Day 4   DTC   Monday - Labor Day   September 3, 2018

When I met up with Brian at the green volunteer lot, he wanted to know who I thought we'd be marshaling today.  He'd looked up the pairings online and we both had pretty similar ideas, four possible scenarios: Justin Thomas or Phil in the morning, or Tiger or the leaders in the afternoon.  I was hoping for Phil as I don't think any rookie marshal is ever able to take on a Tiger crowd with only one day's experience.  It would almost be cruel to be exposed to the madness of his gallery with the expectation of controlling it.  Phil would be a better assignment, shorter wait time for his 9:45am tee-off, plus a smaller though sizable gallery.  We got coffees and went to the assignment meeting, moved up to 6:30am due to the PGA TOUR's decision for earlier teetimes for television and weather concerns.  I was very happy to see that Brian was really comfortable with our marshal group, talking with other marshals while I chatted with Tony, Jack, Jim, and Chris.  Sure enough, we got assigned to Phil Mickelson and Ryan Armour, perfect.  Brian would get to experience the Phil Show while needing to contend with the challenge of the always exuberant crowd interaction with everyone's favorite player.

We had time for a leisurely breakfast, including a discussion of the events of yesterday.  I took this opportunity to tell him how special it was for me to have him get to experience what this marshaling thing was all about, not just hear the talk.  In the past, I'd tried to downplay how much it would mean to me, but also informed him that this might be his last chance, given the plan to change the FedEx cup format and eliminate the DTC.  He admitted he partially agreed to do it since he knew how passionate I was about it, but now having met my buddies and having seen the same drive and enthusiasm in others, he had a new appreciation for it.  He was still learning, confessing to me he wasn't sure of exactly where he was supposed to be at each hole, but I told him he was picking it up fast and that I was proud of him.   We ended breakfast sitting with Maureen, Diane, and David for awhile and I got to learn a few more details of Maureen's life outside of marshaling.  I had no idea she was a runner as am I, logging at least 2 miles every morning. She'd even run the Marine Corps marathon in D.C. back in the day.  She said today was the first time she had taken a day off from running since she'd developed a foot blister from all the walking she'd been doing in the heat and humidity over the past 4 days. Maureen continues to reveal aspects of her inner character every time we see each other, it's one of the great things about developing all these DTC friendships through the years.

As Brian and I headed off to the first tee, we ran into Tony again.  I suggested we plan to work at the Travelers next June in CT.  He could join me and Brian, and make it a buddies road trip and stay at my cousin's house not far from TPC River Highlands.  Tony sounded psyched but also expressed how sorry he was to see the Dell coming to an end.

                                                                         Tony and me

Brian later said that moment really impressed upon him how special all of this was to us volunteers.  We also ran into my buddies Mike and Tom who were being spectators today but had tried marshaling in the past.  As it turned out, we were unable to find them later due the enormous crowds and our being inside the ropes a good bit of time.

We made a quick trip up to the range to see Phil and Ryan warming up, then headed to the first tee where I was able to get a "Hi Guys" from Phil after I said good morning.

There was a pretty light crowd, just over 100 spectators but is was still early.  We moved from the first tee to the adjacent landing area of #2 fairway just as a ball landed outside the rope hit by Tom Hoge.  He thanked us after we organized the crowd into an alley so he could hit back into play.  It was great working with Brian as a 2-man crew, both inside and outside the ropes, meaning lots of cart path action keeping the gallery from sprinting ahead while Armour took his shots after Phil.  The crowd steadily grew to +300 on the front nine, then exploded to well over a thousand as we came off the 9th green to the 10th tee box.  The captain at 10 was having trouble with the cart path the entire length of the hole so I radioed in for a couple of reinforcements to join us.  We got one more by the 11th hole but it was a temporary assignment.  Just as well because by the time we walked all the way to the 12th green our crowd had shrunk back to 300 or so, quite manageable for just the 2 of us.  It was seriously hot and I was drinking a water or powerade at almost every hole, Brian also.

                                                              Phil at 13 green after hitting his famous flopshot

Late in the round, with Phil playing exceptionally well and on his way to shooting a 63, Brian and I were inside the ropes at the 13th green, Phil about 10 feet in the rough and another 20 feet from the flag. He proceeded to hit a patented Phil flop shot 30 feet straight up to travel to within 2 feet of the hole.  I said to Brian later, what a thrill to be right there to witness that in person.  Something he'll be able to tell his grandkids about!   

When we finished we waited at the autograph area for 10 minutes, thinking Phil would come out after signing his score card.  I'd prepped Brian beforehand stating he always signs everything, for at least 20 minutes, sometimes longer, with us marshals nearby to help keep things semi-controlled.  Ryan Armour to his credit came out, pouring sweat, looking exhausted, but signing for a good 10 minutes, but no Phil.

                                                                        Ryan Armour

We needed to get something to eat, put our feet up and take a well earned rest so off we went to my new favorite concession stand at the 17th tee for the Calabrese chicken sandwich and a cold green tea, plus scoring adirondack seats in the shade.  Wonderful!   I'd been monitoring my headset all the while for calls to come help with the Tiger-Koepka pairing, who by now were on the 7th hole.  The chatter I was hearing indicated that our mobile marshals were battling not only the intense crowds but also the heat.  Brian and I went back to the volunteer tent and continued our rest break.  We were both pretty beat and he eventually said that he didn't have any reserve left.  I wasn't sure if I did either, so we called it a day and began to leave. I'd even removed my headset.  Just then, David came up to the tent looking pretty done in and took a seat while Ailish, one of our marshal support crew, applied an ice bag to his neck to help him cool down.  Tiger was by this time on his way to 10th tee.  I checked in with David and he confirmed with lead marshal Tony that reinforcements would be welcomed.  Brian later said at that moment he could see my second wind literally kick-in right before his eyes, and I put my headset back on and was ready to go.  We said our good-byes and I thanked him again for such a special opportunity it was to have him with me inside the ropes.  Ailish drove me in her cart out to join our crew of 6 marshals, taking the back road cart paths to the 12th tee, Tiger and Brooks just walking up the chute from 11.  I immediately saw Tony, Maureen, Kim, and Karen, they all looked pretty fried.  Only Chris and Jack looked like they still had some juice left in their walk. I actually felt the day had cooled off a bit from this morning and felt pretty good walking the final holes from 12 on in.

                                                                    Tiger and Brooks putting on 16

Chris, Jack, and I worked inside the ropes, varying our positions from next to the players to somewhat ahead, not worrying about the cart paths as the crowd was so deep, the players weren't distracted by the river of people constantly moving along.  Both were playing really well but too far back to seriously contend.  Tiger was dripping sweat, toweling off after every shot, the temperature 91 degrees with a 101 real feel.  I was hearing David, (who'd come back from the dead) on the headset talking with Maureen about the dreaded P-word (a playoff) potential between DeChambeau, Rose, and others.  I wasn't worried because I knew I'd be way too worn out to stick around for that.  We had a bit of a scare along 18 when an unfortunate spectator collapsed at the rope from the heat but  the Norton police officer accompanying us was immediately on the scene, radioing for assistance.  Jack and I were right there too, but quickly moved on once we assessed the situation.  The scene at the 18th green with its grandstands providing a stadium like scene was unreal.  Tiger and Brooks finished up to immense cheering from the huge crowd, then we escorted them down the chute and over to the clubhouse and scoring area.  They subsequently were gracious enough to come out to the autograph area to a very receptive group of kids.

Tiger making everyone's day by signing everything in sight

I took some pictures of my fellow marshals Jack esq. and Jim "the mayor" then also got a picture of our leaders David and Maureen.  As I later posted on Facebook, "is it the end of an era? I hope not."

Tiger signing, with me and Maureen keeping the crowd behaved

Jack and The Mayor

Maureen and David

It's been a terrific experience with all of these guys!

   
 
         

Day 3   DTC    Sunday     September 2, 2018

An extra special day as I was going to be joined by my son Brian for his first ever marshaling experience.  To make it even more special, I had my wife Mary with me for the day, including driving up to TPC Boston, leaving our house at 4:45am. On the way, we talked about the potential assignment times and players we might have, hoping to avoid a dreaded late teetime and having to find something to do for 5-6 hours. Everything worked out fine from the start, meeting Brian at the green lot and taking the shuttle over to the volunteer tent and our MGA meeting spot.  I got a coffee for Mary, then Brian and I went to the assignment meeting.  I made introductions all around to all the other mobile marshals, and Brian was instantly greeted by all my buddies and welcomed into the fold, everyone asking him questions and making comments.  Brian later told Mary, "Dad knows everyone".  We got assigned to Justin Thomas and Whee Kim for an 8:35am teetime, which was perfect, anticipating a relatively manageable gallery plus no need to find some diversionary activity to kill the waiting time.  I introduced Brian to David and thanked him for the opportunity to have Brian join me in marshaling, as he had no experience.  David said I would do a good job training him as I had done so many other times with various rookies.

Me and Brian

Brian and Mary

Don't mess with this marshal!

We then strolled to the first tee and met up with our third crew member, Frank, who I'd trained at the Pro-Am.  He's such a personable guy, immediately took to chatting up Brian, including complementing me on my ability to give him a wonderful training experience on his first day as a mobile marshal.  He even commented on how much better it was than volunteering as a hole marshal, which he had done on 2 prior occasions.  I spoke with Karen our MM co-chair, who was again stretching her resume, serving as first tee announcer and doing a grand job.  I also chatted up Rich, the first tee captain, who complemented all of us MM's and our ability as specialists to quickly identify problem areas on the course.  We're the cavalry! 

As planned, it turned out to be a very easy marshaling assignment for our crew, working with Justin Thomas and Whee Kim.  Basically a hot walk in the park with 50-100 friends along to watch the golf. Brian and Frank responded perfectly to my subtle directions for positioning on each hole, techniques for quieting the gallery, avoiding blocking anyone's view by taking a knee, and having a good time working the crowd.   Every time you're standing at the rope close to the spectators, they generally want to engage you with a question or comment, and you've got to be ready to have that knowledgeable response.  To some extent, being inside the ropes means you are a part of the action, and the crowd is looking for a bit of give and take with us in a friendly bantering manner. As it turned out, I was especially proud of my wife Mary, as she was able to speak with our accompanying Norton police officer, as well as Justin's father, mother, and girlfriend Jillian Wisniewski walking along with us.  Somehow Mary had learned that JT was a huge RedSox fan, despite being from Kentucky, and that he and Jordan Spieth had been to last night's game at Fenway, including getting the opportunity to throw out the first pitch.  Mary later said what nice people they were, so approachable, Jillian wishing her to "Have a great day".  

We accompanied the players off the 18th green and over to the clubhouse scoring and autograph area, Whee coming out to sign for about 5 minutes.  There we met up with Brian's new wife Lauren and her parents Frank and Patti, and it was time for them to find some adult beverages, and for me and Brian to get some lunch and wait to see if we would be needed as reinforcements on the back-nine for Tiger's group.  We got lunch and the necessary fluids at the 17th tee concession stands and found one of the few shady spots in order to beat the serious heat.  Mary, Lauren, Patti, and Frank shifted into party mode while Brian and I devoured 2 sandwiches apiece and rested our legs.  After awhile, the headset chatter seemed pretty calm and it didn't look like our further services would be needed.  I got a beer and became a spectator for the first time at DTC.  We then joined the hoards trying to get a glimpse of TW, finally doing so as he came of the 10th tee.  What a difference it is trying to watch from outside the ropes!  In the end, Brian and I were both pretty beat and I was sort of glad that we didn't get the word to walk another 9 holes with the afternoon groups.  I told him I was very happy with having him along to experience life as a Mobile Marshal, something I'd talking about for 10 years.  Both he and Mary said lots of nice things about the wonderful time they'd had, despite feeling hot and tired.    

Day 2   DTC  Saturday   September 1, 2018

Much more relaxed start as 7:30am meeting allowed for an extra hour's sleep.  Got assigned to the Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, & Patrick Cantlay group for a 9:15am tee off.  Diane would be lead marshal but I was on headset as well to help coordinate communication in our crew of four, including Chris and Scott, both great guys.  Chatted a bit with David about the our Pro-Am group, asking if  there had been any repercussions from having so many non-players inside the ropes.  He hadn't heard anything but appreciated the feedback.

I was shocked at the volunteer tent when I went for my pre-round breakfast, there was absolutely no food!  Evidently us volunteers had been eating more than our estimated allotment and catering was in the process of restocking.  I used one of my meal vouchers to get a breakfast burrito at the concession stand next door, pretty tasty but not my usual thing, I'm more of a bagel and cream cheese guy.  Hoped I wouldn't be paying a price later on.

Phil Michelson

10th tee

Phil

At the 10th tee, saw Diane and Chris and got going with Phil's group, drawing the largest crowd of the morning, Tiger's group not teeing off until 1:16pm. Had 2,000 walking along in the gallery, enjoying the Phil Show immensely, all smiles, thumbs-up, constantly tipping his cap every time a fan called his name, which was about every 10 seconds.  New this year were comments related to his dance moves as seen on a recent commercial, lots of requests shouted out for an on-course demonstration or two. He just smiled.  We spent an equal amount of time inside and outside the ropes, attempting to keep the crowd stationary while all three players completed their shots.   Most of the time the gallery was cooperative and respectful in this.  We'd been briefed at our meeting that Patrick Reed might be the recipient of some heckling as he'd posted a complaint on Twitter about his less than spectacular seats at the RedSox game last night.  Not a discouraging word was heard all day, other than some pointedly sarcastic shouts of "Go Sox" thrown his way.

The gallery size varied at the usual spots, down to roughly 1,000 at the distant holes 12-15, then growing again to +2,000 at the stadium-like 16th and through 18, then reduced again at 1 due the distance from the clubhouse.  It always grows as you get closer to the 9th hole, in this case the finishing hole of the round.  I however didn't get this far in the round as we began hearing about the gallery gathering for Tiger's group, and this was before he'd even teed off.  Several of us were being asked to leave our groups if possible to join in the TW adventure.  I arranged with Diane to take a break as we reached the 5th &7th greens complex so I could grab lunch while she, Chris, and Scott continued on through 6 and 7 which are always lightly attended.  When they got back to the 7th green I rejoined them to assist with the infamous 7-to-8 cart path bridges, which are always a tricky mix of spectators and carts transporting the players and caddies.  Once Phil & co. made it through to the 8th tee, I continued walking in and was joined by Tony, also heading in to join us reinforcements.  We quickly stopped at the volunteer tent for a bathroom break and an iced coffee, then battled the sea of humanity.  We cut over to the 4th tee and walked up to find Karen, Maureen, and others facing a wall-to-wall crowd.  I got to walk close to Tiger as he exited the tee walking down 4, his face wearing a wry smile, he was really enjoying this.  Tony, Maureen, and I stayed back to catch him and his playing partners Marc Leishman, and Chez Reavie as they made their way back on 5.  Maureen was already thinking way ahead, to the 7-to-8 bridges and working out the logistics for handling what must have been +5,000 spectators.  We walked on ahead to this area and eventually had 6 or 7 people all waying in on strategic planning.  Finally, as the crowds started to build, those trying to keep ahead of Tiger in other words, we sprang into action. I and others spent the next 30 minutes acting as traffic cops, diverting the flow of spectators so as to keep the cart path/bridges clear. There must have been 10 marshals involved altogether in this plan, and we were later told that the 7th green captain said he'd never seen the carts return so quickly. Mission accomplished!  It wore me out however, and by this time, there was no catching up to Tiger's group on the 10th tee.  When I saw Diane and Karen, I told them I was wiped out and done for the day.  They thanked me for my efforts in manning the trouble spots and going where help was most needed.          

The 2018 Dell Technologies Championship     Pro-Am    Thursday,  August 30, 2018

Set 2 alarms so I wouldn't miss the 4:10am wake-up to be on the road to TPC Norton for my 10th year as a mobile marshal.  It was dawn when I arrived at the volunteer tent, but instead of my usual DD hot cup of coffee, I went for the iced stuff since it was going to be God-awful hot today.  The ''real-feel'' would later climb to 100 degrees!  Met up with all my old buddies to renew my connections with my extended DTC family, Tony, Jimmy, Jack, Diane and our leaders David, Karen, and Maureen.  I got assigned to Jordan Spieth for a 2pm tee-off, and would be training two new mobile marshals, Frank and Nancy.  I also stepped up to help out with marshaling for Rory McIlroy at 8:10am, partly to use up the waiting time until my main assignment, but also so I could have time working with my buddies Tony and Jim.  Over breakfast, I got to sit with Tony and talk about his recent extensive running training, which is so impressive to me as he is a 50 year-old former smoker.  David also joined us to talk about what guys our age often do, planning for retirement. In his case he is going to retire in December from publication sales, and is seeking to become a Florida snowbird.  He'd like to have a place on the Cape as well, so we talked about that in depth since I live there year round.  On our minds as well was the fact that this was to be the last DTC, if in name only, the entire FedEx Cup playoff system being reconfigured and this championship being absorbed into the Northern Trust on an every other year rotation.  We'd be trying to wrap our minds around this ''end of an era'' for the next five days.

At 8am Tony and I walked leisurely to the first tee, the temp already above 80 and extremely humid.  I began drinking water on almost every hole.  It became like a casual walk in the park for us as Rory was drawing a very sparse crowd for this Pro-Am.  In addition, he wasn't signing any autographs or posing for any pictures along the way, in keeping with the new PGA TOUR policy.  This made our marshaling job even easier.  We occasionally had to search for wayward golf balls struck by the amateur players but that made it interesting.  It was basically a chance for me and Tony to get caught up on our respective lives since last year, although we're in touch on Facebook throughout the year.  Tony works in the bio-tech field installing and maintaining spectrometers, and refers to himself as the ''biotech Maytag repair man'' although I'm sure it's way more sophisticated than that.

We finished up our 9-hole commitment at 10:45, leaving the marshaling job to Jimmy, who had no problem handling the light gallery.  He is one interesting dude, a walking Boston history book, with that dry sarcastic Irish sense of humor.  If he reads this, he'll probably say I'm full of it.
Tony and I grabbed lunch then sat at the volunteer tent with our feet up to rest before our primary assignments this afternoon.  We were again joined by David and later by Diane, and we both entertained her with pictures on our phones from the Presidents Cup last fall.  It turns out David is a real foodie and has a serious knowledge about the best restaurants from Boston to NYC, (Pepe's pizza evidently no longer the best in Connecticut).  He and Tony soon left to work the Phil Mickelson group, while I hung around the volunteer tent, getting a chance to meet two players who dropped by to thank us volunteers for our efforts, Tyrell Hatten of England and C.T. Pan of Korea, both extremely gracious guys.

C.T. Pan

Tyrell Hatten

I also spent 30 minutes up at the range watching Jordan warm-up for our round.  There was a ''situation'' developing out on the course where a credentialed volunteer was impersonating a mobile marshal walking with Tiger's group.  All of us with headsets could hear this unfolding as our fearless leader Maureen collared the fake marshal and rescinded his credential.  Don't mess with Maureen!

At 1:45 I went to the first tee to meet up with Nancy and Frank, my two rookies.  They both turned out to be great mobile marshals, responding to all my guidance and picking things up fast.  I guess I'm one of the designated trainers in our mobile marshal committee; at last count I've trained 13 in my 9 years as a MM crew leader.  Both turned out to be very interesting people, Frank is a lieutenant with the Suffolk County Sheriff Department and very active with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Nancy is an IT wiz in healthcare.  They were full of enthusiasm and had lots of curiosity about the art of marshaling, which I was able to handle, I think.  At least that's what they told me after completing our round!

This was probably the highest profile group in the entire Pro-Am, with PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan, Dell CEO Bill Scannell, and Seth Waugh, recently named as CEO of the PGA of America.  You might think this would make for an intimidating group, playing with such a prominent player as Jordan Spieth but it was a real pleasure.  All three gentlemen were so down to earth and easy-going, it wasn't hard to get into a rhythm of 4 guys simply playing a round of golf, some spectacular shots, and some not so memorable.  My rookies Frank and Nancy rose to the occasion and performed so well, I was so proud of them not getting star-struck in the presence of such a high powered group.  Soon into the round, extra friends and family got invited in on the action inside the ropes.  We generally try to keep this tendency from getting too large and cumbersome, however, considering the amateur players involved, I couldn't say anything.  At the turn, all of the players helped themselves to adult beverages at the tent set-up at the 10th tee, (''swing oil'' we generally call it), and the fun really kicked up a notch.  Before long, there were 35 people inside the ropes, players, caddies, spouses, kids, brothers, cousins, you name it.  It became one continuous moving golf party, it was great, like nothing I'd ever seen at DTC.  Before long, everyone was getting a chance to step-up, kids chipping onto the green, spouses hitting tee-shots, everyone taking a try at putting. This was taking extra time to complete our round and it was getting close to dark but we were all having too much fun.  Plus, as lead marshal, how could I have encouraged the PGA commissioner to pick-up the pace of play?

After it was all over at the 18th green, I told Frank and Nancy how well they had done in their first mobile marshal experience, under challenging circumstances, including searing heat.  They both expressed appreciation for a wonderful experience, which, after all is the main reason any of us sacrifice so much to be a part of this great championship.

Rory chatting with fans while waiting to tee off on 3rd hole

Jordan signing photos taken of him with his Pro-Am partners

       

US Open    June 17, 2018    Day 4

The overnight crisis for the USGA was on full display when I arrived at Shinnecock at 9:30am.  The course was drying out and the warm, breezy weather forecast for today meant that there was a possibility the course could be "lost" with conditions making the putting surfaces unplayable.  This situation had been discussed endlessly in the weeks leading up to the Open, with much reference to the infamous 2004 Championship, when several greens actually were unplayable, not holding balls and resulting in a major USGA black eye.  That wasn't going to happen this time, and yet, here were officials checking the 13th green next to the volunteer HQ, checking the moisture and roll, ultimately watering before play commenced.  Their efforts were successful but the tension in the air was palpable.

USGA staff checking 13th green speed with stimp meter 

13 need to be hand watered to slow down the crazy green speed

Tony Finau about to tee off on first hole

Having no confirmation of an assignment as a forward marshal for today, I became a bit anxious waiting at the volunteer HQ for Brad, or anyone else who might be able to issue my credential for the day. Without that I had no walking authorization to be inside the ropes.  At various times I spoke to Captains Tom and Chuck, who said they'd see what they could do but then disappeared. This was not how I've been accustomed to volunteering, you know months in advance as to your assignment, whether it be at Deutsche Bank, Dell, Presidents Cup, or 3 prior US Opens, but never did I need to work the system to confirm my assignment like I was having to do here.  I'd been at the HQ for three hours, even calling Brad's cell and leaving a message with no response.  Finally when Brad showed up, I'm sure I was visibly relieved and he apologized for not getting my call.  He was extremely solicitous and immediately assigned me to the final pairing of the day, Tony Finau and Daniel Berger.  I was to be part of a 2-man volunteer crew for this pairing.  At the first tee, however, I was joined by two different guys in the 20's, both wearing USGA apparel and headsets, not part of the volunteer marshals.  They were to by my ''marshals'' for this pairing, although they admitted they had no marshaling experience.  It was basically like having two honorary marshals in tow, who I had to try to train on the fly, when both were more interested in an inside-the-ropes experience.  They eventually got with the program.

Even though Finau and Berger started out tied with DJ and Brooks Koepka, in the pairing just ahead of us, they eventually lost ground, and as a result, lost lots of gallery support.  We still had plenty of work to do keeping the crowd under control, but most had drifted up to walk with the eventual winner Koepka.  I had some excitement on 18 when Finau's drive went right, into the tall stuff, and resulted in a large search party of marshals, spectators, caddies, and players all wading through the knee-high fescue. The ball was eventually located by a tv spotter walking along with us, much to Tony's relief.  It was definitely anticlimactic as we finished on 18 green, Koepka having already sown-up the victory, with Finau and Berger going through the motions.   A USGA security chief commandeered about 20 of us marshals to form a rope line across the 18th fairway to prevent the spectators from coming up and over-running the green were the trophy ceremony was being set-up.  It soon became apparent that  this was unnecessary, at which point my buddy Brad came along and took me with him up to stand at the green amongst the assembled crowd of USGA officials, Shinnecock members, media, and the fans packed in the grandstands.  Pretty good stuff.   

The crowded scene at the 18th green

Brooks Koepka being interviewed by Todd Lewis of Golf Channel

US Open   June 16, 2018    Day 3

Took little over an 90 minutes for my commute from airbnb to Shinnecock, about 45 miles altogether,  like going to work by now.  At HQ I ran into Tom and thanked him for his help getting me set-up for yesterday's assignment.  He said he was glad I was able to find Andy amongst the throng of people and get my credential.  I also spoke with Andy who said we'd need extra marshals throughout the course due to the expected jump in overall attendance as yesterday's rain had given way to great summer weather for today.  No mention of serving as a forward marshal.  I hung around HQ for awhile, pondering my options, when Brad arrived, the top guy in charge for all marshals.  A Shinnecock member, very personable and outgoing.  He approached me about going out again today as a forward marshal for Phil's pairing with Beef Johnston at 11:30.  He then said something curious, "you're a friend of Mike Davis?"  I said I don't really know Mike, but we had exchanged emails a few times over my walking marshal proposal.  Brad said he had gotten word from Mike to be sure I got assigned as a forward marshal.  I was a bit astonished.  Brad gave me a credential for the day and added he'd have a headset for me but would need to bring it out to me at the 1st tee.

Phil about to tee off on first hole

The atmosphere was electric there in anticipation of Phil and Beef's arrival.  It was only 11am but already some patrons were enjoying adult beverages and having a great time.  To add to the festivities, it was Phil's birthday, with a line of fans wearing party hats and stretching out a sign reading Happy Birthday Phil.  He would be serenaded two to three times every hole by the crowd singing to him, must have been over 40 times by the end of the round.  

Turns out I was the only forward marshal for this pairing so I was free to vary my position relative to the players, depending on the need along the ropes.  Fans were once again surprisingly respectful, shouting out "Hey Phil'' every few seconds, and getting a response, which pleased the crow no end.  I heard over and over people saying, "He gave me a thumbs-up" or "Now I can die happy, I got Phil Mickelson to look at me"!  Beef got his share of comments, generally full-throated shouts of "Where's the beef? or Want some cheese with that, Beef?''  When I'd heard that one for the 20th time, I turned to the young guy standing at the rope who said it and I good-naturedly said, "Like that's the first time he's heard that one today".   His buddies immediately started razing him about how the marshal really called him out, all in good fun.    

As everyone knows by now, the sun, wind, and heat baked the greens, causing putts to barely hold onto the linoleum-like surfaces, and sending scores upwards.  Phil's meltdown on the 13th green, when he struck a still-moving ball and ended up scoring a 10, was a culmination of exasperating play. I unfortunately did not witness this directly as it was the only time I was in forward marshal mode and had already moved on to the 14th tee.  This was a challenge since it is right beside the clubhouse,  necessitating use of the elevated walkway set-up over the crowd.  I only heard about it further on down the 14th hole when a fellow marshal asked me what happened to Phil on 13?  I was in shock and immediately thought he'd get DQ'd.  Surprisingly, his demeanor did not change outwardly throughout the rest of the round, always acknowledging the crowd with each rendition of Happy Birthday to You, culminating at the 18th green when the entire grandstand broke into song as he approached his ball lying a few feet off the green, about 30 feet from the pin. Phil displayed a classic flop shot that went 20 feet in the air and landed 2 feet from the hole.  The crowd went wild.       

US Open  June 15, 2018       Day 2

Bit of a fiasco getting to the course this am as the shuttle bus driver missed the turn into Shinnecock, and took us on a 5 mile detour in the process of trying to turn around in the streets of Southampton.  Lots of impatient passengers shouting at the driver with ''helpful'' comments in loud Long Islander accents, "You need a freakin' co-pilot"!  Finally got to the course at 10am, went directly to the HQ to check-in and spoke with Geoff, today's 19th hole marshal Captain.  I pointed out my designation as a forward marshal, next to my name on his clipboard, to which he responded, ''just be at the 1st tee in time for the 1:47 teetime of Phil Mickelson, Jordan Spieth, and Rory McIlroy''.  No mention of needing a color-coded credential authorizing me to be inside the ropes.  I would need to pull some strings to make that happen I guessed.
At breakfast I met some interesting folks from Louisiana, one of whom was serving as a 19th hole marshal also.  He had volunteered at more than 15 US Opens, making a vacation of it every year.  Said he was paying $400/night for his hotel room, (Southampton, NY prices)!
I went back to HQ and spoke with my new buddy Tom who confirmed I would indeed have to get a "walking" credential for the day, but could only do that by speaking to Andy, higher up the chain of command.  Tom radio'd him and we arranged to meet at the first tee.  It was a miracle that I ran into him there, recognizing him from yesterday, as the area was again packed with spectators and officials.   Andy gave me the coveted walking credential, and explained the USGA forward marshal concept to me, staying half a hole ahead of the players to assist with finding stray shots in the fescue, and marshaling the crowd.  Placing me forward like this was their way of reducing the number of people inside the ropes clustered around the players, (caddies, scorer, sign-bearer, rule official, police, photographers, and USGA personnel).  I texted friends about my assignment and got an email from Dave at Dell who was curious about working the Open as he'd heard the traffic was awful.  I provided some details to everyone on the fly, but I hope this gives are more detailed picture of things.

I worked the first tee, marshaling as each three-some of players come up, huge roars from the gallery surrounding the area, including Shinnecock members on the nearby clubhouse porch.  I was eventually joined by Peter, who would be walking with me as our crew of 2 for the marquee group.  This was the fellow I met yesterday at the fifth hole, the Area Captain and veteran of many US Opens at all levels of marshaling.  He said he was sorry he had to stop me from walking further with TW yesterday without a credential.  

When Phil, Jordan, and Rory arrived on the tee, the crowd went crazy, Phil being a golf-God to the NY fans going back to the 2002 Open at Bethpage.  I felt a little sorry for Jordan and Rory as these two are often the featured player in a championship group, but not today.  The USGA official made the first tee introductions and we were off.   

Peter and I worked well together trying to stay ahead of the players, which was sometimes difficult in that we were walking through the deep fescue near the rope most of the time. It soon became apparent to me that staying so far ahead of the players was of limited value when it came to marshaling the crowd.  Not one ball landed in the fescue, so there was no need for any searches in the tall stuff.  I eventually worked back closer to the players, filling in any gap areas where the hole marshals were spread thin. Taking a knee not to block the patrons often elicited an appreciative comment from the gallery.  These folks paid a lot to get an unblocked view of Phil!  As usual, the crowd was in full voice, bellowing his name every 5 seconds, often resulting in a thumbs-up or smile from him.  Rory and Jordan got their share of call-outs but nothing like Phil's Army.  All three were out of contention by the end of the round, only Phil would be making it to the weekend, Jordan and Rory missing the cut.  It was a fun round nonetheless, getting to interact with the crowd, who were largely respectful and in good spirits.

   

US Open   June 14, 2018     Day 1

I delayed my start out to Shinnecock a bit in response to the email warning us about traffic delays.  As is turned out, there was minimal traffic on the Sunrise Highway eastbound, heading away from NYC at 8AM, followed by a 35 minute bus ride to the course.  On arriving, I walked directly to the volunteer pavilion and got a cup of coffee, a bagel, and an apple.  Nice when they provide us volunteers with a decent breakfast in a pleasant and roomy atmosphere, lots of flat screen tv's even.  I then went next door to the volunteer HQ and met the 19th hole committee chairman, who welcomed me and signed me in on his list, noting the designation of "forward marshal'' beside my name.  I asked about my assignment as a ''forward marshal'' but he had no info relating to this particular job for a 19th hole volunteer.  He explained further that all 4 of the walking marshals had already been assigned to the marquee groups for the day, (Phil, Rory, and Jordan in the morning, and Tiger, DJ, and Justin Thomas in the afternoon).  He said he'd see what he could do about scheduling me to walk tomorrow, the same groups going out but switching AM-PM starting times.  As an aside, he curiously mentioned the system was in ''complete chaos''.  I was a bit concerned that my forward marshal designation was going to take some back channel networking on my part.  To that end, I eventually heard another marshal coordinator speaking with the 2 walking marshals about to head out with Tiger's group this afternoon.  I introduced myself to Andy and explained my desire to be designated as a forward marshal tomorrow if possible. He said to arrive an hour before my designated shift just to be sure that the arrangement could be made.
I sat in HQ for an hour, noticing a guy (Tom) who was obviously some sort of Captain for the 19th hole marshal bullpen, receiving requests on his headset then announcing to the those of us waiting if we'd like to volunteer for such-and-such assignments, (''they need a couple of marshals at the 8th hole crosswalk'' was typical).  I began chatting with him and he was curious about my marshaling experience both at US Opens and DBC/DTC.  He said I could handle any marshal assignment, so what would I like to do?  "Maybe you could just go out and freelance at the greens where they might need some help".  I thought "great", I can see where I'm needed and fill in the gaps.  I headed over to the first tee, immediately beside the clubhouse and began working the chute and crosswalk where players were having to negotiate a narrow corridor with fans packed 10 deep behind the rope. The place was an absolute madhouse with fans, security, photographers, and USGA personnel jammed together.  The first tee Captain was great, with an excellent crew of marshals who were having to manage this crosswalk without having a riot on their hands. When Tiger's group approached, we heard them before we saw them as the crowd went nuts shouting.   Justin Thomas and Dustin Johnson walked through the chute and onto the tee, looking relaxed and fist-bumping everyone on the way.  Then Tiger arrived, to the sound of over a thousand people shouting his name.  As he walked by me, my reaction was that he did not look like he was having any fun!  His face looked downright haggard.  There was no energy in his affect.  He almost appeared nervous.
I walked inside the ropes with this group through the first 4 holes, seeing the course for the first time and getting a feel for the whole US Open atmosphere.  The severity of the rough was astonishing, knee high fescue which would be nearly impossible to hit from.  I remember worrying that we were going to spend a lot of time helping players look for any stray balls that landed in this stuff.  Shinnecock is a beast, listed as the fourth best course in America, (behind only Pebble Beach, Augusta National, and Cypress Point).  It is a classic seaside links design with hardly a tree in sight.  The wind was blowing at least 20 mph and I recall thinking I couldn't break 125 on this stark wild layout.  I was having a terrific time marshaling just inside the ropes, the gallery huge but largely respectful toward these 3 top players.  It couldn't last.
At the 5th hole, an area Captain spoke to me and said I didn't have the proper color coded credential for being inside the ropes.  Who knew?  I explained my situation but he said without the credential, I needed to remain at fixed areas on the course, not walking with the players.  He assigned me to work a crosswalk on this hole, for about an hour, whereupon I was subsequently relieved by other marshals permanently assigned to the fifth hole.  No problem. The USGA now has so many marshals on each hole that extra 19th hole marshals are often unnecessary.  I decided it was time for my lunch break so I stopped at the nearby concession stand for what is the traditional volunteer marshal meal, grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce and tomato, iced tea, and a double chocolate brownie.  That'll keep me going!
From here I calculated that Tiger's afternoon group would have an enormous gallery following along, so I went ahead to the 13th green, looked up the hole Captain and offered my services to help marshal, in anticipation of the massive crowd following TW, DJ, and JT.   He readily agreed and assigned me to the green for added marshaling support.  When Tiger got to the green, he unfortunately 4-putted, going +2 for the hole.  I felt like my man TW was blowing it and I internally wished he could hold on to make the cut.

Tiger unfortunately 4-putting

After 13, I walked over to the 16th green to marshal a complex set-up, with players teeing off on 17 while others were putting on 16.  A classic situation where massive crowds influenced the play in a US Open due to the close proximity of a green/tee complex on this classic old style course set-up.  The 17th hole marshal at the tee was basically alone in attempting to keep play under control.  He was really happy to have my support to keep the fans quiet and in control while the TW group completed play on the 16th green.  From there I walked up to the 18th green, found the Captain, and offered my assistance.  He said he definitely needed me alongside the green so I marshaled there as TW, DJ, and JT came up.  Always great to witness such top players give their all to stay in contention  at the US Open.

US Open   June 13, 2018   Shinnecock Hills    Southampton, NY



Once I'd received notification of having been selected to serve as a 19th Hole Marshal for the US Open at Shinnecock, I emailed Hank Thompson and cc'd Mike Davis:

Gentlemen,

It may be too late in the game to inquire further as to your plans for the U.S. Open at Shinnecock in a few months.  Nonetheless, I wanted to re-establish contact with you both about the need for and potential benefit of having walking marshals assigned to the highest profile player groups at this year's Championship. This need was further reinforced to me by my experience as a "Roving Marshal" at the President's Cup last October.  Despite there being as excessive amount of people inside the ropes with each player group, I believe a crew of 2-4 marshals would have quieted some of the exuberant fan behavior.  I accompanied several groups, and did what I could as a single marshal, but repeatedly wished I had 2 or 3 other marshals to help quell the rough comments directed at International team players, as well as WAGs. I am presently assigned to the 19th Hole marshals committee for this years Open, and would welcome the opportunity to expand our responsibilities to including walking marshals. 

Best regards, 

Wyn 

Hi Wyn,

I hope this email finds you well and getting ready for golf season.

We are looking forward to June at Shinnecock Hills.  We are also appreciative of your time and energy once again.  As you noted, we have you assigned to the 19th Hole Marshal Committee.  Within this committee we deploy marshals to different areas on the golf course to assist marshals.  We also utilize marshals from this committee to provide support to “marquee” groups during championship rounds.  Due to your experience, we have marked your information to be one of those marshals to help out with a certain group.  At this time, we do not know what groups at the moment but that will become clearer when starting times are determined prior to the championship.  

As we discussed following Oakmont, we continue to review our practices so that we can provide a secure playing fields for the players.  We also continue to review who has access to follow groups to attempt to clean up the areas around the players in the field.  As you note below, a concern of ours continues to be the number of people inside the ropes.

Thank you again for the email.  We look forward to seeing you in June!

Hank

I wasn't sure what to expect in being designated as a walking marshal for one of the marquee groups but I'd soon find out.  

I arrived on Long Island on Wednesday June 13th after a 5 hour drive from my hometown on Cape Cod, plenty of time to spare to see the course and test out the commuting logistics to the central parking area arranged by the USGA.  The Gabreski airport in Westhampton Beach would serve as the only parking for the Open, for all volunteers and spectators , located about 10 miles from Shinnecock.  The actual bus ride took 30 mins, not too bad, this being 5pm.  The championship director would subsequently send a email to all volunteers stating that the morning bus ride was taking 1:45 however, due to weekday L.I. rush hour traffic + golf related crowds on the roads.  Yikes!   

Shinnecock's timeless clubhouse 

I walked around the course a bit, taking in the stately old clubhouse, but  there was no gaining entrance without a member credential. Checked out the practice range, putting, and chipping areas, and strolled down to the volunteer pavilion, for once conveniently located near the clubhouse. Also checked out the massive merchandise area for potential purchases later in the week.  I could feel the buzz in the air from the crowd still on the premises at this late hour on the final practice day.   Can't wait to get started tomorrow.