Question:
Bendan: I don’t know how they do it in Australia, but I recently signed up (and accepted) for a spot being a marshal in the Bell Canadian Open. Just went to the Bell website (Bell is a telephone company here in Canada) and there was a link to the tournament. There was some information regarding volunteers in the site, so I just took a look. The rest is history. I’m guessing your country’s golf association probably knows a thing or two about such volunteering duties for big tourneys such as the Australian Masters, give them a ring, and see what you get. How does a person go about getting a job like this? Brendan — Australian Handicap 10.6
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Good post, Brad – I saw the International last year (the sheer herds of traffic as I came upon I-25 from C-470 this year turned me right around last Saturday) and agree it was great to watch. I just wish it weren’t such a monumental pain in the neck to get to and from. That’s all. It was great fun, and I might volunteer to marshall next year for the heck-of-it. You might want to try being a walking scorer, too – I’ve done this in 3 PGA, 2 LPGA and several senior events. It’s way cool to walk all 18 holes with one group. The pros occasionally get chatty with you and/or your standard bearer, you can eavesdrop unashamedly <g and watch every shot from right level with it. An’ you have the rest of the day to run around looking at the rest of the field. Terry "Squeaks" Hansen AAC/AFBV66.0748.CO To reply, remove "bot" from return address. I am an optimist. If I weren’t an optimist, I’d be a terrorist.
Before you buy.
Response:
How does a person go about getting a job like this? Brendan — Australian Handicap 10.6 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Good post, Brad – I saw the International last year (the sheer herds of traffic as I came upon I-25 from C-470 this year turned me right around last Saturday) and agree it was great to watch. I just wish it weren’t such a monumental pain in the neck to get to and from. That’s all. It was great fun, and I might volunteer to marshall next year for the heck-of-it. You might want to try being a walking scorer, too – I’ve done this in 3 PGA, 2 LPGA and several senior events. It’s way cool to walk all 18 holes with one group. The pros occasionally get chatty with you and/or your standard bearer, you can eavesdrop unashamedly <g and watch every shot from right level with it. An’ you have the rest of the day to run around looking at the rest of the field. Terry "Squeaks" Hansen AAC/AFBV66.0748.CO To reply, remove "bot" from return address. I am an optimist. If I weren’t an optimist, I’d be a terrorist.
Response:
(I know I’m going to get flamed for this one, but my wife can back me up again) Many of these guys are not much if any longer than me (or any other relatively low handicapper for that matter) off of the tee.
No, that’s completely correct. A scratch golfer drives the ball like a pro. The difference is that many pros are better with their irons and all of them have better short games. As far as playing on the PGA Tour goes, if you hit it 270 off the tee in the fairway 2/3 of the time, you’re in decent shape. I’m not sure how many low handicap players would be satisfied with that, at first anyway. -joseph — Joseph N. Hall … perl, golf, music, and so on Music – http://www.digitalweapons.com Book — http://www.effectiveperl.com The Usual Crap — http://www.5sigma.com/joseph
Response:
We avoided I-25 this year and instead came down E-470, Parker Road, etc. No traffic, I had a smile on my face all the way! 
ITA, Bob – my SO and I took one look at I-25 and sed, aaaauuughhhhh!!! OTOH, you look at I-25 either direction on a weekend and you’d better bring a book… Terry "Squeaks" Hansen AAC/AFBV66.0748.CO To reply, remove "bot" from return address. I am an optimist. If I weren’t an optimist, I’d be a terrorist.
Response:
Good post, Brad – I saw the International last year (the sheer herds of traffic as I came upon I-25 from C-470 this year turned me right around last Saturday) and agree it was great to watch. I just wish it weren’t such a monumental pain in the neck to get to and from. That’s all. It was great fun, and I might volunteer to marshall next year for the heck-of-it.
You might want to try being a walking scorer, too – I’ve done this in 3 PGA, 2 LPGA and several senior events. It’s way cool to walk all 18 holes with one group. The pros occasionally get chatty with you and/or your standard bearer, you can eavesdrop unashamedly <g and watch every shot from right level with it. An’ you have the rest of the day to run around looking at the rest of the field. Terry "Squeaks" Hansen AAC/AFBV66.0748.CO To reply, remove "bot" from return address. I am an optimist. If I weren’t an optimist, I’d be a terrorist.
Response:
A couple of other thoughts on the tournament (we went Thursday and Saturday): For me the best days to go are Thursday and Friday, more players to watch and fewer spectators. We walked the back nine (10 thru 16) with Els on Thursday and there were only about 100 folks … easy to get good views. Sometimes we’d skip the putting and go to the next tee to get a prime spot. Lots of fun. We avoid Sundays. Saturday, with more spectators and fewer players, we just parked at number 10 and watched everyone come through. Had to leave at about 2:45 anyway. Interestingly, some of the bleacher seats were opened up to ‘Patron’ ticket holders. Used to be these were only for the GolfWatch folks. They also did this on 7 … maybe other spots too. We avoided I-25 this year and instead came down E-470, Parker Road, etc. No traffic, I had a smile on my face all the way! Bob
Response:
The wife and I spent the day at Castle Pines watching 36 of the world’s best duke it out on one helluva golf course. For me, going to the tourney was equal parts getting to tour Castle Pines and watching quality golf. When we arrived, we spent a good chunk of time watching the leaders warming up on the driving range. IMHO, if you are looking for something to take away from watching the pros that might improve your game, this is most likely where it will happen. First off, I was disappointed that I didn’t see Els, Michelson, or Norman, warm-up on the range, and we waited until around 20 minutes before their tee time. We did get a good dose of the following notables: Sergio Garcia, Mark O’mera, Stuart Appleby, Notah Begay, Mark Calcaveccia, and several others. Notes on Garcia: For quite a while, I’ve thought that Sergio has a hitch at the top of his backswing. I’ve seen still photos of him that show at the start of his downswing that his club is way out of the "slot" and pointing in an inappropriate direction. Seeing him hit many shots with several clubs in person, I am certain this is the case. I’ll leave that thought to you swing ‘gurus" in the NG. Anyway, Sergio is one skinny young man, but he sure can move the ball. His touch with the wedges and short approaches seemed outstanding. His length with the driver is prodigious, but I must say that Mark O’mera (who I though was a short knocker), was every bit as long as Garcia on the range. They were hitting next to each other at the same time. Sergio was using a metal-shafted driver, and O’mera was hitting what must’ve been a new Taylor Made driver model/prototype with a dark colored head and graphite shaft.. Notes on O’mera: O’mera did not seem to be hitting the ball as crisply as most of the other players warming up (I saw him in lots of sand traps while on the course too). He has a pause at the top of his swing that I don’t recall noticing during his Player of the Year year 2 years ago. He gave me the feeling that he is looking for his old swing. Other notes form the range: Calcaveccia decellerates on his short wedge pitch shots, which was unusual (my wife even spotted this). Notah Begay has a very low finish on many of his iron shots. (I know I’m going to get flamed for this one, but my wife can back me up again) Many of these guys are not much if any longer than me (or any other relatively low handicapper for that matter) off of the tee. Their consistency is the big difference. The range at Castle Pines is uphill and funnel-shaped, getting narrower the farther up and away you go. The end of the "funnel" is probably the width of a typical fairway on the course, and these guys were rarely out of the range aimwise. Its really fun to watch these guys pound balls; I find it somewhat hypnotizing in a good way. Notes on the course: Contrary to some previous posts stating the fairways are bentgrass, I can assure you they are not. They are bluegrass of some strain. The crossing of the 18th hole near the tee goes almost onto the fairway, and I took the liberty to go a few steps out of my way onto the fairway (and got scolded mightily I might add) to check-out the grass. I’ve played many courses with bentgrass fairways, and it was not bentgrass. Castle Pines is probably the finest course I’ve had a chance to walk, let alone play. Its typical Nicklaus. I’ve played the Nicklaus-designed Breckenridge muni and Nicklaus North in Whistler BC, and this course doesn’t stray from his formula too much, except that the fairways are a bit tighter. The greens are very fair, and the course was in as perfect shape as it looked on TV. Asthetically, the views of the front range from the higher holes are breathtaking (I’ve lived here from almost a year, and I still am awestruck by such views, thats what happens when you grow up in Iowa). #10. This hole is a beast, especially if you miss the fairway. We watched the last 4 groups play this hole, and most of them missed the fairway, and many paid the price. Saw Appleby take a double without hitting into the hazard. The pin was tucked in the front right, just a few paces from the water hazard. #11. Although this hole played 200 yards, and the TV guys were boasting how the players were hitting 8 irons (and maybe a few 9 irons), I gave this hole a good survey from the tee and decided that the drop from tee to green was at least 2 clubs, and that I’d hit no more than 7, and possibly 8 (and I’m a relatively average distance iron player). #17. We watched the last 6 or so groups play this hole, and they tore it up big time. We must’ve seen 4 or 5 eagles out of the last 12 players. Even though the pin was tucked behind the trap on the left, that part of the green seemed to be the flattest, and the players were taking advantage by making alot of 10-15 footers from both above and below the hole. It was an exciting area to sit and watch for a while. Random Notes: Vijay and Els are very large people. Mike Weir and Brian Henninger are very small people. Weir pounds it for his size. Echoing comments others have had from other tour events, I saw losts of Ping TISI drivers out there. Craig Stadler plays a power fade off the tee so large that many of you with balls that shape from left-to-right would be proud. That’s all. It was great fun, and I might volunteer to marshall next year for the heck-of-it. — Brad Swanson Ph.D. Postdoctoral Research Fellow Department of Immunology National Jewish Medical Research Center Howard Hughes Medical Institute