At the end of each year, the NCCGA leadership team evaluates how we can improve the organization. One of the things I felt we could do to improve our tournaments and create a consistent experience across the country was to introduce a new student leadership position – the NCCGA Director of Tournament Operations. I know it will be valuable to have a student well versed in running tournaments contribute to our tournament vision and be the student lead for running our National Championships.
I was very excited at the number of interested applicants for the position, and it was great to get to know all of the people and hear their opinions for improvements during the application/interview process. Nick Heyrman stood out during his interview as his passion for the game, his experiences running tournaments, and desire to improve the NCCGA in 2015 earned him the first NCCGA Tourney Ops role.
With Nick’s new role, he will oversee the execution of the regional tournaments, coordinate the tournament volunteers, and aid in planning and directing the Spring and Fall National Championships.
He gained experience as a tournament coordinator for the Wisconsin PGA Junior Foundation in the summer of 2014. Nick aims to increase volunteer participation, promote awareness of the Rules of Golf, and improve the tournament experience for players.
Nick is a sophomore at Saint Louis University where he studies Accounting and Sports Business at the John Cook School of Business while pursuing a minor in History. Nick is currently serving as the Vice President of Competitions for SLU's club team which he joined in the fall of 2013. He has enjoyed playing club golf for SLU and the camaraderie that he has built with his teammates.
The highlight of his club golf experience so far has been placing sixth at the Central Region tournament last spring hosted at the Payne Stewart Golf Club in Branson, Missouri. In his spare time, Nick enjoys learning about history, lifting weights, and rooting for the Green Bay Packers.
If you have any recommendations or suggestions on how to improve the NCCGA tournament experience for individuals and teams, please let us know at ops@nccga.org, or on Twitter @NCCGATourneys.
**Matt Weinberger is the NCCGA Commissioner.
