2027 U.S. Open Short-Term Merchandise Intern

U.S. Open; California; On-site; USD 20,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Housing assistance

Travel assistance

Job summary

The U.S. Open merchandise internship offers hands-on experience across logistics, inventory, visual merchandising, and customer service for fans at Pebble Beach, CA.

You will work with over 50 vendors and help prepare fixtures, load-ins, and promotional materials while coordinating with staff and volunteers. Hours vary weekly (40–105) with pay of $18.00/hr; housing and travel assistance are available for non-local interns.

Qualifications

• Teamwork and strong communication with interns and staff.
• Leadership to coordinate volunteers and vendors.
• Creative ability to contribute to merchandising planning and displays.
• Flexibility to switch tasks as needed during event operations.

Responsibilities

• Assist with office setup and organizational projects.
• Receive and organize merchandise; help load/unload boxes weighing 30–70 lbs.
• Support on-site merchandise operations, including fixtures and displays.
• Greet staff and guests; prepare volunteer packets and handle various projects.
• Assist with Volunteer Apparel Exchange and size exchanges; provide high-level customer service.

Skills

Teamwork

Leadership

Creativity

Flexibility

Job description

About this role:

This basic timeline should give you an idea of the many roles you will play throughout the Short-Term Merchandise internship. This internship provides a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience across all aspects of a major championship merchandise operation, including logistics, inventory management, visual merchandising, vendor relations, and providing a high level of customer service to our fans.

What you'll do:

Early May (Approx. 40 hours/week)

• Assist with office set up and organizational projects
• Help receive incoming U.S. Open merchandise at the merchandise compound
• This involves moving boxes, counting products, and loading and organizing the boxes onto trucks

• Work with over 50 merchandise vendors such as Peter Millar, G/FORE, FootJoy, Under Armour, Nike, etc., while representing the USGA in a professional manner

Mid-May (Including Weekends) (Approx. 50 hours/week)

• Assist the merchandise staff in the on-site office
• Help maintain an organized and welcoming office, greet staff and guests, receive smaller merchandise orders, prepare volunteer packets and a variety of other projects

• Help with U.S. Open Volunteer Apparel Exchange
• Prepare and organize volunteer and marshal apparel, assist with size exchanges and provide a high level of customer service while interacting with our volunteers

• Help prepare Merchandise Fixtures for Product Load-In
• Assist with fixture assembly and maintenance (i.e. moving & cleaning)

Late May (Including Memorial Day Weekend) (Approx. 60 hours/week)

• Assist with merchandise load-in and visual displays in the Merchandise Pavilion and Satellite Tent(s)
• Work alongside merchandise vendors to move product into the tent, organize back-stock, merchandise the sales floor
• Support a variety of operational tasks in preparation for the grand opening of our 34,000 square-foot Merchandise Pavilion

Early June (Including Weekends) (Approx. 70 hours/week)

• Assist with final preparations for the Merchandise Pavilion
• Create signage, organize point-of-sale, and help the visual merchandiser dress mannequins and complete displays
• Help with a variety of promotional marketing projects, promotions and mailings to support our Pre-Championship Opening

Mid/Late June (U.S. Open) (Including Weekends) (Approx. 90 - 105 hours/week)

• Assist our full-time merchandise staff in running the Merchandise Pavilion and Satellite Tent(s) during the U.S. Open.
• Each intern will be assigned to three unique shifts throughout the day, gaining experience in a variety of areas including customer service, inventory replenishment, and supporting the day-to-day operation of the Merchandise Pavilion.
• Gain leadership experience by managing a group of volunteers throughout the merchandise operation to help ensure each area of the operation runs efficiently
• Assist Merchandise Volunteer Chairman with check-in
• Receive and process replenishment orders at the loading dock and prepare merchandise for the sales floor, including barcode application and packaging removal as needed

Late June (Including Weekends) (Approx. 40 hours/week)

• Assist with the breakdown of the merchandise operation
• Support post-event ending inventory procedures
• Help coordinate merchandise donations
• Work alongside the fixture company to dismantle displays, organize supplies and pack up the trailers

*The hours per week indicated above are averages based off previous years. Compensation details are below.

*Candidates must be capable of assisting in the movement of boxes weighing approximately 30-70 lbs.

Where you'll be:

This internship is based in Pebble Beach, CA. Interns will work between 40-105 hours per week. Assistance with housing and travel is available for interns who are not local to the Pebble Beach area.

Pay:

$18.00/hr., subject to applicable overtime laws.

Internship Dates:

Early May 2027 through late June 2027

What you bring:

• Teamwork
  • Communication is the key to being successful in this role. Working together with fellow interns to execute daily tasks is one of your main responsibilities.
• Leadership
  • Opportunity to lead volunteers and become a resource for the Merchandise Staff to communicate with vendors and other USGA Staff. Play a huge role in the eye and ears of the operation.
• Creativity
  • Freedom to create and take ownership of a project. Great opportunity to present new ideas. Influence on Visual Merchandising during tent stocking.
• Flexibility
  • Ability to jump from task to task quickly as well as picking up where someone left off on any given project. In this role, you will learn flexibility is key, to adjust the plan under different circumstances to achieve the same goal.

What the USGA brings:

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits, including a zero-contribution medical plan offered for all full-time employees
• Retirement plans, with a generous annual contribution from the USGA
• Suite of programs to promote physical, emotional, and financial well-being
• Generous bank of paid time off, plus the week between Christmas and New Years Day off
• Off-site team building events
• On-site gym and golf simulator
• Professional development opportunities
• Learn more about our benefits and culture here