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.