Curious about what to expect at the World Am? We don’t blame you. Any tournament that attracts more than 3,000 people from across the globe to compete for a single prize is difficult to imagine. The best way to get a feel for any event is by talking to its participants, so without further ado, hear what World Am players had to say about the tournament.

Michael Dodd was at the World’s Largest 19th Hole on the final night of the 2009 World Amateur, enjoying the end of the tournament as he always does. What Dodd missed in all the excitement was the announcement that he had won a trip to the 2010 Players Championship.

When Golf.com World Am officials sent the Wilmington, N.C., native documentation about winning the random drawing he was as surprised as anyone.

“I had no idea where it came from,” Dodd said of receiving notification of the trip. “Then I started putting two and two together (and realized it came from the World Am).”

The result was a dream week at The Players and TPC – Sawgrass for the self described golf nut. Dodd and his wife flew into Jacksonville the weekend before the tournament started – the World Am covered everything but meals – to soak up the entire experience.  There was little the couple didn’t do.

Hometown:  DeMotte, Indiana

Years played: 26

Why do you play in the World Am?  I had never played tournament golf before, so I figured this was a good one to try.  After that first year I was hooked.  Met great people and had great fun.  Now, it's become a yearly tradition.  I can't break my streak and my motivation is that one year I just might win.

What is your most memorable story?  The third year of the tournament I met three people that I have become great friends with, Gordon Knight, Marshall Taylor and Billy Graham.  Gordon was in my foursome.  On our first hole I hit my ball into the water next to the green.  Half of the ball was showing and I decided to play it out.  Wearing all white, I took a swing.  Water and mud got all over me!  The ball landed in a clump of mud, right next to the hole!  Gordon, yelled, he's a player!  (We were given "player" buttons to wear!).

 What is your favorite part of the 19th Hole?  Over the years the 19th hole changed a lot.  There were tons of vendors from vacations to recliners!  Meeting up with friends and telling our war stories of the day on the course!  Testing the clubs from all the manufacturers is always fun!

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The number of prominent personalities that have committed to attend this year’s Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship continues to grow. Two weeks after the announcement of David Feherty headlining the 19th Hole entertainment comes news that Dave Pelz, one of the game’s foremost instructors and researchers, will be at this year’s event.

Pelz, who will be at the 19th Hole all four nights, will be a featured speaker in addition to having a booth setup at the nightly expo. Pelz, who is Phil Mickelson’s short-game guru, is one of the game’s most recognizable teachers and a pioneer with his research driven analysis.

Long before “Moneyball” became the rage in baseball, Pelz was using statistical analysis to determine what golfers of all skills levels struggled with and excelled at. Over the years, the World Am has been one of Pelz’s primary research tools because it provides him with the ability to study a wide range of players in a competitive environment.
 

Dark and Stormy typically aren’t words you want associated with a golf tournament, unless you are a PGA Tour event or the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship. Gosling’s, a Bermuda-based rum company, is providing the official cocktail of the World’s Largest 19th Hole – the Dark & Stormy.

Bermuda’s oldest company, Gosling’s is a family-owned business, founded in 1806, and the maker of the island’s most popular export. The Dark & Stormy (click for recipe), a mixture of the acclaimed Black Seal Rum and Stormy Ginger Beer (non-alcoholic), has long been Bermuda’s favorite drink and now it’s popularity is soaring in America.

Gosling’s has been a prominent presence on the PGA Tour this year, serving as the official rum at the Honda Classic, the Transitions and The Players Championship, exposing golfers to a Dark & Stormy that adds to their enjoyment of the day. Just after the World Am, Goslings will bring the Dark & Stormy to the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, a FedEx Cup event, as the official rum.

With a team of nationally renowned writers, Golf.com will be looking to tell the story of this year’s tournament and its players. Have you overcome crazy obstacles to participate? Have you reunited with family through the event? Tell us your story – good, crazy, funny, heartbreaking – and what the event means to you, and you might be featured on Golf.com. Submit your story in the comment box below and you and/or your friends could be stars this year.