11 July 2016
Chuck Roots
Open to Ladies
There is a term that has become
somewhat of a catch phrase in the past few years. The term is “Bucket List.” I’m
not sure what the origins of this expression are, but it seems to indicate that
we humans have a list of things we’d like to do or accomplish before we depart
this life.
Do I have a bucket list? Not really.
There are certainly goals I set for myself, and there are other goals that the
Jesus set for me. I believe I have managed to complete the ones I’m aware of. Otherwise,
I’m waiting for the Lord to reveal the next hurdle. Yes, I’m retired from the
military, and I’m retired from pastoring a church, but I believe Jesus has more
for me right around the corner. That’s the fun part of walking with him.
One of those items that I suppose
could be placed in a bucket list was an experience I enjoyed this past week. I
was a volunteer at the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) Open
Championship held at CordeValle Golf Course in San Martin, California.
The reason I say this experience “could
be” in a bucket list is because I never thought I’d have the chance to do this.
As a pastor my weekends were taken. Even getting away for a week was difficult.
But last October I saw an announcement on the Internet asking for people to
volunteer to work helping with this major golfing event. This is the “Big One”
for the ladies. So I checked my calendar for July 4-10. I was available, so I
signed up on line. Within a day or so I received an email informing me that I
was being assigned to work in the Practice Area. Well, I knew what that meant!
The practice area is the driving range, practice putting green, and the
chipping area. It means I could see these fabulous golfers up-close-and-personal
every day while they prepared for the tournament.
Solna was our boss lady for the
practice area volunteers. She hails from South Africa and was absolutely
delightful to work for and with. Realizing I was traveling some distance each
day to perform my volunteer service, she scheduled me to work early afternoons
to early evenings. This help me avoid rush hour traffic. My drive from home in
Ripon to San Martin is nearly two hours barring traffic problems. So to reduce
my commute time and minimize my gas consumption, Isaura and I decided to stay
the week at her mother’s home in Los Banos. This cut my time on the road every
day by an hour each way. Was I ever glad for that!
The practice sessions for the
golfers began on Monday, July 4th. When I arrived at the designated
parking area, I quickly discovered that my brand spanking clean car was not
going to stay that way. Parking was in a farmer’s field where hay had been cut
leaving stubble and dirt. We were four miles from the golf course so we had to
rely on a caravan of school buses to ferry us back and forth.
One of the comical moments during
the week was this sign posted in the parking area that read, “Preferred
Parking.” I had to chuckle at this. I mean we were all parking on dirt and hay
stubble! Preferred? I don’t think so, except the preferred parking was a bit
closer to the shuttle buses.
There was lots of security of
course, each of us having to wear a plastic USGA (United States Golf
Association) tag authorizing us to work in our respective areas. Copious
amounts of food and beverages were made available at the Volunteers Tent which
was close to the shuttle drop off. From there I had to take a smaller shuttle
bus to the driving range, which is where I spent the majority of my time.
The weather was quite agreeable, yet
a wind picked up during the week, challenging the golfers out on the course.
Except for that it was all very comfortable. Caddies and players would come to
the range to use the facility, checking in at our tent to pick up a bag or two
of golf balls. We would ask for the player’s last name, and then take a
pre-printed plastic insert with their name stenciled on it and slide it into
the appropriate slot on the name placard. Then one of the volunteers would
carry the placard to the spot on the driving range where the player was hitting
practice shots. We would angle the placard so that golf fans who were cordoned
off from the players could see who was practicing. It was also to benefit the
media that was ever-present.
I think most of us consider athletes
of this caliber to be spoiled and demanding, acting in ways that would be
considered impetuous and insolent. I am most happy to report that nothing could
be further from the truth. In my six days working the driving range, there was
not one time that I witnessed anything remotely close to what I might have considered
to be bad behavior. Instead, caddies and players alike were pleasant, courteous,
and thoughtful. Caddies, and even the players, would often bring back the empty
red bags that had held the golf balls. This may not sound like much, but the
USGA only allocates a certain number of these bags for our use (20-25 balls per
bag). We frequently running low on bags with balls. By bringing the empty red
bags back to us, we were able to stay on top of the demand for more bags of
balls.
All the big names in women’s golf
were there: Cristie Kerr, Lydia Ko, Lexi Thompson, Anna Nordqvist, Stacy Lewis,
Gina Piller, Amy Yang, Christy Kim, Karrie Webb, Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel,
Sandra Gal, and Michelle Wie. Not only did these ladies demonstrate excellent
golf skills, but they were genuinely decent people. There was a lot of hugging
as players who knew each other were reunited in this tournament. There was also
a fair amount of good-natured bantering between players in the practice area.
Even the caddies and coaches frequently engaged in this give-and-take.
I’ve been asked if I would do this
again. My answer is yes, if the course being played is reasonably close. It was
a great experience, and it made me appreciate all the effort that goes into
pulling off a successful professional golf tournament. And especially the
efforts put out by the countless numbers of volunteers required!
I love golf!
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