I got to be the starter on Sunday at a PGA tour event

[cliffj]

I was to be the hole captain of the 10th hole at the web.com tournament this past weekend, Sunday was forecast to be cold and rainy so they went to starting on both tees with threesomes. Shortly before the event started a tour official approached me and asked if I would run the tee. I agreed. N I had to hand out scorecards, local rules for the day (preferred lies in closely mown areas), introduce walking scorers. In one case I had to call in a missing player (turns out he had called in to WD but did not find out until later. Then I had to inform players of batting order and proceed to announce to the (sparse) crowd their name and hometown. ( oh..and then I had to hold the quiet sign and motion the direction of the drive so the spotters could mark/find the ball) It was a blast. Also fun to listen in to player/player caddie/caddie Player/caddie interchanges.

[MEfree]

cool!

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by cliffj

I was to be the hole captain of the 10th hole at the web.com tournament this past weekend, Sunday was forecast to be cold and rainy so they went to starting on both tees with threesomes. Shortly before the event started a tour official approached me and asked if I would run the tee. I agreed. N

I had to hand out scorecards, local rules for the day (preferred lies in closely mown areas), introduce walking scorers. In one case I had to call in a missing player (turns out he had called in to WD but did not find out until later. Then I had to inform players of batting order and proceed to announce to the (sparse) crowd their name and hometown. ( oh..and then I had to hold the quiet sign and motion the direction of the drive so the spotters could mark/find the ball)

It was a blast. Also fun to listen in to player/player caddie/caddie Player/caddie interchanges.

That is really cool!  How did you get that job?  I mean, is it something that anybody can sign up for, or do you have to be a member of the course or something?

[mvmac]

Nice!  Any interesting player/caddy exchanges?

[cliffj]

[QUOTE][/QUOTE] Mostly goofing around until go time. Then it became "trust your swing" , "Finish through the ball", etc. most talk was about previous nights football results . Mind you these were the back half of the field. (But who had made the cut nonetheless). One interesting discussion by player.. He recently bought a "square" so he can accept credit cards on his smartphone from folks who claim to have forgotten their wallets and will pay off golf wagers later. Apparently this is an issue for folks who are only in town for a couple of days. He was regaling folks with descriptions of their faces when he pulls out the square and says "no problem, your credit/debit card will work just fine".

[cliffj]

I got the job as a marshal by through my club. Tournaments rely heavily on volunteers. For marshals they usually get 18 clubs in the area to take a hole each. The host course usually gets the 18th hole and sometimes the 1st hole also. Having said that, they are always looking for volunteers for everything, including driving courtesy cars, handling the driving range, etc . How to get on board.. Call the venue and ask for the volunteer contact. There is usually a website where they will send you to register your preferences, etc (and collect your money ). They charge you some money $35-$100 for shirt and hat (and possibly a rain jacket in the case of the (USGA)). Alternatively contact the PGA or USGA (depending on event) and ask for contact info. Start about 5 months out.

[cliffj]

http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/h093/tee-times.html See 10th tee starting times for players I announced (except for Garrett Willis who withdrew)

[BuckeyeNut]

My dad was a volunteer at the Jamie Farr LPGA event in Toledo this year.  he said it was fun, but wouldn't do it again.  The days are very long and he's in his 70s, but he said it was worth doing 1 time.

The funny thing from the week:

Before the event, Paula Creamer asked my dad to throw away some trash for her in one of the hospitality areas and he politely obliged.   During the event, paula hit a tee shot in the rough where my dad was being a forecaddy.  Knowing my dad, he was probably talking it up with the gallery between groups.....   Paula walked directly to my father and smiled, said hi....and shared a few pleasant words before she played her shot.   After she played and left.....the gallery members were asking my dad... "wow, you know paula creamer personally?"

My dad just laughed, and responded with... ."no, I threw away some trash for her  yesterday." .....hahaha   He said that many of the ladies were very gracious.