This week in the Fortinet Intern Spotlight Series, we introduce Faith Scott, one of the AJGA’s Tournament Assistants (TA) this summer. The TA role is an elevated internship position for people returning for another season with the AJGA. This past spring, Faith served as a Traveling Operations Intern in the South Central and Southeast regions. She recently graduated from Florida A&M University with a health, leisure and fitness degree.
What is your golf background?
I started playing basketball when I was younger and then my dad introduced me to golf. Once I went to one or two lessons, I fell in love with it. I took it more seriously in high school, where I played for Columbus High School in Columbus, Georgia. I won a state championship in my sophomore year of high school and signed to play golf at Alabama State University, where I played for two seasons.
Why did you make the shift from playing competitive golf to the operations side?
When I first went to college, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to try to pursue a professional golf career. I saw the difficulty my teammates had when they graduated and tried to go pro, and I knew I wanted a more stable atmosphere. I talked to my swing coach at the time, and he thought that I would be great in golf operations. He told me I have the background, knowledge and passion for it. I transferred to Florida A&M, which does not have a women’s golf team, but a great academic program.
Did you have any experience working in the golf industry before starting with the AJGA? How did you learn about the AJGA internship program?
I had worked a little bit in the cart barn at my home course, Maple Ridge Golf Club. At Florida A&M, my advisor set me up with the First Tee of Tallahassee, where I was able to coach and manage the girls’ summer camps. That solidified me in wanting to be in golf operations. I then learned about the AJGA Internship through the Florida A&M golf coach, who partnered with the First Tee to do a family golf camp on campus. He saw me working on that and had spoken about me with my advisor and believed that the AJGA would be a great path.
What were some highlights of your spring operations internship?
One of my favorite memories was running a tournament in Southern Pines, NC, where during our time off our Tournament Director that week took us to Pinehurst Country Club, which is hosting this year’s U.S. Open. We got to play Pinehurst’s putting course and see all of the different apparel they have. I just loved all the tournaments that I traveled to because I got to visit places I’ve never been, like College Station, Texas, and explore everywhere with my team.
How was your experience working on a team with people of all different backgrounds and how did you all work together?
We all came from different paths, my teammates were from places like California, Pennsylvania, Texas and Ohio. It was cool to see how different people mesh being from different areas of the country. For me, the most important thing was having a team able to work together on and off the golf course. We made sure we had team dinners and did team activities. That drew us together; we consider ourselves as family and we still stay in touch to this day. We learned our strong suits and were not afraid to help each other when we needed it, which I think allowed us to succeed throughout the spring.
What were you able to learn from the spring internship?
I was kind of nervous my first couple of weeks because I had to step back from being a golfer and learn more about what it takes to run a successful tournament. However, the Tournament Directors that I talked to gave me knowledge and motivation to be confident in the decisions that I made. I also learned more about communication and the importance of organization during my internship. There were many communication styles on my team and figuring out what communication works best for everyone was very important, especially on the radios we use on the golf course. Organizationally, we had a trailer with different equipment that we had to stay on top of because if we didn’t have the right equipment, the tournament may not be able to be run successfully.
What are you most looking forward to in the TA role this summer?
I’m excited to learn a lot more about the job of a Tournament Director and see how they run tournaments. I like seeing how players react to changes but also how appreciative they are about having tournaments in different regions and getting to travel. The Tournament Director role is something I’m interested in for my future and I’m grateful for this opportunity in an elevated role.
What advice would you give to someone who is considering applying for an AJGA internship?
Just go for it and don’t be afraid. I know it can be a lot because you’re on the road for so long, but it’s a great opportunity. You meet so many people, from your teammates to players, to Tournament Directors; you learn a lot about everybody’s different backgrounds. The AJGA is there for you when you have questions, helping point you in the right direction and giving you a lot of insight into your future.
To learn about the #AJGAInternship, check out our Careers page and follow along on Instagram .
