Tyler Oldenburg is the first vice chair heading into this year’s THE PLAYERS Championship as he has been volunteering with the tournament since 2013. The Jacksonville native has special memories of TPC Sawgrass growing up from his days as a junior golfer and is proud to do his part to help carry on the event’s legacy in the community.
Tell us a little about yourself and your background.
I was originally born in Rochester, Minnesota but was only there for less than six months before my family moved down to Jacksonville.
I’ve pretty much been here ever since, except for when I went off to college at Embry-Riddle in Atlanta for my undergrad and then Mercer University for graduate school. I also played golf in college while at Embry-Riddle.
I came back to the area right after law school and got a job at a law firm called Marks Gray and I have been at that same firm since I finished law school in 2011, and I practice business litigation.
How did you get involved with THE PLAYERS?
I knew past chairman Robert Davis, who was the Red Coat chair in 2013 and he got me involved during the 2014 tournament.
I grew up and still live in Deerwood, which is also where Robert lives, so I’ve known him forever, and I knew when I got back to town that I was looking for a way to get involved somehow.
I figured it would be a good mix because I’ve always had a passion for golf and it is associated with the charitable aspect which is a huge component of it all.
What has your experience been like since getting involved?
I’ve realized how much THE PLAYERS gives back and the huge impact it has on the community, not just economically but also in terms of giving back.
One of the things I enjoy most is the people you get to meet and know while you’re working the tournament.
We have a good time while we do it and it’s an amazing time seeing all your friends that you’ve developed over the years.
Some of these people I don’t see but once a year, but we all reconnect and catch up come tournament time.
People from all over come to be a part of this event. I’ve gotten close with so many international to local volunteers. It’s a special bond that we all share and have in common.
What is your role as a vice chairman?
I’m the first vice chair this year, and the way it works is that there are five vice chairs under the chair.
The first vice chair is really effectively helping run the tournament for the chair and overseeing the other four vice chairs and making sure the 50 or so committees are running efficiently, such as hospitality, competition, facilities and parking, and volunteers.
Each of the committees has a chair and an assistant chair associated with them.
It’s a good system, because the vice chair can work their way up and it allows you to get a great sense of everything that makes a tournament work.
Ideally, the vice chair would take over the chair duties in the next year’s tournament.
Have you had time to think about what it would be like to become chair next year?
It would be a tremendous honor to be able to lead the tournament and the continued impact it has on the community.
The tournament and what it means is not lost on me.
I remember growing up playing junior golf and our end of the year championship was always at the TPC Stadium Course.
You always knew you had to play well enough to play in it, and it was always a special time and I still have those memories when it comes to this course.
What do you enjoy most about living in the North Florida area?
I think Jacksonville and Northeast Florida is a wonderful area to grow up and raise a family.
It has a little bit of everything going for it and it’s a pretty tight knit community from downtown to the beaches and evertyhing in between.
The golfing options are also immense so there’s that to go along with everything else.
