www.teetimespaper.com
June 2020
TEE TIMES
15
Man behind the mic
Darren Reese’s quarantine chats kept golf in the conversation during height of the coronavirus pandemic By Gregg Dewalt Tee Times Editor
but he learned how starved the Tennessee golf community is for news. “The biggest thing I learned is how engaged Keeping golf at the forefront of conversathe golf community is in Tennessee,” Reese tions at the height of the coronavirus pansaid. “I don’t know why that is compared to demic proved to be not that difficult of a some other states around us. It seems like job for Darren Reese. we have a tight-knit golf community and All it took for the Tennessee Golf Assoeverybody is interested in what everybody ciation’s director of communication was a is doing. That was good to see from my perlittle ingenuity, some broadcasting equipspective.” ment and an eager audience. Reese had Reese said he tried to get a variety of all of that at his disposal, and in a matter guests for the chats to make sure all parts of days the TGA’s nightly video chats were of the game were covered. Among his favorlaunched via the organization’s social meite guests were University of Tennessee golf dia platforms to great success. coach Brennan Webb, Collins and Henley. During those April “Facebook Live QuarWebb’s segment attracted approximately antine Chats”, Reese engaged in some fas2000 views. Henley’s segment last about cinating conversations with a wide array an hour and 45 minutes, and Reese enjoyed of golf industry types. Reese chatted and talking with Collins, who detailed the rise TGA Director of Communications Darren Reese, left, viewers emailed questions for guests rangof Sweetens Cove to almost cult-like status. video chats with PGA Tour caddie Kip Henley ing from junior and college players, college When the series of chats ended, Reese had coaches, Sweetens Cove designer Rob Collins and current PGA Tour caddie/former Big interviewed approximately 27 guests, including five college coaches and recent PGA Break winner Kip Henley. Champions Tour winner Doug Barron. It all started with a conversation between Reese and TGA executive director Chad Reese arrived at Golf House in 2018 after spending 15 years in the newspaper busiAnderson. ness in east Tennessee. He played junior golf, so there is a built-in passion to hear “Chad came to me and told me that we might be out for a while, and I needed to find stories about the game. some ways to engage with people and get some content to put out on social media,” The chats were pushed across a variety of social media platforms in addition to Reese said. “I was sitting in here one day – we had just ordered some podcast equipFacebook, so they were widely available. Viewers also were able to submit questions. ment – Chad wanted to start a podcast here through the Tennessee Golf Association. The quarantine chats ended once things began to get back to normal We had the soundboard and the microphone laying around. I hooked it up to my comaround the state. puter. I got on Twitter and said, ‘Hey, anybody want to get on and talk about golf?’” “I could have kept it going for a long time,” said Reese, who The response to Reese’s plea was overwhelming. is 38 years old and juggles a variety of duties for the other “Within no time I had all kinds of people – coaches, junior golfers, senior golfers, all organizations at Golf House. He also handles social media for kinds of people saying hey, I’ll get on and talk with you. It kind of grew from there. Once the Simmons Bank Open, Nashville’s Korn Ferry Tour stop. I kind of put it out there and people saw we were doing it, I had all kinds of people volReese hopes to find a way to incorporate more chats into unteering to come on and talk.” his routine as time allows – whether on a weekly basis or a Anderson said Reese turned a negative situation into a positive. couple of times per week. “When strange situations occur, like COVID, you never know. what positives will “There is no shortage of guests out there,” he said. come from it,” he said. “Darren was able to keep our golfers engaged by giving some Anderson was happy that Reese was able to keep golf of our great golf personalities a platform to tell stories. His Facebook Live quarantine in the conversation during the height of the panTennessee Golf Association chats were a huge hit and received thousands of views. People were requesting to be demic. Chad AndersonExecutive Director a guest, listeners were asking who was our next guest, it was wild.” “We are thankful for those who Lynne Howd - Director, Handicapping Anderson likened the chats to pre-television days. came on to chat with Allison Brown - Senior Director, Rules & Competitions “Everyone was sitting around the house with nowhere to go and sports weren’t on Darren,” he said. “DarTV - it was like we were living in the 1940’s and our entertainment came from the ren truly is one of the Nathaniel Hantle - Director, Course Rating & Member Services Darren Reese - Director, Marketing & Communications radio,” he said. best in the country at Not only did Reese become more tech savvy while getting the chats up and running, what he does.” Jeff Giedd - Director, Rules & Competitions
