BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington and the American Junior Golf Association continued their partnership this summer with the second year of the AJGA Event Management Experience, a course designed to provide students with hands-on training in sports event operations.
The three-year partnership began in May 2025 with the course offered during the summer term. Following its successful launch, the AJGA Event Management Experience returned this summer for its second year. The three-credit course, offered in an online and hybrid format, gives sophomores, juniors and seniors pursuing degrees in sport marketing and management the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in sports event operations.
The four-week course gives students an inside look at the AJGA’s mission, internship program and the operations required to host a nationally recognized junior golf tournament. As part of the experience, students were on site for the AJGA Circle K Junior Championship hosted by Indiana University at The Pfau Course, gaining first-hand insight into tournament operations at the home of the Hoosiers.
During the event, students learned from AJGA interns and served as tournament volunteers, assisting with player registration, course setup and breakdown, meal distribution, and hydration efforts. The immersive experience allowed students to observe the daily responsibilities of AJGA interns and gain practical insight into event management within the golf industry.
During the summer of 2025, I took the AJGA x IU course, where I learned more about the AJGA through its interns. I was given a chance to work one-on-one with an AJGA intern to learn more about their individual tasks and what it was like working for the organization. When I received the news that I was going to be a 2026 Summer Operations Intern, I was ecstatic. Working with a team of eight other interns was a one-of-a-kind experience, and I believe having a strong relationship of trust with my team gave me the opportunity to explore, grow, and create new opportunities for myself. I am very appreciative of my three-month journey with the AJGA that all started in an IU classroom.
Students spend the first three weeks building a foundation in the AJGA’s mission, organizational structure and approach to tournament operations. The course then transitions from the classroom to the course, with the final week giving students the opportunity to experience a live AJGA event and apply what they have learned in a hands-on setting. In its two years, 34 Indiana University students have been through this course.
Partnering with the AJGA means working alongside an organization that shares my commitment to developing leaders through lived experiences. The AJGA believes in investing in young people, providing meaningful opportunities, and empowering the next generation of leaders. That shared vision makes this partnership especially valuable because it creates opportunities for our students to learn, grow, and gain experience within the golf industry.
Indiana University Bloomington, ranked among the top undergraduate sport marketing and management programs in the nation, is the first university to partner with the AJGA on an educational experience of this kind. The collaboration highlights both organizations’ commitment to preparing future sports professionals through impactful and experiential learning opportunities.
About the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington
The Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington (SPH-B) is reimagining public health through a comprehensive approach that enhances and expands disease prevention and reshapes how parks, tourism, sports, leisure activities, physical activity and nutrition impact and enhance wellness. Unique in the nation, the school’s multidisciplinary approach, history of community engagement and emerging strengths in epidemiology, biostatistics and environmental health bring new vigor and energy to the traditional concept of a school of public health. With nearly 4,000 students in an array of undergraduate and advanced degree programs and more than 130 faculty in five academic departments, faculty and students conduct research, learn, teach and engage with communities across a broad spectrum of health, wellness, and disease-prevention topics.
