Todd Ring of Aberdeen is taking a vacation from his job at Intec to work the shuttle detail. He and three other drivers plan to be on the job every day shuttling visitors.
The shuttles are here on loan from Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte. Ring probably won’t get to watch much golf this week, but he doesn’t mind. “I’d rather play golf than watch it,” he said.
By the way: At 5 minutes per round trip, over a 14-hour period the shuttles make the loop 168 times a day.
Day Trippers
After a long day of watching the practice rounds Tuesday, Paul and Leta Poston were more than happy to take a seat on the trolley taking them to their car. But they weren’t necessarily ready for their five-hour drive back to Greenville, S.C..
The couple enjoyed their day of spectating and were very impressed with what they saw.
“This really is a well-run tournament,” Poston said as he recalled the events of the day. They were both delighted to see “all the big names,” Poston said, “but we wish we could hit the ball as well as they do.”
They especially enjoyed watching Annika Sorenstam.
“The warmth is there,” Poston said, referring to Sorenstam’s smile.
Service With a Smile
Valerie Minick had only 30 minutes left in her afternoon shift as a volunteer in the 9th hole gallery, and she was enjoying every minute of it.
Minick is a longtime member of the Women’s Golf Association of Pinehurst and is one of several volunteers from the WGA working as crowd control in the gallery.
Right now, she’s out there by herself with an occasional spectator coming through to watch the practice rounds. But Minick was eager for the Championship to begin, “because there will be more people to talk to.” She was quick to mention that even though it gets lonely, she’s not complaining because she’s had “fun watching such good golfers hit the ball.”
“The experienced players are so accurate,” she added.
Her service as a volunteer ends on Friday, but she’s planning to stick around through Sunday just to watch.
Kids at Heart
Not all the spectators were kids at the USGA-sponsored event featuring female soccer pro Mia Hamm. Some just had kid’s hearts.
Dottie Angelo, Paula Riggs and Sadie Presnell, all of Pinehurst, took a break from volunteering to watch Hamm play a round of golf.
They certainly didn’t mind being surrounded by younger fans because “they are fans of anyone who plays any sport,” said Presnell. Angelo was quick to interrupt by saying, “Especially women!”
Better With Beer
Ed Lancaster, local executive for Moore County’s Anheuser Busch distributor, Harris Wholesale, is handling all the beer sales for this year’s Championship.
Lancaster was making the rounds early this morning checking on his 120 kegs and taps stationed throughout the grounds. Nothing goes better with a day of golf in the Sandhills than an ice-cold beer. As the sun chased the rain clouds away, beer sales have been brisk.
Movin’ on Up
The Sandhills Community College faculty has been upgraded from the trash detail to the “ecology team.”
The erstwhile faculty haven’t let that highfalutin title go to their heads, though. As they energetically went about the sometimes thankless task of keeping the grounds clear of debris, one Community College wag suggested the team don T-shirts declaring, “We’re Trash.”
Missing Nancy
Volunteering at the Women’s Open is a thrill for Marjorie Swinarton, but it’s not a new experience.
Swinarton is a veteran of volunteerism when it comes to golf tournaments. She volunteered for the 1996 Women’s Open as well as several major tournaments in New Jersey.
“It’s fun being out here and watching the beautiful swings of the young girls,” she said. But though she is enjoying the Championship, Swinarton does regret that Nancy Lopez didn’t qualify to play. Swinaron is a longtime fan of Lopez and is saddened by her absence. “She brings so much to the tournament when she plays. She really lights up the place,” Swinaron said.
Inspired by the Sermon
Peggy Presley is ready to take on the world after attending a seminar sponsored by Wachovia Bank at the Women’s Health Tent.
The seminar addressed the differences between a man’s and a woman’s approach to finances.
Presley called the event “inspiring” and said it has motivated her to start her own business. Presley isn’t sure what kind of business it’s going to be, “who knows, maybe a store or something,” she said. Obviously she isn’t too concerned with the details of her business, but Presley is concerned about avoiding the “bag lady syndrome,” which she explained was a woman’s fear of becoming dependent on her children in her old age.
