During the first weekend of our Spring break I volunteered for the Kraft-Nabisco Championship at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, California. The KNC was the first major of the season for the LPGA Tour. Because I had interest in golf, I felt that volunteering for an event would be a great opportunity to learn what goes on behind the scenes at a major golf tournament. I made the two hour drive each morning from San Diego to Rancho Mirage to gain valuable experience and meet some great people.
Volunteering with the operations crew, I originally was going to operate the 18th green leaderboard, but as volunteers fell short I was flexible with the needs of the tournament and was charged with pairing volunteers from the Boys and Girls Club of Palm Springs, Mission Hills Country Club members, and United States Marines from 29 Palms as standard bearers for groups on the course throughout the weekend.
With help from volunteers from the Kraft-Nabisco headquarters, this small part of the grand operation was a great success. The most satisfying feeling was being able to see the reaction of the volunteers after they walked 18 holes with the greatest LPGA golfers in the world. Volunteers were able to walk with the likes of Lorena Ochoa, Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer, and Michelle Wie. Parents and children were even paired with each other to walk with the golfers. After the parent and child returned from the round you could sense that they did something they could talk about and share for a long time. It was a bonding experience they would never forget.
I was rewarded for my efforts on the last day of the tournament as I was standard bearer for Michelle Wie during her final round. After the round I was also able to get a greenside view of Brittany Lincicome's eagle on the 18th hole to win the tournament by 1 stroke. And as is tradition for the KNC, I also had a front row seat of Birttany's splash into the greenside lake on the 18th hole.
All in all it was a great experience and we hope that the program can build a relationship with the KNC in the years to come.
Volunteering with the operations crew, I originally was going to operate the 18th green leaderboard, but as volunteers fell short I was flexible with the needs of the tournament and was charged with pairing volunteers from the Boys and Girls Club of Palm Springs, Mission Hills Country Club members, and United States Marines from 29 Palms as standard bearers for groups on the course throughout the weekend.
With help from volunteers from the Kraft-Nabisco headquarters, this small part of the grand operation was a great success. The most satisfying feeling was being able to see the reaction of the volunteers after they walked 18 holes with the greatest LPGA golfers in the world. Volunteers were able to walk with the likes of Lorena Ochoa, Natalie Gulbis, Paula Creamer, and Michelle Wie. Parents and children were even paired with each other to walk with the golfers. After the parent and child returned from the round you could sense that they did something they could talk about and share for a long time. It was a bonding experience they would never forget.
I was rewarded for my efforts on the last day of the tournament as I was standard bearer for Michelle Wie during her final round. After the round I was also able to get a greenside view of Brittany Lincicome's eagle on the 18th hole to win the tournament by 1 stroke. And as is tradition for the KNC, I also had a front row seat of Birttany's splash into the greenside lake on the 18th hole.
All in all it was a great experience and we hope that the program can build a relationship with the KNC in the years to come.
-- Andrew Mayo, SMBA 2010
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