Day 4 Monday September 7, 2009
Last day of Deutsche Bank Championship, Labor Day Monday finish. Went to TPC with my wife Mary, using the guest pass included in the volunteer package of benefits. Told her to set her expectations low as I wasn't sure how much fun she'd have tagging along during my 6 hour assignment. Thankfully I was assigned to the 12th green, which I'd found was the most interesting venue from the standpoint that this is where the players linger the longest. We walked from the tee down to the green, accompanied by another marshal, who had become one of my buddies over the past few days at DBC. Very personable guy, chatty without being a blowhard as a few of the other hole marshals turned out to be.
Mary got a prime viewing spot at the 12th green, where I knew the players would pass close by on their way to the 13th tee. She said she was tempted to make comments about their clothes, this being the beginning of the era of the well dressed young golf stud. Thankfully she restrained herself, mostly. The morning got off to a slow start, the galleries eventually building with name players including Rose, Donald, and Boo Weekly. Was great being so close to the players, to clearly hear their discussions with their caddies in lining up putts, Boo's Southern twang, Rose's English accent. The gallery accompanying Phil Mickelson and Brandt Snedeker numbered well over 1000, which presented the challenge of maintaining quiet after Phil sank his birdie putt and commented, "It's been 78 days, 13 hours, and 29 minutes since my last one," to the delight of everyone there. We both really enjoyed seeing every player pass literally within 5 feet of our position at the rope, including Love, Gay, Bubba, Villegas, Perry, Yang, Toms. The ultimate was the approach of the Tiger / Glover gallery, beginning to build at least 2 pairings ahead of them and eventually reaching 6-8 people deep along the fairway and around the green. Thankfully they quieted sufficiently for Lucas and TW to make their putts, although it took us 4 hole marshals, plus the 6 mobile marshals accompanying them to make this happen in a relatively calm atmosphere. Having Tiger pass by within touching distance was a surreal experience as he exited to 13.
My assignment officially over, we made our way over to the 18th green. It was surrounded by a massive crowd, with the players a long way off, a much different vantage point than we experienced on 12 right at the rope. Mary agreed that the live golf tournament was worth the trip, and that she planned to come back next year, and could I get an extra guest pass for her friend Amy? I agreed I would try to get back next year but I had a change of assignment in mind having seen the mobile marshals accompanying the most notable players and providing extra crowd control. Had to check that out, might be a tough assignment to get into.
Monday
Sunday
Day 3 Sunday September 6, 2009
Left for DBC at 7:30am, what a difference from prior mornings when I was driving to the TPC Boston before dawn. Went to the practice tee to find that the first player of the day, Ben Crane, was just making the turn so I hustled out to the 12th tee. Was initially assigned as spotter in the landing area along the right side of the fairway but was quickly replaced after Crane hit, since I'd told Doug, the 12th hole Captain, that I wanted to be on the green today. Learned that one of the perks of serving as a volunteer, without pay obviously, was enhancing your experience by making your goals known in a polite way.
Watched Crane make an 8 on the par 4 twelfth by hitting 2 balls into the hazard to the right of the green. I guess if you're in last place it doesn't matter as much. He seemed to take it well, with a smile. I had a great time marshaling at the green, so close to the action on this windy, sunny day, very challenging to players trying to land on the green and stay out of the hazard. Had lots of interaction with spectators standing at the ropes, answered lots of questions and heard lots of comments. People want to connect with someone officially working the tournament. Several asked who was in the lead, but with no score board in site, you lose track quickly, sometimes having to rely on other spectators who were wearing the single-ear headphone radios being given out at one of the corporate pavilions.
Being a marshal is often an opportunity to see the pros act in ways that let you know they're sometimes just guys playing golf and doing things on a golf course that we all do every once in awhile. (Like seeing players take a leak in the woods). They also do things we'd never do, like giving the ball they've just putted out with to a little kid at the rope as they exit the green to go to the 13th tee. I love that every time I see it done.
The day continued with varying size galleries coming through, especially following Phil, Sergio, Camillo, and Singh. Was rotated back to the tee box as we got word that the largest gallery of the day was approaching, Tiger and Glover. When I arrived at the 12th tee, I could see Tiger's gallery, an unbelievable crowd of at least 1000+, packed the entire length of the par three 11th hole. Its one thing to see it on TV, but to be inside the ropes and hear the buzz of a Tiger gallery is unreal in person. To be right there as Tiger walked within 5 feet of me as I stood at the tee was an experience. My first impression was that he's taller than I thought! As he walked onto the tee he looked right at me, or so I thought, then teed it up. Getting the gallery to remain quiet and stationary was tough, partly due to the location of the 12th teebox, immediately adjacent to the concession stand at the 11th green, which is a hub of activity. Also, since people are standing 5-6 deep around the tee, those in the back tend to take longer to settle down so that play can proceed. We had about 6 marshals placed around the tee, all giving the "Stand please" command to get the gallery to remain motionless and quiet. For the rest of the afternoon, we had a large gallery pretty much taking up residence at the 11th green-12th tee-concession stand-scoreboard complex. After the final pairing came through, (Furyk and O'Hair), I joined the massive gallery as it moved along with them to finish 12. I then walked outside the ropes as a spectator to finish up the back 9, ending up at the 18th grandstand, which was SRO. I was eventually able to squeeze into a section due to the kindness of a grandstand marshal. It was very impressive watching the last 2 pairings finish in the stadium-like atmosphere of the 18th green. A terrific but very tiring day. Learning that standing for over 6 hours was tough on the legs.
Left for DBC at 7:30am, what a difference from prior mornings when I was driving to the TPC Boston before dawn. Went to the practice tee to find that the first player of the day, Ben Crane, was just making the turn so I hustled out to the 12th tee. Was initially assigned as spotter in the landing area along the right side of the fairway but was quickly replaced after Crane hit, since I'd told Doug, the 12th hole Captain, that I wanted to be on the green today. Learned that one of the perks of serving as a volunteer, without pay obviously, was enhancing your experience by making your goals known in a polite way.
Watched Crane make an 8 on the par 4 twelfth by hitting 2 balls into the hazard to the right of the green. I guess if you're in last place it doesn't matter as much. He seemed to take it well, with a smile. I had a great time marshaling at the green, so close to the action on this windy, sunny day, very challenging to players trying to land on the green and stay out of the hazard. Had lots of interaction with spectators standing at the ropes, answered lots of questions and heard lots of comments. People want to connect with someone officially working the tournament. Several asked who was in the lead, but with no score board in site, you lose track quickly, sometimes having to rely on other spectators who were wearing the single-ear headphone radios being given out at one of the corporate pavilions.
Being a marshal is often an opportunity to see the pros act in ways that let you know they're sometimes just guys playing golf and doing things on a golf course that we all do every once in awhile. (Like seeing players take a leak in the woods). They also do things we'd never do, like giving the ball they've just putted out with to a little kid at the rope as they exit the green to go to the 13th tee. I love that every time I see it done.
The day continued with varying size galleries coming through, especially following Phil, Sergio, Camillo, and Singh. Was rotated back to the tee box as we got word that the largest gallery of the day was approaching, Tiger and Glover. When I arrived at the 12th tee, I could see Tiger's gallery, an unbelievable crowd of at least 1000+, packed the entire length of the par three 11th hole. Its one thing to see it on TV, but to be inside the ropes and hear the buzz of a Tiger gallery is unreal in person. To be right there as Tiger walked within 5 feet of me as I stood at the tee was an experience. My first impression was that he's taller than I thought! As he walked onto the tee he looked right at me, or so I thought, then teed it up. Getting the gallery to remain quiet and stationary was tough, partly due to the location of the 12th teebox, immediately adjacent to the concession stand at the 11th green, which is a hub of activity. Also, since people are standing 5-6 deep around the tee, those in the back tend to take longer to settle down so that play can proceed. We had about 6 marshals placed around the tee, all giving the "Stand please" command to get the gallery to remain motionless and quiet. For the rest of the afternoon, we had a large gallery pretty much taking up residence at the 11th green-12th tee-concession stand-scoreboard complex. After the final pairing came through, (Furyk and O'Hair), I joined the massive gallery as it moved along with them to finish 12. I then walked outside the ropes as a spectator to finish up the back 9, ending up at the 18th grandstand, which was SRO. I was eventually able to squeeze into a section due to the kindness of a grandstand marshal. It was very impressive watching the last 2 pairings finish in the stadium-like atmosphere of the 18th green. A terrific but very tiring day. Learning that standing for over 6 hours was tough on the legs.
Saturday
Day 2 Saturday September 5, 2009
I was again up at 4:30am to leave before 5, not much preparation necessary as I know what to wear, the DBC volunteer uniform, and I get breakfast on-site. Went to the practice range and sat in the grandstand to watch Charles Howell, Marc Leishman, Scott McCarron, and Kevin Streelman practice. These guys are at the bottom of the leader board so they're teeing off early. Walked out to the 12th hole, a very pleasant late summer morning, in the upper 50's at 7am. Stopped to watch the TPC grounds crew setting the pin on the adjacent 11th green. I observed the process used by the PGA TOUR official in testing the green speed with the Stimp-meter. Evidently this green was playing noticeably faster yesterday; this morning registering 13 on the meter. To slow it down to a more uniform 12 speed throughout the rest of the course, the grounds crew watered the green for about 20 minutes.
Began today's assignment at the lower crosswalk, near the 12th green, manning the ropes. After 9 pairings passed through, was rotated back to the tee box. Was a bit shocked when my Cape Cod buddy Degs appeared outside the ropes with his brothers and father. I was eventually rotated down to the landing area along the left side of the fairway, near the Shotlink crew. Degs came along with me and no sooner had I gotten into position when a wayward drive by a player landed in the rough, 20' off the fairway. I located the ball, keeping far enough away from it so as not to disturb the lie, and placed one of our orange spotter flags about a foot away from it. The player came up to the ball, a disgusted look on his face, grabbed the marker flag and threw it in my direction, with a gruff "Thanks". (Picture a lawn dart landing near my feet!) I learned later that the pros don't necessarily like having attention drawn to their less than perfect shots by placing a marker nearby. That was the one and only time I ever flagged a ball in my subsequent years of marshaling. This player then proceeded to chunk his 2nd shot, then tomahawked his iron into the rough. Not sure if he made the cut.
Definite different vibe overall inside the ropes now that the competition was for real, a more intense atmosphere than I experienced during the pro-am.
I was again up at 4:30am to leave before 5, not much preparation necessary as I know what to wear, the DBC volunteer uniform, and I get breakfast on-site. Went to the practice range and sat in the grandstand to watch Charles Howell, Marc Leishman, Scott McCarron, and Kevin Streelman practice. These guys are at the bottom of the leader board so they're teeing off early. Walked out to the 12th hole, a very pleasant late summer morning, in the upper 50's at 7am. Stopped to watch the TPC grounds crew setting the pin on the adjacent 11th green. I observed the process used by the PGA TOUR official in testing the green speed with the Stimp-meter. Evidently this green was playing noticeably faster yesterday; this morning registering 13 on the meter. To slow it down to a more uniform 12 speed throughout the rest of the course, the grounds crew watered the green for about 20 minutes.
Began today's assignment at the lower crosswalk, near the 12th green, manning the ropes. After 9 pairings passed through, was rotated back to the tee box. Was a bit shocked when my Cape Cod buddy Degs appeared outside the ropes with his brothers and father. I was eventually rotated down to the landing area along the left side of the fairway, near the Shotlink crew. Degs came along with me and no sooner had I gotten into position when a wayward drive by a player landed in the rough, 20' off the fairway. I located the ball, keeping far enough away from it so as not to disturb the lie, and placed one of our orange spotter flags about a foot away from it. The player came up to the ball, a disgusted look on his face, grabbed the marker flag and threw it in my direction, with a gruff "Thanks". (Picture a lawn dart landing near my feet!) I learned later that the pros don't necessarily like having attention drawn to their less than perfect shots by placing a marker nearby. That was the one and only time I ever flagged a ball in my subsequent years of marshaling. This player then proceeded to chunk his 2nd shot, then tomahawked his iron into the rough. Not sure if he made the cut.
Definite different vibe overall inside the ropes now that the competition was for real, a more intense atmosphere than I experienced during the pro-am.
Thursday
The Deutsche Bank Championship Pro-Am at TPC Boston in Norton, Massachusetts.
Day 1 September 3, 2009
I got up at 4:30am, having a poor nights sleep in anticipation of the events of the day, driving 70 miles to the volunteer parking lot then catching the shuttle to the drop-off area, followed by a 10 minute walk to the course in brisk 50 degree weather. Got a Dunkins Donut coffee and bagel at the volunteer pavilion and walked out to my assignment as a marshal at the 12th hole. Impressed so far with the amenities afforded to the volunteers, including all-day food and beverages at the volunteer facilities, all part of the $80 package, (yes, you have to pay to be a volunteer, keeps those who might otherwise sign-up for the 4 day commitment from ditching-out after 1 day). For your $80 you get a huge amount of stuff: uniform golf shirt, wind jacket (both Brooks Brothers label), hat, parking pass, shuttle bus, admission credential to TPC grounds, daily meal voucher good at any on course concession stand, unlimited food and beverages at the volunteer pavilion, plus the inside the ropes experience every day.
I met the 12th hole captain Doug, plus 8-10 other marshals assigned this morning, fewer than I expected, but all I had to go on was my perceptions from what I've seen on TV. Our job is to keep the gallery outside the ropes from disturbing the players, both in terms of noise and movement. I eventually learned that the pros are much less concerned with ambient noise than they are with visually distracting crowd movement.
I was initially assigned to the cross-walk 250 yards from the tee box, controlling the rope gateway allowing the gallery to cross after the golfers pass by down the center of the fairway. Secondary responsibility was to locate wayward drives outside the ropes from the amateurs playing with the pros. Had some fun chatting with the ams while they tried to figure out what to do to get out of the shrubbery. Was informed later that each amateur had paid thousands of dollars for the privilege of playing with their respective pro, which in turn serves as the primary means for raising money for the charitable goals of the Tiger Woods Foundation and other affiliated charities of the DBC.
Rotated back to the tee box about two hours into my 6 hour shift, which turned out to be an incredible experience, seeing all these well known players close by as they teed it up...Tiger, Singh, Love, Cink, Weir, Furyk, Glover, Donald, Couples, Cabrera, Sabbatini, Mickelson, Poulter, Toms, Johnson, Gay, Kim, Snedeker, Ogilvy, Harrington, Stricker, Yang. Their interactions with the caddies and amateurs, hearing the side comments and jokes, was great. Sometimes sounded like my usual rounds with my friends, but with the added tone of a bunch of guys who couldn't believe they were actually playing golf with the likes of Tiger. I was impressed with how much interaction there was between the gallery and the pros, including autographs, picture taking, and chatting with people behind the ropes. The Thursday Pro-Am is definitely the day for getting close to the top 50 golfers in the FedEx Cup playoff. (Only half of the 100 golfers in the second round of the FedEx Cup are designated to participate in the Pro-Am). Met several marshals who have been doing this since the inception of the DBC around 10 years ago, some real characters in the bunch. They were generally very instructive in training me in the fine points of marshaling. For instance, you don't want to signal too soon for the gallery to quiet down. You wait until the player has taken his practice swings then steps up to address the ball before you raise your arms. Sometimes the command of ''Stand please'' is necessary, but not as a distraction to the player. I would learn that marshaling at DBC has been developed to a fine art, but more on that later.
Day 1 September 3, 2009
I got up at 4:30am, having a poor nights sleep in anticipation of the events of the day, driving 70 miles to the volunteer parking lot then catching the shuttle to the drop-off area, followed by a 10 minute walk to the course in brisk 50 degree weather. Got a Dunkins Donut coffee and bagel at the volunteer pavilion and walked out to my assignment as a marshal at the 12th hole. Impressed so far with the amenities afforded to the volunteers, including all-day food and beverages at the volunteer facilities, all part of the $80 package, (yes, you have to pay to be a volunteer, keeps those who might otherwise sign-up for the 4 day commitment from ditching-out after 1 day). For your $80 you get a huge amount of stuff: uniform golf shirt, wind jacket (both Brooks Brothers label), hat, parking pass, shuttle bus, admission credential to TPC grounds, daily meal voucher good at any on course concession stand, unlimited food and beverages at the volunteer pavilion, plus the inside the ropes experience every day.
I met the 12th hole captain Doug, plus 8-10 other marshals assigned this morning, fewer than I expected, but all I had to go on was my perceptions from what I've seen on TV. Our job is to keep the gallery outside the ropes from disturbing the players, both in terms of noise and movement. I eventually learned that the pros are much less concerned with ambient noise than they are with visually distracting crowd movement.
I was initially assigned to the cross-walk 250 yards from the tee box, controlling the rope gateway allowing the gallery to cross after the golfers pass by down the center of the fairway. Secondary responsibility was to locate wayward drives outside the ropes from the amateurs playing with the pros. Had some fun chatting with the ams while they tried to figure out what to do to get out of the shrubbery. Was informed later that each amateur had paid thousands of dollars for the privilege of playing with their respective pro, which in turn serves as the primary means for raising money for the charitable goals of the Tiger Woods Foundation and other affiliated charities of the DBC.
Rotated back to the tee box about two hours into my 6 hour shift, which turned out to be an incredible experience, seeing all these well known players close by as they teed it up...Tiger, Singh, Love, Cink, Weir, Furyk, Glover, Donald, Couples, Cabrera, Sabbatini, Mickelson, Poulter, Toms, Johnson, Gay, Kim, Snedeker, Ogilvy, Harrington, Stricker, Yang. Their interactions with the caddies and amateurs, hearing the side comments and jokes, was great. Sometimes sounded like my usual rounds with my friends, but with the added tone of a bunch of guys who couldn't believe they were actually playing golf with the likes of Tiger. I was impressed with how much interaction there was between the gallery and the pros, including autographs, picture taking, and chatting with people behind the ropes. The Thursday Pro-Am is definitely the day for getting close to the top 50 golfers in the FedEx Cup playoff. (Only half of the 100 golfers in the second round of the FedEx Cup are designated to participate in the Pro-Am). Met several marshals who have been doing this since the inception of the DBC around 10 years ago, some real characters in the bunch. They were generally very instructive in training me in the fine points of marshaling. For instance, you don't want to signal too soon for the gallery to quiet down. You wait until the player has taken his practice swings then steps up to address the ball before you raise your arms. Sometimes the command of ''Stand please'' is necessary, but not as a distraction to the player. I would learn that marshaling at DBC has been developed to a fine art, but more on that later.
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