PVCMA Championship Circuit

Entry Details

The Philadelphia-area is primed for opportunity in championship golf and tournaments in 2026! In anticipation for the 2026 PGA Championship at Aronimink Golf Club, the 78th U.S. Junior Amateur at Saucon Valley Country Club, and the 126th U.S. Amateur at Merion Golf Club, we established a unique work opportunity at these events for 1-2 team members per club, and this group will travel to each event to gain championship experience. We called this idea the “championship circuit.”

Implementation

Each hosting club has a professional staff member liaison and identified a rising star (manager in training, leader in development, F&B manager, etc.) who would be committed to the entirety of this circuit. We launched this with the 2025 Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club in May, and we have since added the inaugural Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic at Lehigh Country Club at the end of 2026.  For the Truist Championship, we had a virtual orientation to welcome the group and make introductions. We listened to a club overview, outlined the planning process for a PGA TOUR Signature Event and the goals of the Truist Championship, and set a date for an in-person training. A week prior to the event, we conducted an onsite orientation which included a tour of the facilities, review of schedule and assignments, distributed credentials, and covered uniform and parking expectations. Participants worked 3-4 days in player and clubhouse hospitality during the week. Our objective for the circuit is to have participants rotate through several aspects of championship operations in the future (including on-course hospitality, concessions, media, etc.) Each host club will determine the best assignment for this group of club managers, as this circuit spans USGA, PGA, and PGA TOUR events. At the end of the circuit, we are excited for what can be achieved by way of resume building in a year, and networking to last a lifetime. To measure success and gather feedback from this championship, we sent a post-event survey to participants, and the experiences and responses were even better than we could have expected for our launch event!