Sunday

US Open

Day 4     June 19, 2011

We got an earlier start so we would be assured of getting to Congressional in time for Jim's 10:15 assignment at the media gate.  We split up at the clubhouse, where the nearby 10th & 18th greens are situated down below, the area already thronged with fans.  I was scouting out an observation area for us to go to after my shift ended this afternoon. The grandstands and hillside here were arranged to form a giant stadium-like atmosphere.  I could only imagine what it would look like by the end of the tournament.

I reported to the first tee grandstand for my 12:30 shift, found the place had been packed most of the day, with very few vacancies opening up.  The crowd was very polite and respectful of the players standing so close below.  We at times were tempted to close the grandstand, which would have allowed us to turn away those waiting in line on the entry stairs, but no authorization was given by our area coordinator.  Got some more texts from my wife and family once the the TV cameras came on, noticing me up on the grandstand.  The crowd reaction for the players was outstanding as each was introduced by the USGA official at the podium on the tee box.  Not only were we all cheering from the grandstand, but spectators were lined 20 deep on the adjacent clubhouse cart path, making some serious noise as well.  It then became our job to restore order as best we could for the players to tee off in relative quiet.  By mid-afternoon Jim joined me up on the grandstand, were I declared him an honorary marshal, immediately assigned to signal quiet to the throng below while we focused on our crowd in their seats.  After tournament leader Rory McIlroy teed off, our job here was done.  As our grandstand emptied, countless fans thanked us for our efforts in helping to manage the 1st tee area under some trying circumstances.  As a volunteer, you feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be so close to the action. Hearing their words made it that much more of a grand experience.

Jim and I cashed in our lunch vouchers and plotted our next move.  We decided our best option was to volunteer our services to the hole captain at #10 to see if we could get inside the ropes and see some action on the back 9 as well.  The captain was ecstatic and stationed us down at the 10th green, trying to manage the crowds walking along the cart path.  Our timing was perfect as Rory was just making the turn and the crowd moving along with him was enormous.  It seemed like all 50,000 of the gallery were perched on that hillside cheering him on.  After he putted out and moved on to 11, we went along the ropes toward the nearby 18th green.  Jim could not believe our luck at being positioned about 100 feet from the 18th green, with a terrific unobstructed view while we marshaled the crowd.    The 18th hole captain commandeered us to move about 100 yards up the 18th fairway for extra crowd control, which actually was a better position to see each pairing as they made their approach shots to the peninsula 18th green.  Our view was unbelievable, like something you'd see in a photo of memorable US Opens with the finishing hole surrounded by a huge gallery surmounted by the  majestic Congressional clubhouse above.  Unfortunately, we were eventually reassigned further up the 18th fairway to take charge of a carts-only crossing, manning the ropes for about an hour, not nearly as exciting.  When McIlroy finally came along, a rope was stretched across the fairway to allow the gallery to gather behind him after he'd gone by.  Since Jim and I weren't actually reassigned to man this rope, I moved us alongside Rory, mobile marshal-style, as he made his approach to 18.  We got to within 125 yards of the green to participate in quieting the assembled masses as he putted out to win the US Open.  We had a perfect view of the entire thing, an incredible moment.  We both agreed that it doesn't get much better than that.

       

Saturday

US Open

Day 3       June 18, 2011

I figured out what was different about a US Open versus the Deutsche Bank Championship and it wasn't anything more complicated than realizing everything was bigger.  Everything about it was on a grander scale, the number of players in the field, the Congressional course itself, the stadium atmosphere at the combination 10th & 18th greens beneath the stately clubhouse, the high-roller crowds, the grandstands at every hole, the thousands of volunteers, even the mansions in the surrounding Bethesda neighborhood where people were paying $80 to park on someone's front lawn.  The atmosphere had a sense of grandeur to it.  DBC is a big deal, as the field of 100 vying for the FedEx Cup testifies, but this was an even bigger deal.

Jim and I got to Congressional later than expected on account of traffic, so we begged a cart from our  buddy at the cart barn, allowing me to drive Jim over to his new assignment at the main admission gate.  The course was packed with spectators on the cart paths, seemingly double from yesterday.  A bit tough making it through so we got off the path and improvised a new route, seeing parts of the course no volunteer had ever seen before.

Once I dropped Jim off, I returned the cart by a still different route, getting to know the Congressional course fairly well by this point.  Had to pass a little time before my afternoon shift at the 1st tee grandstand so I used my lunch voucher and sat at the player practice chipping / putting area next door.  Great venue, getting to sit in a comfy Adirondack chair in the shade, up close to where the players were warming up.   Overheard some British caddies nearby talking about their plans for the Open Championship next month at Royal St. George's, including what pubs they would be hanging out in, pretty earthy bunch it sounded like.  So fortunate to be assigned to this area of the course where I could be immersed in all the  action, rather than way out on a distant grandstand.  

When my shift started, it was a bit awkward as there was a 2 hour overlap with the prior shift, somehow caused by some players not finishing Friday's round until this morning.  Basically we had 6 marshals trying not to get in each other's way where 3 marshals was the ideal number.  The 1st tee grandstand was even more packed today, if that could even be possible, being at the center of all the action.  Once fans got a seat, they didn't leave for hours on end, resulting in a huge line at our entry stairway.  I turned down multiple cash offers for seats, there were just none to be had.  After each player pairing exited the teeing area, we would see if any fans made for the exit stairway. If no one moved, we would tell those waiting to hang tight, maybe next time.  Everyone was terrific though, the crowd mood was great, we received lots of thank you's from patrons complimenting us on the job we were doing keeping the grandstand in quiet order, so close to the players and USGA officials literally less than 20 feet away.  It helped that we had a uniformed police officer on the grandstand with us, keeping things in order. Nice guy, talkative, said he'd heard the paid attendance for this Saturday was 47,000!  That didn't include the 500 cops/FBI/ATF personnel, as well as all the USGA staff, volunteers, etc.  Was glad the cop was with us when a medical emergency occurred on the clubhouse pathway immediately beneath us, briefly halting play on the 1st tee as EMT's rendered assistance to a fainting patron.

The atmosphere at our location kept building throughout the afternoon until the final pairing of Mickelson and Yang.  From my position on the grandstand, I was on-camera for the TV coverage a few times, this I knew from texts I was receiving from my wife Mary and sister-in-law Marge watching back home.  At first, only the lower half of me was visible up on the grandstand, but they said they immediately ID'd me by my distinctive hairy legs.  Some claim to fame!        

Friday

US Open

Day 2     June 17, 2011

Strange start to the day in getting to Congressional, some nut had placed a ''suspicious package'' at the Pentagon, causing a massive traffic jam throughout DC.  We arrived on course at 10:30 to a gorgeous sunny 85 degree day, still a couple hours before our respective shifts were to begin.  We sat at the 2nd hole, watching Poulter, Garcia, the Molinari brothers, and Jimenez pass through.  Definitely a different vibe than what I'd experienced at the Deutsche Bank Championship.  It would take awhile before I could put my finger on what it was exactly.

Made my way to the 1st tee grandstand, where I was assigned as crew leader for this 6 hour shift.  Met the two other marshals assigned, as well as getting my headset radio set-up.  We coordinated our plan for managing the grandstand, assigning one guy to each of the stairways and one to serve as usher, locating vacant seats.  The 1st tee is a very popular place, and the small size of the grandstand meant we were packed all afternoon.  We had a sizable line built-up at our entry stairway all day, letting people in only when other seats were vacated.  Lots of people camped out in our grandstand for extended periods once they scored some seats.  One of our main responsibilities was to restrict crowd movement to those moments when players weren't teeing off, as the grandstand is a metal framed bleacher and it makes a lot of noise when people walk on it.

Among the additional benefits of volunteering at a professional golf event is meeting people who are just as nuts about the whole experience as you are.  One of the marshals on my crew that day was a 22 year old kid named Phil who lived only 10 minutes away from Congressional, attended Harvard, and is now working in international investment banking in New York.  Nice guy with a single digit golf handicap in high school. We talked about our golf games, his student life at Harvard, living in the Boston area, volunteering, work.  Very mature and well spoken guy.  He served as our grandstand usher all day, climbing up and down the center aisle endlessly scouting out seat vacancies as we tried to squeeze in as many folks as possible.

Got to experience a rain delay as I was informed over the headset that lightning was spotted nearby.  The officials blew the horn signaling stoppage of play, I then had to make the announcement to vacate the grandstand and direct patrons to seek the nearest shelter.  Unfortunately it's basically every man for himself as there was no designated lightning shelter for the spectators.  We found cover under a small tent at the clubhouse entrance, where we waited out a deluge that was thankfully over in 5 minutes.  I was then informed via headset to prevent patrons from returning to the grandstand until play resumed, roughly 45 minutes later.  I guess the USGA didn't want folks sitting on what was essentially a giant metal framed lightning rod as long as there was a threat of lightning.  Some people weren't happy that we were denying them access for their own safety.  Eventually the weather cleared and it was business as usual until the final group of golfers teed off.      

Thursday

US Open   June 2011

Congressional Country Club     Bethesda, MD

Volunteering to be a marshal at a US Open begins 16 months in advance of the actual tournament date, going onto the USGA website and applying for one of the spots, which then places you into a lottery.  There are thousands of applicants vying for the available assignments.  Not only do you then hope you'll get lucky and be selected, but also that you'll be assigned to your first choice from all the various volunteer categories.   I was eventually notified by late summer of my selection, then some months after that of my assignment to be a grandstand marshal at the 1st tee. Great!  I had also convinced by buddy Jim to apply for a marshal spot but he wasn't selected initially, getting onto a waiting list.  He subsequently got chosen for an assignment in spectator hospitality, checking tickets at one of the entry gates to Congressional.
Our road trip from Cape Cod to Bethesda, original estimated travel time: 8 hours.  After serious traffic jams in NJ and DC: 12 hours! We were graciously hosted by Jim's daughter Alyssa at her condo outside of DC for four nights.  She turned out to be a terrific conversationalist on any subject, especially with regard to her job in Washington.

Day 1  June 16, 2011

After a surprisingly restful night on an air mattress, we made the 40 minute drive to Congressional.  Washington DC traffic wasn't too bad, GPS took us to the main gate where Jim had to get a temporary day pass to enable him access into the Open.  He had not received his official credential in advance due to being chosen off the volunteer waiting list so late. My credential allowed me entry but only at a gate on the opposite side of Congressional from where Jim would need to go to pick up his credential at the will-call booth.  At the volunteer pavilion, an official heard our dilemma and recommended we get someone at the cart area to drive us across the course to will-call.  The only attendant at the nearby cart barn said he couldn't leave his post, but after hearing of our situation, decided we could take one of the half-dozen carts, "Just be sure to bring it back", he said.  Of course, volunteers are prohibited from driving carts on-course, unless specifically authorized to do so on their volunteer credential, which we weren't.  So, we'd been at the US Open for literally 15 minutes, and here we were bending USGA rules, trying to drive a golfcart along unfamiliar cartpaths jammed with spectators, no clear idea how to get to our destination, Jim behind the wheel, me with map in hand trying to direct him.  Marshal lesson: always project a air of confidence and act like you know what you are doing, and that you belong in the situation.  Eventually we made it to gate 5 where Jim would spend the next 5 hours scanning tickets and chatting with patrons.  He's in retail sales so this was in his wheelhouse: official greeter.

At the first tee grandstand, I found the captain Larry, and got introduced to the other marshals, Kamal, and Ken working this assignment, all nice guys and veterans of multiple USGA events.  I found out later that some marshals literally spend every vacation traveling the country year after year marshaling.  The job of a grandstand marshal is to basically act as part-usher and part-marshal for crowd control as players tee off.  The 1st tee grandstand was surprisingly small, holding 150 spectators when fully packed. This was great for it was easy to keep such a small crowd under control and quiet during the crucial moments.  We were able to chat with the spectators all day long, answering questions, and serving as USGA ambassadors.  The grandstand location was exceptional, at the hub of all the action immediately next to the palatial Congressional clubhouse.  Beside the grandstand were the practice chipping and putting areas as well.  In addition, most of the grandstand was shaded all day, which was not the case at many locations throughout the course.  I had an excellent view looking directly down on the small tee box area, including the podium which the USGA uses for the formal introduction of each player as he tees up.  Lots of official blue blazer wearing dignitaries in attendance.  Interesting perspective watching all the players getting prepared for that first tee shot, lots of visible jitters on display.  I can only imagine how nervous I would be, the US Open for heavens sake!

After my shift, Jim joined me at #1 and we then acted like spectators, walking around the course, checking out the 35,000 square foot merchandise tent, (over 50 official US Open hat styles!), and tried to gain entry to the clubhouse, where we were politely, but firmly turned away.  Jim was excited about his first day at a professional golf event, was hoping to see more golf as the week went on, maybe even get to ''marshal'' a little bit, more on that later.