A Tiger in the Desert

Golf had never really been a sport I was all that interested in until a couple of years ago when I happened to tune into the Masters where I saw Tiger storming back from several places down to make a run at the trophy.  Unfortunately it didn’t go his way, but I was surprised that I was actually into it, into golf.  Prior to this I had joked about it all the time that I didn’t understand how anyone could watch golf on television.  It had to be the most boring sport ever invented and the easiest on the body, so pardon me if I don’t respect them as athletes.  That was my mindset.  But that as I said that changed it.

My mind further changed when Natova’s job, she was working for Samsonite at the time, offered her tickets to the The Players Championship golf tournament at Sawgrass while we were living in Florida.  The first couple of years she mentioned it, I was just not interested to actually leave my house to see people play golf.  I didn’t see myself as that into it.  But one year we did go, and I was impressed by how enjoyable it was.  Now it also may have had something to do with being in the clubhouse on the infamous seventeenth hole, and having food,  beverages, snacks, and whatever else we wanted.  We could sit outside on the patio, or hang inside and watch it on TV.  Not bad.  Unfortunately only about 20 minutes after we got there it started to rain.  We waited about an hour or so but eventually we called it a day, and shortly after so did the TPC. 

So I say all this to say we have a little experience going to golfing events.  I can only assume that’s what inspired Natova to volunteer for the Abu Dhabi Golf Championships, that and another couple, friends of ours, also signed up.  I initially said no.  I saw it too much like work at a time that figured I would just want to stay home and relax.  But when I went with them to the informational meeting at the golf course to pick up their uniforms, I must say I felt a bit left out (well that and the gear they were getting was actually pretty quality: two shirts, one red, one white, a light jacket, and a hat, all with the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship insignia.  All of it was well made.)  So I put my name on a list where they would call if they needed extra help.  Lo and behold, a couple days later I got the call.  I had Tova pick up my uniform the next day and we were all set for the tournament. 

As you would expect this is the biggest golf tournament in Abu Dhabi.  This year all the best golfers were going to be here, Rory McElroy, Adam Scott, Jason Day, and of course, Tiger Woods.  Natova was scheduled to work Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, while I was only doing Friday and Saturday.  We didn’t know exactly what we would do until we got there, but it was good chance that we would be marshaling. A marshal is one of those guys that shush you when you are talking to loud while a golfing is taking a put, or teeing off or whatever.  We have paddle signs that read “Quiet please” on one side and “No cameras” on the other.   There are two types of marshals: a walking marshal and a stationary marshal.  Stationary marshals are assigned holes or landmarks on the course where they do not let patrons cross the course while a golfer is playing through.  The walking marshal follows a group of golfers around and act as their “shush” bodyguards for the course. 

Ironically, Natova was sick on the first day so she had to stay home, while I went out to work.  Both Erin, half of our couple friends, and I were scheduled for Friday around 11:00am.  Justin, the other half, was already there early. 

I have to talk about my first few minutes walking into the Golf Club.  Shortly after we got out of the car we walked up a small road around the clubhouse that lead to the greens.   Even before we got there, as we were walking up a path leading towards the practice tees,  I noticed this guy brush past me wearing a bright pink shirt.  He seemed to be booking it pretty fast, his strides carried him quickly to the clubhouse building shortly after he past me.   It may have been the shirt that caught my eye at first, and right before he past me I got a look at his face.  Now I don’t really watch golf that much, so I don’t know many of the players.  Most of these guys I wouldn’t recognize them …well…if they walked right past me.  But there are two that I would recognize.  One of course is Tiger Woods;  The other is Rory McElroy.  I remember him at the Masters, the same tournament that I mentioned a minute ago, where he had a commanding lead and absolutely buckled under the pressure and finished probably barely in the top ten at that tournament.  I heard that the next big tournament, the US Open,  he came back strong as ever and went on to win.  Now here he was walking past me in Abu Dhabi at the golf club.  Pretty cool.  He was followed by what I can only assume was his “people,” about five or six guys, one of them his caddy.  Interestingly, there were no fans trailing him, only the occasional head turn (it was funny to watch him walk past other people and they kind of had the same reaction as I did with that questioning look on their face like “Was that…?  No, couldn’t be… Hey guy’s I’m pretty sure that was Rory McElroy…”).

Why, do you ask, was no one paying attention to Rory? Yep, you guessed it, because everyone, and I mean everyone, was occupied at the practice tees watching Tiger hit a few.  That turned out to be the very next thing I saw right after Rory.   I walked up maybe a couple hundred feet and come upon this huge crowd of people lined up outside the barrier, trying to get a glimpse at Tiger.  We weren’t that far away from him, maybe thirty feet.   Everyone was snapping photos and getting video.  I could never get a clean shot of his face with my camera, but I took what I could. 

After a few minutes Erin and I went up to the volunteer headquarters to get our assignments.  Turns out that I will be a walking marshal.  It was weird when the lady told me because she said it like she half expected either a reaction or resistance.  I didn’t get it at the time but I think I figured out why later.  She told me I was with Group 31 and she didn’t know who that was but I needed to be at the first hole at 12:30 to tee off.

I got a sense that everyone that signed up to help was secretly or maybe not so secretly hoping that they won the volunteer lottery and got  assigned to marshal Tiger Woods’ group.  I’d be lying if I said as I checked the player’s groupings that I was not maybe sorta kinda hoping that I might have drawn Tiger.  That quickly went away as I saw that Tiger’s group was Group 25.   It was Tiger, Rory, and Luke Donaldson.  That would have been insane.  But as it stands I have Goya, Finch, and some other guy. After walking the golf course for a little while killing time, my tee time finally came and we began. 

I have never played golf before, not on a real golf course doing more than just trying to hit the ball.  As I watched these guys play it made me appreciate the game.  There is a lot skill involved in this game, something I knew before, but now got a chance to witness in person.  I also go my first experience of being a part of an entourage, a very low key entourage but an entourage nonetheless. The only people that followed us must have been the family of the golfers, only a handful of people, maybe 6 at the most.  I must say it felt kind of nice walking the course with these guys, professional golfers.   I just thought to myself man to do this for a living must be great.  It was a beautiful day on the course, the sun was shining a light breeze swept across the grass, it was pretty nice.  It was literally a walk in the park….at first.  Gradually the walking took its toll, particularly walking uphill.  The standing around waiting for the guys to play didn’t help either.  I knew we were in trouble when two and a half hours in we were only finishing the 9^th hole- and my legs and feet were starting to ache.   I was tired just following those guys around, and they were the ones actually playing.  I gained a new respect for golfers.  And to have to do it four days in a row, that has got to be tough.  Not to mention the emotional ups and downs that must drain you too.  It actually started to get pretty interesting at the end of the day when on hole 14 Finch was in third place, and then sunk a birdie on the 13^th that tied him for 2^nd with Tiger and couple of other golfers.   Unfortunately, he dropped back down to third a couple holes later which is where he finished for the Day 2.  Still it was a pretty good showing. 

Right after sundown, five hours after the first golfer teed off, the day was done and so was I.  I was surprised at how exhausted I was.  As a volunteer you have to commit to working two days but I had pretty much decided that I was going to be “sick” that next day.  As it turned out I didn’t have to.  When I got home and looked at the schedule for tomorrow many of the volunteers had been cut due to the fact that there were a lot of golfers that didn’t make the cut.  So I had the rest of the tournament off, and Natova didn’t work that day either, though she did work Sunday. 

We both went out as spectators on Saturday.  I wanted to experience the course without having to work and it was nice.  There was a great “village” for the fans with all the venders and exhibits, golfing tips and displays, etc.  There was also a big screen and lawn furniture where you could recline and just watch all the action on there. 

We walked the course and it wasn’t hard to spot Tiger’s group.  Here is a little tidbit that you may not know.  On TV should you ever happen by a golf tournament, when you see Tiger there are loads of people standing on the sides watching.  That’s because this is true, wherever Tiger is there are a few hundred people following.  I actually got some footage of his crowd moving.  What you may not know is that everywhere else is a complete ghost town because of it.  Tiger is like a human vacuum and he literally sucks all the fans in with only sprinkles of people everywhere else.  When I was marshaling, most of the time I felt like we were the only people on the entire golf course.  There was no one within sight.  Then eventually we would pass a hole where you can see in the distance just hoards of people chasing Tiger. 

We joined the crowd and came up with a strategy that allowed us to get pretty good views of the action.  After we saw the group at one hole we would skip the next hole, and go to the one after that.  That way we get a good spot to catch the action when they do get there.  That worked well for us and I was able to get a decent video of Tiger putting.  We actually weren’t  supposed to take pictures but many people ignored that fact and took them anyway.  I had enough decency to cloak my camera so they couldn’t see that I was recording, only holding my camera in my hand. 

This was a great day to come because there was a lot of drama.  Tiger had positioned himself toward the top within striking distance, and Rory was right there with him.  We watched at the last hole and Rory actually landed his approach behind a huge big screen display that would show the rest of the action on the course when there was no one on the hole.  He had to pick his ball up because it was impossible to try from that angle.  He still managed to savage par on the hole I believe.  So I got to watch Rory and Tiger battle it out on the 18^th hole.  Not a bad afternoon. 

Overall I would say I enjoyed it, both working and watching.  I will volunteer next year, probably the same days so I can just have one day that I work.  Looking forward to next year.