Not long after beginning my career at Nextgengolf, I received the opportunity to attend my first golf tournament. The Deutsche Bank Championship at TPC Boston.

To be clear, when I say my first golf tournament, I mean my first major golf tournament. My first tournament with the best players in the world. I had worked several junior golf events during my internship days previously, but obviously it was nothing like a PGA Tour event.

A group of us attended on Sunday during the third round of the 2014 tournament. It was myself and (almost) all of the Nextgengolf staff members, along with a few family and friends. We walked around in matching bright green shirts, and fielded questions from interested spectators throughout the day on our shirts.

While some people go to a golf tournament with a set plan, such as following a certain group, or camping out at a certain hole, we made it a point to wander around and see everything we could. We followed Rickie Fowler for a couple holes, Rory McIlroy for a couple holes, and of course Boston-favorite Keegan Bradley. I even had the chance to yell "Rock Chalk" to Gary Woodland as he walked to the scorers tent.

It was incredible to see the best players in the world literally 5 feet in front of me doing what they do best. It was also fascinating to see the way a course is set-up for a tournament versus everyday golf. The grandstands, scoreboards around the course, and hospitality tents everywhere. It was a similar experience, expect the opposite, of hosting the NCCGA National Championship at TPC San Antonio in the Fall of 2015. We were able to see the course set-up for regular play, and later got to see it set-up for the Valero Texas Open on television.

There were of course a couple surprises. I instinctively brought out my cell phone to snap a picture of one of the golfers teeing off, only to quickly learn that was a no-no (oops).

I also learned you couldn't simply walk up to a hole and grab a good spot, you had to plan ahead for the best views. If you were following Rickie Fowler, you had to plan ahead and go to the next hole before he finished putting out on the previous hole if you wanted a good spot.

The Deutsche Bank Championship is a great event and it's even better that it's here in Boston (where Nextgengolf is also located). The tournament does a lot for the local community, including giving a significant amount of money to charitable organizations.

They also recognized the same problem Nextgengolf noticed when they began: College students are on a budget. It's why they offer discounts on tickets for students. College students can grab tickets for $29 (normally $60) for ANY of the days. $29 for a ticket to a PGA Tour event? Yes please!

3/2020 - This tournament is now called the Northern Trust and shifts from Boston to New York each year.