The Open 2011: A week to remember
The Open support team 2011
A place on the Open support team is a fantastic opportunities to make memories that will last a lifetime.
Ahead of the us revealing which BIGGA members have been selected to join the team for the 149th Open at Royal St George's in July, we took a look back at what the team got up to the last time the event was held in Sandwich, back in 2011.
Do you recognise anyone you know in these images?
The story below was first published in the August 2011 edition of Greenkeeper International.
Crowds following Rickie Fowler
The 2011 Open Championship will go down as one of the most memorable of recent times, as it produced a hugely popular winner.
Darren Clarke, son of greenkeeper Godfrey Clarke, must have looked at his younger Northern Irish compatriots, Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy, who’d won the US Open Championship in successive years, and thought ‘That could have been me’.
He’d been one of the world’s top golfers for many years but slipped down the rankings in recent times and many experts were writing him off.
However, now he, G Mac and Rory will be forever linked as a threesome and will enjoy legendary status in a country which loves its golf.
The other heroes of the week were the green staff, led by Graham Royden, who had his head greenkeeper position confirmed as permanent a couple of weeks before the championship.
Graham was calm and in control throughout, comfortable in the knowledge that his own team, and the BIGGA Open Support Team, could handle everything that could be thrown at them. While the weather was not perfect, with high winds and torrential rain on occasions, play was never interrupted and the condition of the course was universally praised.
The Royal St George's home team in 2011
Indeed, Charl Schwartzel, the Masters Champion, told Graham that his were the best greens he’d played on all year. Think about that for a moment.
Graham had such confidence in the work of the support team that by the weekend he was employing two members of it to double cut the 17th and 18th greens, while they had also prepared the putting and chipping greens for the entire week.
The team also prepared all 104 bunkers at the start of each day, as well as on dummy runs conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. Overall, in championship play the team raked 1,016 bunkers.
The team has now raked 17,958 bunkers since statistics began being recorded in 1995. Congratulations to Graham Royden and his team and the entire BIGGA Open Support Team. It was a job well done.
Support team members Beverly Blair and Vanja Drasler get some raking practice in on the Wednesday evening
Anthony Stockwell with BIGGA starter prepare for the first game of the week
Gavin Robson rakes a bunker on the 6th
A member of the team hand cutting the 6th green
Blog highlights: extracts from blogs which originally appeared on the BIGGA website throughout the week
Anthony Stockwell:
On the Tuesday and Wednesday mornings I was on the prep team and was particularly pleased to be asked to double cut the putting green and chipping green along with Gavin Robson on the Wednesday. I’ve just learned that I’ve drawn the opening match tomorrow, so it looks like another early start. It has been great to meet up with Graham Royden, the Royal St George’s head greenkeeper. He is very calm and taking everything in his stride. It has also been good to meet the support team guys who also arrived early to assist with the pre runs and I’m looking forward to meeting the rest of the team later today.
Graham Royden:
I’ve not had one complaint during the entire week and the players have actually been seeking me out to comment on the course. I spoke with Tom Watson, who said that the greens were fantastic. Unfortunately it was before his hole-in-one as I would have loved to congratulate him on the feat. It was absolutely incredible and a great story for The Open.
Charl Schwartzel said they were the best greens he’d putted on all year and bearing in mind he won The Masters earlier in the year, it was quite a compliment. All the feedback has been so positive.
The BIGGA guys have been absolutely fantastic. There has been a team tending to all the bunkers every morning and they’ve been immaculate. I’ve also managed to persuade the team to do some cutting for me. Since Wednesday they have cut the putting and chipping green while, today, I’ve asked them also to cut the 17th and 18th greens. I’ve checked the lines and it goes without saying that they were true. This has really helped my guys, especially with the double cutting, as it means we can get ahead of the game. I’m going to get them to do the 17th and 18th greens again tomorrow.
Bruce Hicks:
This is my first time on the BIGGA greenkeeping support team and I have been one of the minibus drivers. I’ve been to several Opens as a spectator, but experiencing from inside the ropes is just amazing. Walking up the 18th fairway with the stands all full must be like appearing at Wembley for the cup final. You get the thrill without the pressure.
I did expect to work hard this week but it is much more demanding than I envisaged. The days can be very long but the experience of being here more than makes up for it. BIGGA’s organisation of the event is first class – it virtually runs on rails with everyone knowing exactly where they should be at any one time and what they should be doing. I will most definitely be applying for the support team in the future as it really is an experience not to be missed by anyone with a passion for golf and greenkeeping.
To sum things up, I would just say that this is one ‘Sandwich’ you will never get indigestion from, but just the odd bit of backache!
The massive 4th hole bunker gets the support team treatment
Open Championship Awards
The Bad Luck Horseshoe: Goes to Martin Dearlove, of Stanmore GC, who helped make the draw for the Sunday matches on Saturday afternoon. The names of those team members not with a game on Sunday were drawn out first and the first name Martin drew was, you’ve guessed it, Martin Dearlove.
The Homer Simpson ‘D’oh’ Award: Goes to Adam Matthews, of Minchinhampton GC, who woke up in a panic on Saturday morning, thinking that he’d missed his 5.15am minibus. Showing great resourcefulness he blagged a lift on one of the buses taking security staff to the course, only to learn when he got to Royal St George’s that, in fact, there wasn’t a 5.15am minibus and he was scheduled to be on the one due to leave at 7.15am.
The Nostradamus Prize: Goes to Martin Wood, of Bedlingtonshire GC, who was only one bunker out in his prediction of how many were found during the week and won the £100 of M&S vouchers in the Everris-sponsored competition. He was so much more accurate than the might of the world media whose champion turned out to be John Huggan, of Golf World, who was 21 bunkers out and won £250-worth of M&S vouchers also donated by Everris.
The Burghley Park Award of Excellence: Burghley Park GC greenkeepers Gary Salisbury and Steve Hopkins were both on the team – Steve joined the staff after being selected for the support team. While raking during the second round, both received rounds of applause from the galleries for their professional work, Gary at the 11th when he raked bunkers for Stuart Cink and Francesco Molinari, while Steve got the same when clearing up after Sergio Garcia and Luke Donald.
The Happy Birthday Cake: Shared by Golf Monthly magazine, which celebrated its 100th birthday with a party at Prince’s Golf Club on the Thursday evening, and South East Regional Administrator Clive Osgood, who celebrated a significant birthday during the week
The Comedy BAFTA: Billy McMillan for his inspired routine in the University of Kent, Student Union on Saturday night. Billy arranged 20 hydraulic bar stools in a line in front of the bar and loaded up with support team staff and some innocent by-standers, facing in alternate directions. He then conducted a reverse Mexican wave as each person released the hydraulics in turn.
Support crew member Lewis Birch cutting the 18th green
BIGGA Titbits
Anthony Stockwell of The London Club: "Nathan Green didn’t have to look far for a ruling when he hit his tee shot into the back of a buggy on the 18thduring the opening round – it was a Rule’s buggy!"
John Keenaghan of Chipping Sodbury GC: "Anthony Kim missed the fairway on the 9th and struck the official who was holding the red and green flags square on the head. With blood pouring from the wound, Kim apologised and helped by producing a towel from his bag to staunch the flow of blood."
Tony Smith, Teesside GC: "Charl Schwartzel thought he’d missed the bunker on the 14th only for a spectator to head it back in. Painful!"
On Friday we'll be revealing the BIGGA members who have been selected to join the volunteer support team for the 149th Open at Royal St George's in July.
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