Volunteered Marshal at Singapore Open

It was 6:30am when my sister woke me up from my dreamland saying that we’ve got a last-minute opportunity to be a volunteered marshal for the 42nd Singapore Open @ Sentosa Golf Club - Serapong Course.

I signed up to be a volunteer 3 weeks ago but was rejected due to overwhelming response. Somehow, volunteers who were supposed to cover for the day didn’t turn up, so there I was… finally my dream came true… I was officially a marshal for the day on 11 September 2005, at Hole 3 Par 4 (479 yards) fairway, watching out for balls which sliced towards my direction. My job was to mark the balls which are on the rough with a small blue flag. I would wait for the player to come close to me, verify the sight of his ball, and then politely lift up the flag… and occasionally say ‘my pleasure’ if I was being thanked.

[From a tee set high amidst the jungle, the difficult of this almost 90-degree dog leg left is obvious from the outset. The line is just inside the big tree in the centre of the fairway and those with the confidence to take driver will be rewarded with their blind shot catching the downslope. That still leaves a mid-iron into the heart-shaped green though, with par a hard-earned reward for your efforts.]

The thrill of being a marshal that day, (other than of course looking extremely good in the body-hugging T-shirt bearing the logo of Sentosa Golf Club plus Singapore Open Asian Tour), was to be (almost) up close and personal with the top players from over the country like Adam Scott, Lee Westwood, Thongchai Jaidee, Nick O'hern, Craig Perry, just to name a few.

At 9:30am, the first flight of players teed off with a nice landing on the middle of the fairway (approximately 180m). My job was easy when the balls land on the fairway, I merely raised the “Quiet Please” pedal and enjoyed my clear view of the players, noticing how they hold the club, how they prepared for the swing, which clubs they were using and how nice their balls landed on the green.

The sun was hot, but I wasn’t complaining because I was too elated with my task. Moreover, I was with an oversized Sentosa Golf Club umbrella and the lycra material of my T-shirt was really cooling even though I started to perspire.

My job started to get more interesting after a few flights have gone by. Players who got a lousy tee shot came into my direction with their balls. I had to watch where they landed, and diligently marked the balls. Throughout the day, I think I marked 8 balls of which I couldn’t find one of them. I recalled I was day-dreaming during 3 to 4 flights after Adam Scott’s flight!

Since Day 3 wasn’t complete due to the rain, the remaining flights played on Day 4 at 7:30am. So, officially, Day 4 started at 9am with a simultaneous tee off times at Hole 1 and 10. There was a cross over at about noon, that was where I could see a huge crowd following the flight with Adam Scott, Thongchai Jaidee and Edward Michaels in it. It was at that time when all eyes were on the three super stars! Even marshals who were supposed to keep an eye on the crowd, were star-gazing with awe when the stars took their position to prepare for the shot! I, for one, was one of the marshal… hee.. hee.. We took pride as we raised our pedal sedately. I added with the hand signal stopping the crowd from moving in case of causing distraction to the players as they back-swing. The live cameras were all over the players, capturing even the slightest expression on their faces and also the crowd’s reaction to a nice landing on the green. Practically, that was all that’s worth for – volunteering to be the marshal! And after flight, I was just counting down the number of flights remaining before my job was done.

The inspiration I get from watching PGA class players live has definitely intensified my passion for golf. I’ll be playing at the Serapong Course this Wednesday to relive the experience I had last weekend.

Up close and personal with the players...

... And of course, the winner is none other than the young and handsome, Adam Scott!