Executive Director's Message
Dear Community Champion,
As we make plans for Memorial Day Weekend, it’s easy to get caught up in celebrating the ‘unofficial’ start of summer with backyard barbeques, beach plans and other social activities. Everyone is eager to enjoy the long weekend and reconnect with family and friends, especially as our country emerges from the pandemic and social gatherings begin again.
However, this weekend is also a time of reflection, a solemn observance to honor and remember the men and women who died while serving our country.
Military support is one of THE PLAYERS’ key charitable priorities. Northeast Florida is home to the largest military presence and veteran population in Florida. One in four area residents is connected to the military, and this past year has been especially difficult for our military community. Statistics have revealed that COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the lives of military members and their families, with record suicide rates resulting from the isolation and challenges of the pandemic. In Northeast Florida, data averages reveal that one military member commits suicide each week.
In addition to being Military Appreciation Month, May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. In the Charity Spotlight below, you’ll learn more about one local nonprofit – The Fire Watch – that is fighting to end veteran suicide in Northeast Florida. I encourage you to learn more about the organization and sign up to become a Watch Stander. Now more than ever, our military community needs us. Together, we can stand watch and save lives. THE PLAYERS is committed to using our platform to serve and support those who served us.
Best,
Jared Rice
Executive Director, THE PLAYERS Championship
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Charity Spotlight: The Fire Watch
THE PLAYERS chose The Fire Watch - Northeast Florida’s fight to end veteran suicide - as one of its Charities of the Day during the 2021 tournament.
One year ago, The Fire Watch launched a “Watch Stander” program, a non-clinical, early intervention network of veterans and civilian volunteers trained to identify risk factors of veterans in crisis and to direct those veterans to the resources they need. It is modeled after the success of similar community-based solutions to public health challenges, such as the CPR program.
Watch Standers earn this designation by completing a 30-minute virtual training, focused on identifying crisis signals and learning how to direct veterans to the support they need.
For the first nine months, the Watch Stander program averaged 48 new participants per month. Now, the organization is averaging over 100 per month, including the largest surge that took place in mid-March during THE PLAYERS (see chart below). 185 people completed Watch Stander training during the month of March alone.
“I believe this [surge] is almost entirely due to the awareness created during THE PLAYERS week...the TPC effect!” said The Fire Watch Executive Director Nick Howland. “Numbers are important to the Watch Stander program. The more members of our community trained to identify the warning signs of veterans in crisis and to direct them to the help they need, the more we will prevent veteran suicide in our community.”
CLICK HERE TO BECOME A WATCH STANDER
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Volunteer Spotlight: Baron and Shelia Tetzlaff
 
In honor of Military Appreciation Month, let’s get to know a special husband and wife volunteer duo who bravely served our country for a combined 55 years. 21 years ago, Baron and Shelia Tetzlaff met while both were stationed on the aircraft carrier USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN-72), and they just celebrated their 18th wedding anniversary last month. The Tetzlaff’s decided to retire in Jacksonville in 2012 after loving the area while being stationed in Northeast Florida earlier in their careers. Baron and Shelia have been volunteers at THE PLAYERS for nine and six years, respectively.
Let’s learn more about this ‘PLAYERS power couple’ in this Q&A:
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Baron: I usually call Grants Pass, Oregon, my hometown since it is both where I graduated high school and where my family moved when my dad retired after a 32-year Air Force career. It was my father who gave me my love for golf. My father also gave me my love for travel and adventure, which prompted my enlistment in the Navy. I enjoy playing golf, building sets for local community theatres, and riding motorcycles.
Shelia: I was raised in a small town named Shell Knob, Missouri, until I graduated from high school and joined the Navy at 18 years old. I like spending my time with my family, planting gardens, and reading.
What was your military journey?
Baron: I completely enjoyed my 30-year career in the Navy. While I wasn’t quite able to circumnavigate the globe, between 11 ships and 7 deployments, I got close. The Navy let me meet and experience many different cultures, people, foods, and golf courses. Best yet, I met my wife while stationed aboard an aircraft carrier.
Shelia: While I was in high school, a military couple visited my aunt. The couple were both active duty and serving in the Air Force stationed in Japan. It’s the first time I met a female service member, and that one visit convinced me that being a female service member is what I wanted to be. I wanted to see the world. During my junior year of high school, I enlisted in the Navy and left for bootcamp after graduation. I retired after an amazing 25 years in the Navy.
 
What is one of the biggest life lessons you learned during your time in the military?
Baron: The biggest lesson I learned while in the military is to believe in myself. If you believe in yourself, you become more confident which leads to success and happiness.
Shelia: The biggest lesson I learned while in the military is that through hard work and dedication, you can achieve any goal.
Why did you decide to volunteer at THE PLAYERS?
Sheila: I thought it would be fun to be out on the course, working with my husband, and volunteering my time in order to raise funds for charity. Additionally, I wanted to spend time with my husband during his birthday and Mother’s Day (when the tournament used to be held in May).
Baron, we heard that you earned the nickname ‘Bam Bam.’ How did that come about? 😊
This is a little embarrassing, but in my first or second year as Captain on Hole 6, one of the golfers had hit a ball to the right outside the ropes. After the group had finished on Hole 6 and moved to the Tee on 7, I started replacing the ropes and noticed they needed tightening. While hammering, it was brought to my attention that the noise from the hammering caused a slight delay in play. I’ve been “Bam Bam” since that day.
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Beyond the Ropes
THE PLAYERS’ impact extends far beyond the rope lines and well past the moment when THE PLAYERS champion sinks the winning putt. Learn more about our year-round commitment to being good stewards in our northeast Florida community.
"Amazing!" - Theo's special day at TPC Sawgrass
Two years ago, shortly after being diagnosed with a brain tumor, 9-year-old Theo was made an honorary member of the University of Florida men’s golf team, thus beginning his love of the game. Through the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund, Theo was invited to attend THE PLAYERS 2021, but his chemotherapy treatments prevented him from attending. To help make up for this missed moment, THE PLAYERS and Jay Fund teams collaborated to create a special scavenger hunt experience at TPC Sawgrass. 2020 Tournament Chairman Andy Carroll served as Theo’s ‘caddy’ for the experience, which included special prizes and a big surprise at the very end.
Click here to read an article about Theo’s special day.
"A Transformative Partnership” - Women’s Golf returns to Edward Waters College
THE PLAYERS recently announced a $50,000 donation to help reinstate the women’s golf program at Edward Waters College (EWC), Florida's first private HBCU that is located in downtown Jacksonville. With this announcement, EWC is now one of only two HBCUs in Florida to offer a dedicated women’s golf program.
"This program is seminal to the growth of our institution, not only to athletics but our overall program," said Edward Waters College President Dr. A. Zachary Faison, Jr. "I am so very thankful to THE PLAYERS for hearing our call and stepping up to the plate to help support the reimagination, reinvigoration and relaunching of women's golf. Minorities are under-represented in golf. Women of color are even more under-represented. We want to be a partner in helping diversify the game."
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News to Know
#Match4Military grants- deadline to apply is June 30
THE PLAYERS is extending an invitation to military-and-veteran-serving organizations in Northeast Florida (Baker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, and St. Johns counties) to request funding for their programs and services. Proposals for #Match4Military grants, up to $15,000, will be accepted online now through June 30th. Click HERE to apply.
Guest Column: ‘Thank you for making THE PLAYERS a success’
On National Golf Day, THE PLAYERS Executive Director Jared Rice served as a guest columnist in the Florida Times-Union to thank the community for helping to produce a successful 2021 championship. Click here to read the full piece.
#MakeGolfYourThing campaign launches
On May 17, the PGA TOUR helped announce a new marketing campaign called “Make Golf Your Thing.” This initiative is a collaborative effort across the golf industry that invites people from all backgrounds to experience the sport of golf in their own way.
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Look Who's Talking: Robert Conrad
Robert Conrad recently joined THE PLAYERS team as our new Senior Director of Sales. Learn more about Robert in this Q&A, and please join us in welcoming Robert to the team!
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I was born and raised in New Orleans. After graduating from high school, I attended Washington and Lee University in Virginia. Over the last 20 years, I’ve had the opportunity to call Lexington, VA; Washington D.C.; New Orleans, LA (again), St. Petersburg, FL; San Diego, CA; Miami, FL; Atlanta, GA, and now Ponte Vedra, FL home. My wife, Meghan, and our two children, Jack (6) and Ellie (4), moved to the JAX area in September of 2020, and we love it here!
What did you do before working at the TOUR?
I spent 6 years with Uber Technologies launching Uber Eats across the U.S. It was a fascinating time to be with the company. I learned a ton and worked with some incredibly talented people.
How have the first few weeks been in this new role? Any interesting discoveries or findings about THE PLAYERS or the PGA TOUR?
I still have a lot to learn, but I can say with certainty that I am lucky to be part of a team of colleagues and volunteers with an awe-inspiring level of commitment to its fans, players, and the communities it serves. The biggest discovery to-date is obviously the Goat Story.
What are you most looking forward to in your new role with THE PLAYERS?
March 8, 2022, and the look on fans’ faces when they start enjoying everything that THE PLAYERS team and the volunteers work year-round to bring to life.
Favorite sports team?
Geaux Saints! Who Dat? The Jags are now running a close second...
Favorite Hobby?
If we’re free of obligations, you can usually find our family somewhere near the water, kayaking, fishing, boating, or beaching. There are also likely some golf lessons for all of us in the very the near future.
Favorite vacation spot?
Our family motto is “live where others vacation,” so recently we’ve been taking advantage of everything our new city has to offer. Amelia Island, Boneyard Beach, and the Matanzas Inlet are a few of our favorite spots to explore.
Bucket list item?
Complete The Great Loop
Fun fact about you that most people don’t know?
I have inexplicable luck in raffles. It drives my wife crazy. I once won an all-expenses paid trip to Denmark.
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For the first time in its 30-plus year history, the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship, collegiate golf’s most culturally significant championship, was contested at TPC Sawgrass, home of THE PLAYERS, from May 2-5. 24 teams representing Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) from all over the country competed in the event, and tournament week kicked off with a career expo hosted at the PGA TOUR's Global Home, with more than 25 TOUR employees serving as ambassadors to share their career experiences.
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Each spring since 1998, the St. Johns County School District has hosted the American Youth Character Awards program to recognize high school students of good character. THE PLAYERS was one of the event's sponsors this year. Marsha Oliver, PGA TOUR Vice President of Community and Inclusion, served as the emcee for the evening, with Red Coat Rusty Pritchett and members of THE PLAYERS' Community Outreach team also in attendance.
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THE PLAYERS Red Coats joined Executive Director Jared Rice and 2022 Tournament Chairman Matt Welch to announce a $50,000 donation to Edward Waters College to reinstate the women’s golf program. In addition, the Red Coats surprised EWC with more than $10,000 in supplies and equipment.
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Marsha Oliver, PGA TOUR Vice President of Community and Inclusion, presented THE PLAYERS’ Driven to Succeed scholarship to Mikaila, a straight A student at Darnell Cookman School of the Medical Arts. This $1,000 scholarship is awarded to a student at the MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation who demonstrates champion-level behavior throughout the year. In addition to being an advocate for the environment and climate change, Mikaila has a passion for writing fantasy stories. Go Mikaila!
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