Professional golf tournaments are typically three or four day events, often proceeded by what's called a Pro-Am day. This is where people spend thousands of dollars to play golf alongside professionals on very difficult courses. The money raised can make its way to charities aligned with the event, but may also pay for the event itself to exist. Part of the "experience" is providing the customers with the feeling of participating in a real event, including having a person recording their scores to appear real-time on large electronic boards around the golf course.
That was my task today. I was a walking scorer at the Ladies Professional Golf Association's (LPGA) event in Palos Verdes, CA. for the 7:22 tee time group. The format for this tour is that one professional plays with the group for their first nine holes, then another for the second nine. The players remain the same for all eighteen.
It's not unusual for the players to be chosen to attract certain clientele. In this case, the professionals (Minami Katsu & Hinako Shibuno) were both Japanese, as were the four men playing. Much of the conversation was in English, but it was fun seeing them revert to Japanese when engaging in more expressive conversations. IT reminded me of my immigrant parents, who would be so excited that they started speaking in their native language.
The group teed off in foggy conditions, with about 200 yard visibility. During such time, I acted as a forecaddy: someone far enough ahead to keep track of where their longer shots would up. That cleared up after three holes.
Some of the amateurs are not very good. Others are, but don't perform well under the internal pressures felt from the venue. This is overcome in two ways. The first is the group plays in what's called a scramble format. Each player hits from a location, then the group picks the one shot they like the best and everyone else moved their ball there. The other factor is that the maximum a group can take on a hole is the number of strokes it should take, called par. Those two acts really keep them moving.
The professionals always have a skilled person that helps them decide how to hit each shot, and what to look for, called a caddie. On Pro-Am days, the caddie will also do that for the other players if they'd like. This foursome did not ask for that, which surprised me, because they were very competitive and wanted to win this. If I was paying thousands of dollars and wanted to win, I'm asking the professionals for every bit of advice I can get!
I was glad to see all of them enjoying their day. Celebrating when someone make a shot; consoling or teasing when they missed. That's really the heart of this: having a great time with friends, and feeling that your money is helping others.
The other nice things about Pro-Am days is that people can take pictures! Here I'm shown with Shibuno and her caddie. We had a great time chatting and sharing stories while walking 5 1/2 miles of hilly terrain. In the end, they are simply trying to make a living like anyone else, but know some of that is driven by public interest that drives advertising revenues. The tour requires the players to participate a certain number of times each year, for they are all in this together. I think it makes for a winning combination.
Starting tomorrow, it's all business. 144 players will each play for the first two days. About half will have a low enough score to play the final two rounds, and be ensured that they will at least win the cost of entry. The rest? Practice and try again at the next event they can enter, for there are thousands of ladies that qualify to participate, but only 144 spots for a given event. Those precious spots are based on how good you are now, how well you've done in the past, and whether the player wants to compete in a given event.