The Country Club of Birmingham preparing to host Mid-Amateur Championship

by ,

Lee McLemore can’t tell you which course at The Country Club of Birmingham he prefers. After 26 years as director of golf course operations, he knows them better than anyone on the planet – and he’s completely smitten.

“That’s like asking me which child I like the most,” he said with a laugh. “They’re both unique and special in their own way.”

McLemore is tasked with preparing all 36 holes of the East and West Courses for The Country Club of Birmingham’s first national event – the 2013 United States Mid-Amateur Championship, or Mid-Am as it’s commonly known. Scheduled for an Oct. 5 start, 264 golfers will descend on the course and its city for a shot at prime time play, as the winner receives an automatic invitation to play in the Masters.

Typically, a golf course has several years to prepare to host a major tournament like the Mid-Am, and for good reason. The United States Golf Association (USGA) has a list of requirements a course needs to meet. Fairways have to be reshaped, roughs need to be a certain height, and tee boxes must be precisely positioned.

But McLemore and the hundreds helping him didn’t have that luxury.

For The Country Club of Birmingham, talks with USGA began in early 2011. The Club lined itself up to possibly host the 2015 Mid-Am, and organizers were thrilled. Then, a few months later, The Club received a call.

It was the USGA. “How’s 2013?” they asked.

So, for the first time in its 114-year history, The Country Club of Birmingham was about to host a national event, and every moment counted.

“We hit the ground running,” McLemore said. “Typically, a course has a little more time, but with about a year and a half, we still had plenty.”

Twelve committee members and more than 400 volunteers came together and spent months preparing the course and facilities. McLemore said three tee boxes have been added, the rough is an inch higher than normal for the course, and the fairways have been reshaped for tournament play.

“We’re proud to be able to host it, and it certainly gives our members pride that our courses and facilities are good enough to make us a host for the tournament,” said Richard Anthony, chairman of the steering committee.

The tournament was founded in 1981 because young golfers were starting to dominate amateur tournaments. Golfers in college were able to practice more and were probably headed to the professional level, giving them a significant advantage over the older contestants. The USGA decided it needed something for golfers who were not practicing every single day but were still serious about the sport. The Mid-Amateur Championship was born.

The minimum age to compete is 25, and golfers must have an official handicap of 3.4 or less. Qualifying tournaments took place around the nation in August, including a qualifier at Shoal Creek for the state of Alabama. Around 100 golfers competed for just a few spots in the tournament.

Vice Chairs Barney Lanier and Jim Gorrie are helping lead the preparation. Lanier is in charge of the competition, the grounds, the clubhouse and the volunteers, while Gorrie is in charge of hospitality, communication, transportation and finance/administration.

“You have to have good facilities and courses for the USGA to give permission and award you with holding a tournament,” Anthony said. “We want everything to run smoothly.”

The club will use both of its courses during the tournament. After practice rounds, the first two days of the tournament will feature stroke play from all 264 contestants. Half the field will be on the East Course the first day and on the West Course the second day, vice versa for the other half. The field will then be cut down to 64 for the final two days, which will be match play.

Now, with only a month between McLemore and the Mid-Am, he isn’t sweating at all. And he said he’s is ready to show off his manicured stretch of earth to the full field.

 “I think these newcomers will be as surprised as most people,” he said “Everyone who walks on this property for the first time is really amazed that two golf courses this great are tucked in a little valley just over Red Mountain.”