Two weeks as a volunteer at the Amundi Evian Championship
My name is Rocío Alvear and I work as a greenkeeper at Kristianstads Golfklubb in Åhus, Sweden, on the FEGGA Educational Scholarship Programme (Federation of European Golf Greenkeepers Associations).
In July this year, I participated as a volunteer in the preparation of the Amundi Evian Championship in France. After two weeks there, I could not be prouder to have been a part of the Greenkeeping Team for this Major.
Since 2013, The Amundi Evian Championship has been one of the five female Majors. Nowadays, a worldwide event in women’s sports, of vital importance for golf and the European continent. Accordingly, I can only be grateful for being able to live this experience as a volunteer.
The golf course, redesigned in 2013 for the championship, is located in an amazing place: Évian les Bains, France. All the holes have views to the Leman Lake and, many of them, to the Alps, which makes this enclave a unique spot.
The Greenkeeping Team, led by Adrien Petrocelli as Head Greenkeeper, increased its staff of 25 regular workers in summer to 55 during the week of the championship, including volunteers, both international and French, and extra workers for the occasion. The organisation was optimal, volunteers were divided into groups with different tasks always mentored by a member of the Evian Greenkeeper Team.
The experience was enriching in many aspects: to live a tournament of this magnitude is unbeatable. The work intensity, continuous learning, both the individual and collective effort to give as much as possible…etc. Everything with a common goal in that the golf course was in the best condition and, above all, that the players could enjoyed it.
Moreover, I had the chance to share some moments with some of the golfers. Thanks to Creekhouse Management, we were able to interview Linn Grant, learn the vision of a professional golfer regarding the world of greenkeeping, tournament preparation and the current importance of sustainable management and water resources.
Likewise, we had the pleasure of exchanging a few words with the golfer Ana Peláez and received her thanks to the greenkeepers first hand.
Finally, I would like to thank all the people who have made this experience possible: the whole Greenkeeping Team and the workers at Evian Resort, the organization team of The Amundi Evian Championship, the FEGGA (Federation of European Greenkeepers Associations), and Kristianstads Golfklubb (Åhus, Sweden), and to all those who have collaborated and made it possible for me to get here and enjoy a golf event as important as The Amundi Evian Championship.
