Not All Heroes Wear Capes….Some Wear Bibs.

On May 12th 2022, we here at Fore Management, officially expanded our capabilities to include managing volunteer operations for both professional and amateur golf events. Since that day, we have provided volunteers for the Aramco Team Series: Bangkok, LIV Invitational: Bangkok, The Asian Pacific Amateur Championship, the DP World Tour: Thailand Classic and Aramco Team Series: Singapore.

Fore is responsible for sourcing personnel, ensuring that all personnel receive general volunteer training prior to the event, that personnel are assigned to volunteer roles that are within their capabilities, arranging specialized equipment training, given by subject matter experts, for applicable volunteers, arranging food and beverage for all meals and that volunteers have access to adequate hydration kiosks, and some type of grab and go options for those volunteers that will be engaged during normal meal times. We also provide daily briefs to volunteers prior to each shift, ensure they are transported to and from their areas of assignment, and are in constant communication with the tournament operations cell, to ensure our areas of focus are congruent with that of the tournament operators.

So, what can you expect as a volunteer? Volunteers are some of the first to arrive at the course, and in some cases, they’ll be around long after the players and spectators are gone for the day. They are asked to be flexible to a point that would make the most agile gymnast jealous. While a few of the tournament priorities will remain absolute, many are driven by factors that can change at any moment, changing the focus from one aspect to something entirely different. The ability of volunteers to seamlessly step from one role to another is one of the critical elements for providing spectators, at the venue and at home, with the best experience possible. In return, volunteers usually receive a shirt or two, maybe a hat, umbrella or drawstring bag and in some cases, volunteers are allowed to play the course the day after the event and get a taste of a “tournament conditions” course. These are all small tokens of appreciation and could never match the actual time and effort put forth.

Do you want to know the real secret about being a volunteer? All the SWAG is fantastic, but the real perk is that volunteers have that “inside the ropes,” view of golf, that few people ever get to see. I spoke with Win Singphatanakul, local Bangkok businessman and avid golfer, about his time volunteering during the LIV event at Stonehill. He, like so many other volunteers, signed up for every available day. He told me that he had a great time and he and his friends had a wonderful experience. “It’s the closest you’ll get to the action, without being a caddy or a player, my group of friends and I were the marshals on hole 16 for LIV Golf and enjoyed every moment of getting up close to our golfing heroes,” he said of his volunteer experience. Now, with the coming merger of the PGA, LIV and DP World Tours, the time to take advantage of that access, couldn’t be better.

As a volunteer, you have a daily opportunity to get closer than ever to some of Golf’s biggest and brightest stars. The most known volunteer roles are Marshals, Walking Scorers and Carry board carriers. Walking Scorers are in constant communication with the caddies and players, collecting the scores from each hole, to be relayed to the Tournament Scoring section. Marshalls must have a keen sense of spatial awareness and peripheral vision that goes well past 180 degrees. On the tee boxes and around the greens, they must keep both eyes of the spectators, both ears on the players, listening for ball contact during swings and putts, and know where all the cameras, fixed and mobile, are located.

Volunteers are also needed to fill a myriad of not so well-known positions. Some are asked to assist the TV production staff and fill roles, which vary between carrying a hand-held directional microphone along with one of the pairings, assisting one of the on-air personalities in driving around the course, operating the Energy Meter (introduced at the Aramco Team Series this year), and the ever demanding but never boring, cameraman assistant. For those that are more suited for a static role, shuttle drivers are always in need either for fan movement or sometimes to carry players between holes. Also, there are static marshal positions, roles as shot tracers and ball spotters. Each role will give you a unique look at exactly what goes on just outside of view from the TV cameras. What an amazing view it is!

Jacques Joffres, reflected on his experiences volunteering with Fore:-
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‘My experience volunteering was one I will always remember, the programs were run very smoothly, a special note for the good communication and the availability of the Fore team through all the days of the events and the lead up to the programs.’ He continued, ‘I was lucky enough to volunteer at The Asian Pacific Amateur Championship, LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok DP World Tour Thailand Classic, the fore team always went out their way to ensure we were excellently looked after, I look forward to future volunteer programs managed by Fore.’
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If you happened to miss out on the chance to volunteer last season. Don’t fret. Keep an eye here at our page and expect to see plenty more fantastic opportunities in the coming year. And if you’re already one of the hundreds of volunteers, who have helped at one of our volunteer programs in the past year, let us thank you once again and say that we hope to see you again soon.

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Written By Justin Goforth