I received this email a few weeks ago, and found this bloggers inside take on the PGA tour, as well as his budding golf business very worthy of MyDailySlice readers. Enjoy!
Here is a little background info on me...Casey Jones, 39 years old, born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia.
I started playing golf as a teenager (currently fluctuating between a 4 and 6 handicap), and I've always had an affinity for the numbers side of the game. I've been keeping track of my stats and scores for the last twenty years (I'm a stat nerd).
I feel I have a God-given artistic ability, and have always tried to use my talents to make a living and avoid the non-traditional "9 to 5" lifestyle. In 1996 I was living in Orlando and finding work as a freelance (starving) artist... I was attending the Bay Hill Invitational as a spectator when I came across the "calligraphy" scoreboard (the big board with every player's name and hole-by-hole score posted and updated regularly by someone with nice penmanship skills). I was fascinated, and immediately thought, "This is my kind of job! I know golf...love the score aspect... and I write like iron Byron swings a golf club! I said to myself: "I've found my calling!"
After several months of self-promotion, and a couple of key connections in the golf industry, I landed a few scoreboard gigs in the southeast. Within one year, I was traveling throughout the country for thirty-five weeks, working with every big golf association under the sun (both pro and amateur). The pay wasn't that great, and the travel was brutal, but I was single at the time and loved being around golf, so it was definitely a dream job.
By 2003 I was contracted almost exclusively to do PGA TOUR scoreboards, and their top officials hired me that year to join the Scoring Official staff. This job covers a multitude of responsibilities, but most importantly, I sit in the scoring area with each group after they finish their round and verify their scorecards! Once the player agrees everything is correct, I validate the scores in the TOUR's main IBM scoring system. I've gotten to know all of the players pretty well, which is great, and last year some of them (who knew of my art skills) started asking me to do commemorative score sheets of their wins. With my stomach growling from lack of a good meal...I started to think that I should offer my scoreboard talents not just to the TOUR pros, but to everyday golfers as well! There are countless personal golf accomplishments on the amateur level, and I'd like to capture some of those moments for the golfers who want to display something truly unique and eye-catching. Talk about a conversation piece! Not only can someone relive their best golf memories, but they can also own an original piece of art, hand-drawn by the same PGA TOUR scoring guy who has his work hanging up in the homes of famous professionals!
Currently I still work as a Scoring Official and only do a handful of calligraphy boards. I'm hoping my new venture takes off and allows me to spend more time at home. Being gone thirty-five weeks a year (and I'm talking ALL week) gets old after a while, I don't care how great your job is! I have many stories from behind the scenes on the TOUR that I'm sharing on my new blog (blog.caseyjonesgolf.com).
Folks, check it out...it's an entertaining read. here's to your success Casey!
JFB
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