From the first tee shot on May 17 to the final putt on May 20, this year’s AT&T Byron Nelson will be history-making golf for a great cause.
I’ll be there. And there are lots of reasons you should be too.
I held my first club when I was about 12, and I’ve been hooked on the game ever since. But you can get excited about this year’s contest even if you only have a passing interest in drives, chips and putts.
It’s the tournament’s 50th anniversary, and its first year at a spectacular new course, Trinity Forest Golf Club in south Dallas. Trinity Forest is a links-style golf course. That means all of the action goes on in a tight, 7,400-yard-long course set within 150 acres that’s practically devoid of trees. At some points, you can watch the tee box for one hole, the approach for another, and the green of a third.
Former professional golfer Ben Crenshaw and partner Bill Coore designed a beautiful course. The fairways feature dramatic bunkers separated by rolling mounds of native Texas grasses, wildflowers and plants. The course is set up high, so just a little wind can change the game.
For AT&T, the tournament is a way to support our hometown community and our business at the same time.
The AT&T Byron Nelson is the leading charity fundraiser on the PGA TOUR. The tournament and its organizer, the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, have raised more than $155 million for Momentous Institute. Through Momentous School and other endeavors, the Institute serves more than 5,500 children and family members through therapeutic and educational programs.
We’ll have multiple AT&T spaces across the course where you can learn more about our company while taking a break. And a new virtual reality experience will educate folks about the dangers of distracted driving. It’s part of our “It Can Wait” program.
We’re setting up four temporary cell towers, 45 Wi-Fi pods and charging stations around the course to keep people connected.
We also have you covered for the days you can’t be on the course. DIRECTV and U-verse TV will air Thursday and Friday play live on The Golf Channel. Coverage on Saturday and Sunday will start on The Golf Channel at noon CT and then move to CBS at 2 p.m. Coverage from holes 16, 17 and 18 will be available in stunning 4K HDR.
I’ll be keeping a close eye on Jordan Spieth. He’s not only an AT&T Athlete, he’s also from Dallas, and has more experience than most on the new course.
Hope to see you there!
And if you’re driving out to the tournament, please put down your smartphone. Don’t drive distracted. It Can Wait!
