It all helps keep you in the game; adds to the fun - running in, pulling the flight score sheets, seeing if you were in the money."

That informal group game played a role in one of the more bizarre incidents involving Formichella's group over the years. The World Am tournament office provides special entry forms with the Golf Club of New Jersey's logo on them. One member invited a friend from Florida to participate with the New Jersey group, and sent the special application form for the Floridian to use. "The guy played, shall we say, an extraordinary round of the golf the first day," recalls Formichella. "The score was so low, we threw him out of our money game after the first day. We really didn't know the guy. But Steve Mays and his tournament staff didn't toss him until the fourth day. That surprised me. The tournament staff has a really tough job when it comes to policing handicaps. I don't envy them. A guy is entitled to play well, but you have to protect the field. In our case, the guy was gone after one day."

The most memorable moment for the New Jersey gang occurred in 2003, and it had nothing to do with hot putters or smoking drives. It came on the final night at "The World's Largest 19th Hole." Group member Vic Long won the drawing for a new PT Cruiser. Long was mobbed by his friends when his name rang through the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. And therein lies the real beauty of "grouping it" at the World Am. "The combination of sharing a competitive experience and the 'World's Largest 19th Hole' makes this event ideal for large groups," said Mays. "Whether it is how they busted a 275-yard drive down the middle on the first tee, or reviewing the score sheets to see how all their friends are doing in the flight, there is nothing quite like sharing the experience of competing in a 'major' championship."

Formichella agrees. "If you go by yourself, it's gotta be less fun," he said. "Competing at a different course each day, meeting new people, then coming back at night to tell the stories. The camaraderie outside the golf is the best part of the World Amateur, and there is nothing better than having 50 other people in your group to share it with."

Mike Jamison is President of Jamison Golf Group, a golf-specialty PR & Media firm based in Lake Mary, FL. He is also Executive Director of the International Network of Golf, a 13- year-old media-based networking organization.