Day 3 August 31, 2013 Saturday DBC
Got assigned to the Bubba Watson, Zach Johnson, and Harris English threesome for a 12:58 tee time, with me as crew leader along with Tom and Mike. Should be a smooth day as these three players were likely to draw a moderately sized Saturday gallery. Sent texts out to several people who like to watch the tournament on TV and look for me if they know who I'm assigned to. Otherwise all of us volunteers look the same in our identical Blue Crew golf shirts and hats. We had a nice warm morning for our breakfast, seated outside of the volunteer pavilion at the picnic tables, two other marshals from hole 10 joining us. They were especially interested to hear what is was like to be a mobile marshal; they'd seen us coming by their hole each day but didn't know if we had something to do with monitoring ''mobile'' phone use by spectators. After breakfast the three of us went to the player practice range and sat in the bleachers to watch various players warm-up, while we performed some group swing analysis. Saw Sean Foley, Tiger's swing coach walking about. After the morning wave of players dwindled, we went to the grandstand at the 16th green, the signature hole at DBC, a beautiful par-3 over water, in a semi-stadium atmosphere with corporate pavilions from tee to green. Its a nice vantage point from which to observe tee shots as they come at you before landing on the green. The crowd was definitely into it for well struck shots, with lots of catcalls thrown at the players as they made their walk to the green.
After lunch, catered by Bertucci's pizza, went to the 10th tee to join up with our assigned group of players. There were about 200 people in the gallery to start, very manageable for our 3-man mobile marshal crew, plus the hole marshals stationed along the way. I spied Bubba's wife Angie and offered her any assistance she might require throughout the round, which she appreciated. Tom and Mike made for a good team as we escorted Bubba, Zach, and Harris through the course. A hot and humid day but we got water from the coolers positioned at every tee. Bubba and Zach played well, but Harris was exceptional at -8, (Garcia the leader at -13). Got to ride in the cart seated next to Zach as we were transported from the 7th green to the 8th tee, didn't talk, he was working. After finishing at the 9th hole we were relieved of duty, no need to escort players to the scoring-interview-autograph area as they were being transported by cart over to the clubhouse. That's generally the way it is when they start players off both the 1st and 10th tees due to possible weather concerns. Mike and I said goodbye to Tom who headed back to the Cape, while we were off to our AirBNB rental in Pawtucket, dinner at a questionable Chinese place, followed by a lengthy debate about whether Tiger would win any more majors.
Saturday
Friday
Day 2 August 30, 2013
The first day of competition after the pro-am, Mike's first day as well. We were assigned to the threesome of Poulter, Leishman, and Flores as a 4-man crew with me as leader, along with Mike, Tom, and Steve, a marshal I'd never worked with before but a veteran volunteer on other committees. We weren't teeing off until 1:22pm so after breakfast we went to the player practice area where Mike got the full newbie experience up close and personal with all the players, caddies, media, equipment reps, all sorts of interesting people. We helped out a bit with the volunteers at the ball tent but mostly stayed out of the way while watching all that was going on. Mike and Tom were really enjoying it. After awhile we went over to the tenth tee just in time to see Tiger, Phil, and Adam Scott tee off, leading a huge gallery even at that morning hour. (Phil would end up leading the tournament by the end of the day at -8). We adjourned to the volunteer tent for a second breakfast, which we took over to the 9th grandstand to watch 6 or 7 threesomes come through. I spied Bubba Watson's wife Angie sitting a few rows away, waiting for Bubba to come along. At lunch we sat down at the only available table with a cart marshal, a good-old boy from Mississippi by way of Stoughton who was a really fun guy, talking a blue streak about every subject under the sun. I later said to Mike and Tom that the past 7 hours were typical of how I spent my time at past DBC's, meeting some pretty interesting people.
On the 1st tee, Steve didn't show, so it was just us three for the Poulter group, which was fine as we didn't anticipate a huge gallery. I focused on showing Mike and Tom the ropes of being a mobile marshal; how to assess what was needed in a constantly changing situation from hole-to-hole. Both were catching on quickly, loving it being inside the ropes generally as we escorted the players through their 18-hole round. Mike had an unbelievable experience at the 7th green when we all climbed into the carts that transport us 200 yards to the 8th tee, sitting next to Poulter. Mike told us afterwards that the volunteer cart driver noticed Poulter's caddie unwrapping a piece of candy, and asked if he was going to offer any to Mr. Poulter. The caddie evidently said jokingly, "I ain't giving him none of me bleeding candy", to which Poulter reportedly replied, "Well, I wouldn't give him the steam off me p___!" (I guess this is an Old English put-down). Tom and I were in hysterics after hearing this little player-caddie interaction, maybe a carryover from yesterday's golfball throwing contest. Poulter was playing quite well, finishing the day at 5 under par. We finished around 6:30, another 12 hour day at DBC, all of us in agreement that it had been a great experience.
The first day of competition after the pro-am, Mike's first day as well. We were assigned to the threesome of Poulter, Leishman, and Flores as a 4-man crew with me as leader, along with Mike, Tom, and Steve, a marshal I'd never worked with before but a veteran volunteer on other committees. We weren't teeing off until 1:22pm so after breakfast we went to the player practice area where Mike got the full newbie experience up close and personal with all the players, caddies, media, equipment reps, all sorts of interesting people. We helped out a bit with the volunteers at the ball tent but mostly stayed out of the way while watching all that was going on. Mike and Tom were really enjoying it. After awhile we went over to the tenth tee just in time to see Tiger, Phil, and Adam Scott tee off, leading a huge gallery even at that morning hour. (Phil would end up leading the tournament by the end of the day at -8). We adjourned to the volunteer tent for a second breakfast, which we took over to the 9th grandstand to watch 6 or 7 threesomes come through. I spied Bubba Watson's wife Angie sitting a few rows away, waiting for Bubba to come along. At lunch we sat down at the only available table with a cart marshal, a good-old boy from Mississippi by way of Stoughton who was a really fun guy, talking a blue streak about every subject under the sun. I later said to Mike and Tom that the past 7 hours were typical of how I spent my time at past DBC's, meeting some pretty interesting people.
On the 1st tee, Steve didn't show, so it was just us three for the Poulter group, which was fine as we didn't anticipate a huge gallery. I focused on showing Mike and Tom the ropes of being a mobile marshal; how to assess what was needed in a constantly changing situation from hole-to-hole. Both were catching on quickly, loving it being inside the ropes generally as we escorted the players through their 18-hole round. Mike had an unbelievable experience at the 7th green when we all climbed into the carts that transport us 200 yards to the 8th tee, sitting next to Poulter. Mike told us afterwards that the volunteer cart driver noticed Poulter's caddie unwrapping a piece of candy, and asked if he was going to offer any to Mr. Poulter. The caddie evidently said jokingly, "I ain't giving him none of me bleeding candy", to which Poulter reportedly replied, "Well, I wouldn't give him the steam off me p___!" (I guess this is an Old English put-down). Tom and I were in hysterics after hearing this little player-caddie interaction, maybe a carryover from yesterday's golfball throwing contest. Poulter was playing quite well, finishing the day at 5 under par. We finished around 6:30, another 12 hour day at DBC, all of us in agreement that it had been a great experience.
Wednesday
The 2013 Deutsche Bank Championship Thursday August 28, 2013
Day 1 Pro-am
I invited by friends Tom and Mike to join me at DBC this year as mobile marshals. I think they gave-in to my frequent ravings about what a fantastic experience it was. They were initially resistant, due to the number of days and hours required, (3 days, 12 hour shifts), as well as the 70 mile commuting distance each way from home every day. This year we decided to get a place to stay in Pawtucket, RI, about 20 minutes from the TPC Boston site in Norton, MA. This allowed us to sleep-in to 5:30am, arriving at the course for the 6:15 marshals organizing meeting, to renew old acquaintances, update ourselves with the latest PGA concerns, and get our player assignments. Great to see our co-chairs Karen and David again, as well as Tony, Jack, Jim, the whole crew of mobiles numbering around 30 or so. Introduced Tom to everyone, Mike would be joining us on the weekend. I got assigned as crew leader for a 4-person crew including Tom, Joe, and his wife Diane, all rookies. We were assigned to marshal for Ian Poulter, teeing off at 12:20pm. After getting breakfast at the volunteer pavilion, I asked Tom who he would most like to work with this morning to pass the time until our primary afternoon assignment. He chose Rory McIlroy from among the 50 pros playing in todays pro-am, so we headed off to the first tee to help out with his crew of marshals. Nice walking along with Rory's group for 9 holes, showing Tom the nuances of marshaling, which he picked up quickly. He did quite well with the whole experience, which can be a delicate balance for us between performing our volunteer duties in crowd control while also realizing our close proximity to the players. It can be tough to avoid becoming star-struck at first, but you eventually get used to the dichotomy.
We went to the practice area to help out awhile, close to all the other players warming up for their rounds. Tom especially enjoyed chatting with a Norton police officer, hearing tales of DBC escapades from year's past. After cashing in our lunch vouchers at the concession stand, we headed to the first tee for our assignment with Poulter. My job today was to teach Tom, Joe, and Diane the logistics of marshaling for this group of 5 players, positioning Joe and Diane forward in the landing areas of the amateurs. Ian Poulter turned out to be a riot, constantly interacting with his playing partners, one of whom was an executive for a popular adult beverage company. This gentleman's caddy bag was well stocked with samples, which were consumed throughout the round, resulting in a jovial golfing experience for everyone involved. A good time was had by all, which only enhanced the pro-am atmosphere, as it should be. For his part, Poulter was having a running bet with his caddy over who could throw a golfball the furthest, picking several times in the round when $50-$100 was won or lost, much to everyone's amusement. Poulter was terrific with our gallery as well, signing loads of autographs, posing for pictures with fans, chatting up everyone and creating a wonderful impression. I had no idea he was this funny. After we finished on 18 I thanked everyone on my crew for doing a terrific job. They all agreed it was a breeze working Poulter's group and were looking forward to the competitive rounds later in the week. Tom and I headed back to the apartment where we were staying in RI, met up with our buddy Mike, and filled him in on our adventures with Ian Poulter.
Day 1 Pro-am
I invited by friends Tom and Mike to join me at DBC this year as mobile marshals. I think they gave-in to my frequent ravings about what a fantastic experience it was. They were initially resistant, due to the number of days and hours required, (3 days, 12 hour shifts), as well as the 70 mile commuting distance each way from home every day. This year we decided to get a place to stay in Pawtucket, RI, about 20 minutes from the TPC Boston site in Norton, MA. This allowed us to sleep-in to 5:30am, arriving at the course for the 6:15 marshals organizing meeting, to renew old acquaintances, update ourselves with the latest PGA concerns, and get our player assignments. Great to see our co-chairs Karen and David again, as well as Tony, Jack, Jim, the whole crew of mobiles numbering around 30 or so. Introduced Tom to everyone, Mike would be joining us on the weekend. I got assigned as crew leader for a 4-person crew including Tom, Joe, and his wife Diane, all rookies. We were assigned to marshal for Ian Poulter, teeing off at 12:20pm. After getting breakfast at the volunteer pavilion, I asked Tom who he would most like to work with this morning to pass the time until our primary afternoon assignment. He chose Rory McIlroy from among the 50 pros playing in todays pro-am, so we headed off to the first tee to help out with his crew of marshals. Nice walking along with Rory's group for 9 holes, showing Tom the nuances of marshaling, which he picked up quickly. He did quite well with the whole experience, which can be a delicate balance for us between performing our volunteer duties in crowd control while also realizing our close proximity to the players. It can be tough to avoid becoming star-struck at first, but you eventually get used to the dichotomy.
We went to the practice area to help out awhile, close to all the other players warming up for their rounds. Tom especially enjoyed chatting with a Norton police officer, hearing tales of DBC escapades from year's past. After cashing in our lunch vouchers at the concession stand, we headed to the first tee for our assignment with Poulter. My job today was to teach Tom, Joe, and Diane the logistics of marshaling for this group of 5 players, positioning Joe and Diane forward in the landing areas of the amateurs. Ian Poulter turned out to be a riot, constantly interacting with his playing partners, one of whom was an executive for a popular adult beverage company. This gentleman's caddy bag was well stocked with samples, which were consumed throughout the round, resulting in a jovial golfing experience for everyone involved. A good time was had by all, which only enhanced the pro-am atmosphere, as it should be. For his part, Poulter was having a running bet with his caddy over who could throw a golfball the furthest, picking several times in the round when $50-$100 was won or lost, much to everyone's amusement. Poulter was terrific with our gallery as well, signing loads of autographs, posing for pictures with fans, chatting up everyone and creating a wonderful impression. I had no idea he was this funny. After we finished on 18 I thanked everyone on my crew for doing a terrific job. They all agreed it was a breeze working Poulter's group and were looking forward to the competitive rounds later in the week. Tom and I headed back to the apartment where we were staying in RI, met up with our buddy Mike, and filled him in on our adventures with Ian Poulter.
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