When Bill Sawls got word that the Big Break Invitational was coming to Reynolds Lake Oconee, it wasn’t long before his phone rang with a special request. Vice President of Golf, Mark Lammi, needed a hand. Or more specifically, many hands. In just a few short months, the course would be flooded with volunteers working the live television event, and Lammi knew Sawls was just the guy to direct them.
“Mr. Sawls is a resident of Great Waters and has significant experience in working on tournaments there,” says Lammi. “He knows the staff and the course extremely well and will do a terrific job in organizing this volunteer effort for us.”
For the past three years, Sawls has worked closely with Jose Lopez, head golf professional at Great Waters, on the Linger Longer Invitational, an annual showcase for college golf teams hosted by Kennesaw State and Mercer University. This year, Sawls chaired approximately 60 volunteers over the course of the two day tournament.
“Jose and his team are so accommodating,” says Sawls. “When we do the Linger Longer, everything we ask of him, he just gets it done. There’s no such thing as the word ‘no’ in his vocabulary.”
But unlike the Linger Longer, the Big Break Invitational is a live broadcast television event which requires more than double the number of volunteers necessary to execute properly. And that is the type of challenge that gets Mr. Sawls excited. “We’re used to running golf tournaments,” says Sawls. “This format is unique for the Big Break franchise, but fortunately for us we have a great deal of experience in hosting top-tier tournaments here at Reynolds.”
Great Waters has a solid history of hosting tournament play, having been the host site for notable competitions that include the Andersen Consulting World Championship of Golf (1995-1997), the Linger Longer Invitational (2006-2014), the PGA Professional National Championship (2008) and the Chick-Fil-A-Bowl Challenge (2010).
The Big Break Invitational will require coordinating 100+ volunteers; but according to Sawls, there has been no shortage of interest from Reynolds Lake Oconee members. “My wife is involved in the Women’s Golf Association and plays in several tournaments and the reaction to this announcement has been very, very positive,” says Sawls. “People come up to her and say, ‘tell your husband that I want to volunteer.’ There are also people I meet in the community that I don’t even know who recognize my name as volunteer chair and offer their assistance.”
Sawls’ logistics right-hand man is Dave Dornheggen. A retired hospital administrator from Cincinnati, Dornheggen will help organize the volunteers and execute the program. “If you use the term, “Executive Officer” in the Army, that’s what Dave will be for me,” says Sawls. “He’s my XO. Someone I can count on in a pinch. With his background in hospital management, he brings excellent experience to the operation.”
Dornheggen also has tournament experience, having worked with Sawls on both the Linger Longer Invitational and the Chick-Fil-A Bowl Golf Challenge. “I’m excited,” says Dornheggen. “It’s a great opportunity for Reynolds to be showcased to a national viewing audience. The affiliation with the Golf Channel will pay dividends for years to come. I think the whole community will recognize long-term benefits.”
Outside of the course logistics for the tournament, there’s the scoring and television production aspect. Heading the volunteer effort on that end will be Charles Finch, another familiar face to the golf volunteer scene. On property, Finch has served in numerous volunteer roles, including volunteer chairman for the Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge (9 years), where he works with ESPN on televised coverage of the event. He has also served as a starter and scorer for the Linger Longer Invitational for the past 8 years. Outside of Reynolds Lake Oconee, Finch has experience as a spotter and scorer for NBC/Golf Channel at The Tour Championship at East Lake Country Club in Atlanta for the last 7 years.
“We’re excited about this event,” says Finch, regarding the Big Break Invitational. “Our members are enthused about the show, and having their community live on television is something to be proud of.”
Finch’s team of approximately 80 volunteers will partner with Golf Channel personnel on all scoring efforts for the four day tournament. The first two rounds will feature a Modified Stableford format (players earning points for birdie and higher and negative points for bogey and lower), with the 10 men and 10 women earning the most points after round two making the cut. Thursday’s third round will feature match play (five men vs. five men / five women vs. five women), with 10 match-play winners advancing to Friday’s final 18-hole stroke play round.
“We’re the communications arm back to the live broadcast,” says Finch. “We’re hands on for anything related to the tournament production whereas Bill (Sawls) handles the behind-the-scenes work. He’ll be in charge of placing marshals on the different holes.”
With all volunteer hands on deck, the focus is on course conditioning. And that’s something course superintendent, Brandon Hayes, and his team are thrilled about. “My crew is on board and my assistants are extremely excited about this event,” says Hayes. “We’re ready to do it.”
The grounds team has started to pay special attention to designated tee areas and has met with the Golf Channel production team on placement of television towers on the back nine holes of the course. As tournament time approaches, frequency of mowing and edging will increase and the course will be prepped to “camera ready” standards.
“I’m looking to recruit some industry help within the association,” says Hayes. “We will have plenty of volunteers to work on course, but as far as maintenance, we’re seeking some extra help there too. We’ll probably have a staff of somewhere between 40 and 50 people that week.”
In just a few short weeks the maintenance team will make their way out on to the course for a final run as the sunrise starts to peek over the horizon. Volunteers will scurry to their positions with headphones on and clipboards in hand. Camera crews will move into positions and lenses will focus on players as they ready to tee off.
And as the first player strikes the ball and that familiar sound echoes down the fairway of the first hole, the Big Break Invitational, Reynolds Lake Oconee officially will be under way. Televisions and webcast monitors across the nation will display the tournament over the course of the four day event. And when it is all said and done, Sawls, Dornheggen, Finch, the volunteers and the golf and maintenance staffs at Reynolds Lake Oconee can all look back on yet another chance to come together and make their community shine.
Reynolds Lake Oconee invites you to celebrate the inaugural Big Break Invitational and join the festivities this summer. Visit www.reynoldslakeoconee.com/big-breakwww.reynoldslakeoconee.com/big-break to book our special big break invitational golf package or request your tickets to the events.
