39 th RYDER CUP MARSHAL COMMITTEE TRAINING NOTES THE ROLE OF THE MARSHALS THE BASICS The basic function of all marshals is to provide a fair and safe environment for the competition. Keeping the gallery quiet and still during play and helping the players find their errant shots are the two main responsibilities of the marshals. DIRECTING THE GALLERY Marshals should not make too much noise, and should never say anything unless they are certain that a player is not about to play or is not actually making a stroke. Marshals should set a good example for spectators. When you want the gallery to stop moving, please say, Stand please. At the same time, it is important to hold up your arms and face the gallery. When you want the gallery to be quiet, please say, Quiet please. Again, hold up your arms and face the gallery when giving this instruction. All instructions and suggestions should be given pleasantly and must be reasonable and fair. When giving instructions to the gallery, remember that all commands should originate with a leader and should be clear and concise. Always anticipate a gallery. Keep ahead of them, talk to the first individuals who arrive, explain to them what you want them to do, why it is necessary, and ask for their help. In nearly all cases, they ll be happy to cooperate. Unfortunately, there will be a few who will not act as mannerly. They may not listen to your requests for silence. Do your best to get their cooperation. If they are causing trouble you cannot handle, please call Security for assistance. Please do not take on the role of a security officer. MAINTAINING THE PACE OF PLAY In an effort to keep play moving, you should watch the flight of all golf shots so you know where they land. Avoid the situation where a player has to take time to hunt for his ball. Watch for balls going into water hazards and be helpful in determining the spot where the ball entered the hazard. Under no circumstances, however, should you offer any advice regarding a ruling. PGA of America Rules Officials will be on site to make all calls relating to the rules. CROSSWALKS On most holes marshals will be responsible for operating crosswalks. Crosswalks allow spectators to cross over the fairways and allow them to get from one side of a hole to the other, without having to walk all the way around the hole. All crosswalks will be marked by large signs affixed to posts on either side of the fairway. White lines will mark the crosswalks on the fairway. Marshals will control access to these zones by raising and lowering ropes, which are attached to the posts at each side of the fairway. Spectators should not be allowed to enter a crosswalk until the contestants have passed it on their progress toward the green. When the ropes are lowered, marshals must police the crossings and see to it that spectators stay within the confines of the white lines that mark these areas in the fairway keeping the spectators moving from one side of the crosswalk to the other. Please do not let spectators stand in the middle of the crosswalk watching the play of the hole.
When the group of players (which has passed the crosswalk) is safely out of range and the next group of players is ready to play, the crosswalks must be closed off by raising the dropped lines on both sides of the fairway. The last step is a matter of judgment, which will be perfected by experience. As a general rule, marshals should be guided by the premise that crossovers should not delay play. In other words, try to time the closing of the crosswalk so that the next match will not have to wait for spectators to clear the zone before playing their tee shots. ENTRANCE/EXIT GATES These are probably the most critical areas for the marshals to handle. It is imperative that a clear walkway is created for the Contestants, Caddies, Standard Bearers, Walking Scorers, Referees and Media so they may leave a green and walk to the next tee without interference. Walkways are created by extending ropes from the exit near the green to the entrance on the next tee. It is important to create these walkways before the players use them, as this is the only area of the course where players have to walk among the gallery if the marshals do not create a clear walkway. BALLS LANDING OUTSIDE OF THE ROPES There will be numerous times when balls land outside the ropes and into the gallery. Marshals must watch the flight of these balls and warn the spectators of these errant shots. When a shot is pulled or sliced into the rough it is up to the marshal to indicate in which direction the ball is heading to forewarn the gallery. Indicate the direction the ball is heading by using hand signals to the marshals and gallery. Around the green, when you see that a shot is going into the gallery, you should call out, FORE Right or FORE Left. If possible, judge where the ball will land and run to that spot to warn the people in that area. When a ball lands outside the ropes, either around the green or off the fairway, immediately go to the ball. One marshal should protect the ball while the other marshals clear a path from the ball to the green. This is one of the most difficult tasks you will have to face, because the people who need to be moved in order to make a clear path to the green will want to see the shot and may resist giving the player enough room. Before the player reaches his ball, you must have a wide path cleared to the green and a straight line to the flagstick, giving the player plenty of room to make the shot. You may find the player upset about the shot and the situation may be tense ~ it is up to you to handle such a case quietly, quickly and with as little confusion as possible. It is important to have the gallery moved and the hole ready for play by the time the player gets to his ball. KEEPING THE ROPES TAUT Stakes will be pulled up and ropes will be taken down (due to errant golf shots) or will grow slack (due to the gallery leaning on them) during play. Please try to keep the stakes in the ground and the ropes taut. Each Hole Captain will be given a hammer, which can be used to install the stakes. Please be careful not to disturb players by hammering stakes while they are hitting. If you need to take a rope down, you may undo the loop at the top of the stake. As soon as the player makes his shot and moves on, the rope must be reinstalled. AROUND THE GREENS When marshaling around the green, please stay against the rope. Please face the gallery as much as possible. It is hard to monitor them when you don t have your eye on them. The only individuals permitted to stand on the greens are the contestants, the caddies and PGA Rules Officials.
PERSONS ALLOWED INSIDE THE ROPES 1. Team Members and their Caddies. 2. Walking Scorers ~ walking in the step cut. 3. Standard Bearers ~ walking behind the Walking Scorer. 4. Marshals on active duty. They will be identified by a NAVY armband that is marked with the word MARSHAL and the appropriate hole number. 5. GREEN ARMBANDS ~ People wearing these armbands are allowed anywhere inside the ropes (Official Team Party, Referees, Observers, Live TV). 6. RED BIBS/ARMBANDS ~ People wearing these bibs are allowed one arm s length from the rope (Media, Photographers and Security). 7. Instructors BROWN ARMBANDS Practice Round Only (Tuesday Thursday) All other TV crews and photographers will be identified with a red bracelet around their cameras. These individuals must stay outside of the ropes, except where designated areas allow them additional access (roped off areas within the ropes). PGA RULES COMMITTEE The PGA of America will have a Referee escorting each match, as well as two Observers who will be in the landing areas ahead of play. Please become acquainted with these people. In case of any ruling or emergency they should be involved. Please do not make any rulings yourself. CONTESTATNT EVACUATION The PGA of America will handle the suspension of play. If play is suspended, the Referee will be in charge and will notify the players. The Evacuation Committee will take the lead on evacuating the players from the golf course. Many large vehicles will be placed around the golf course for this purpose. It is important for all marshals to stay alert, as some will be requested to help the Evacuation Committee by driving a vehicle full of Team Members and/or Caddies to the clubhouse. If you drive an evacuation vehicle, stay with it until you drive back out to the golf course. Further instructions will be given to you at the time of suspension. If play is suspended, you should first clear all the bleachers of spectators and then seek shelter. If possible, stay as a group with the other marshals on your hole when seeking shelter. Wait for word from your Hole Captain on the resumption of play, etc. MEDICAL ASSISTANCE Spectators will be instructed to contact a Ryder Cup staff member or a volunteer if they need medical assistance. If a spectator comes to you and requests medical assistance, go to the nearest person to you with a radio. The Hole Captain on your hole will have a radio. Leaderboard volunteers have radios. PGA Rules Officials have radios. Walking Scorers have radios. Turn the radio to the First Aid Channel and call for assistance. When you speak with the Medical Committee, be specific about the location of the person in need and about what ails them. Refer to the last page of this training handout for more information regarding what to do in the event you need medical assistance. CAMERAS AND PHONES Spectators are permitted to take photographs ONLY during practice rounds. Cell phones are permitted to be used during the Ryder Cup Matches ONLY in Phone Zone areas. If you witness a spectator using his cell phone during the matches, please ask them politely to turn the cell phone off or go to the Phone Zone area.
THE ROLE OF THE HOLE CAPTAINS At least one Hole Captain will be on your hole at all times. Each hole has at least two designated Hole Captains. These individuals will be responsible for managing the marshals on their particular hole. The Marshal Hole Captains working in the morning will be asked to stop at the Marshal Committee Check-In Area before they report to their hole. At the Marshal Check-In Area, the Hole Captains will check-in and pick-up armbands for the marshals on their hole. They will also pick-up a radio and a hammer. After the Hole Captains check-in, they will walk to their hole, where they will meet the marshals working on that hole. The Hole Captain will give each of the marshals working on that hole an armband. As stated earlier, these armbands will be worn around each working marshal s arm so the PGA of America Rules Officials and the contestants know they are on duty and approved to be inside of the ropes. The hammer that will be picked-up by the Hole Captain will be used to replace stakes that have been removed so a player can hit his ball back into play. The radio will be used to communicate problems and other information to the Marshal Committee Chairmen and to the Area Captains. For instance, if the crowd is overly enthusiastic, the Hole Captain may radio to an Area Captain or to the Marshal Chairmen to request additional marshals. The radio will also be used to call for Security and/or for First Aid. The morning Hole Captain will give the radio and the hammer to the afternoon Hole Captain when he/she comes to work. The marshals working the first shift will give their armbands to the marshals working the next shift when they report for duty. At the end of the day, the Marshal Hole Captain working that afternoon will collect the armbands, the radio and the hammer and will return them to the Marshal Committee Check-In Area for pick-up the next morning. At the beginning of each shift, the Hole Captains will assign their marshals to the different positions around the hole. They will then rotate the marshals every 30 minutes or so, so they are not always in the same location. This will help to keep the marshals interested and alert. ROLE OF THE AREA CAPTAINS Each Area Captain will be assigned specific holes to monitor. They will familiarize themselves with the Hole Captains in their area. Like the Hole Captains, the Area Captains will become familiar and knowledgeable of the duties of the Marshal Committee (i.e., what the marshals should do, how they should do it, and when it should be done). If any of the marshals in an Area Captain s territory are not performing their marshaling responsibilities as described in our training meetings, the Area Captain will work in coordination with the Hole Captains to politely advise the marshals on how they can improve. For example, if the players tee shots are consistently landing 50 yards beyond a fairway marshal, the Area Captain and/or the Hole Captain will advise the marshal to move further down the rope line to more easily be able to locate the balls. The Area Captains will be responsible for monitoring the crowd movement and flow. If a problem comes up on a hole, the Area Captain will work with the Hole Captain to adjust the marshals to varying locations in an effort to curb the problem. If this is not possible, the Area Captain will be asked to help out by acting as a marshal on that hole and radioing to the Marshal Chairmen for extra help.
The Area Captains will make sure there are no distractions on the course, such as noise from concession stands, port-a-lets, etc. If problems like this arise, the Area Captains will try to solve the problem or will call radio for extra help from security or the PGA. Basically, the Area Captains are problem solvers and troubleshooters ~ an extra few pairs of hands to assist the Marshal Chairmen. GETTING TO THE SITE 1. Please allow plenty of time to park, shuttle to the event and walk to your assigned hole. Remember that your shift time is the time you are expected to be at your hole. Please be on time! 2. You are asked to report directly to your hole on the days you are scheduled to marshal. Once at your hole, check-in with your Hole Captain. He/She will give you an armband. You must wear this armband while marshaling. Please return this armband to your Hole Captain at the end of your shift. 5. No shows will devastate the operations of the Marshal Committee. It is imperative that you notify your Hole Captain if you are unable to marshal a particular shift due to an emergency. BE PREPARED The duties of the marshal committee include working outside and standing for a long period of time. Please be prepared 1. Bring water to drink, especially if the weather is hot. (Beverages will be on the tee, however they are not meant for the Marshals. The beverages on the tee are provided for the Contestants, the Caddies, the Standard Bearers and the Walking Scorers.) 2. Be prepared for all kinds of weather. Remember to bring the jacket that is included with your uniform. Feel free to layer clothes under your uniform, if necessary. 3. Comfortable shoes are a must! Rubber soled shoes are recommended. Metal spiked golf shoes are not permitted. 4. Learn where your hole is in relation to amenities on the site. You will be asked many questions from the gallery, such as the locations of the bathrooms, first aid, telephones, concessions, etc. ON-SITE TRAINING DATE HOLES TIME Wednesday, September 19 1, 2, 3 4:30 p.m. 4, 5, 6 6:00 p.m. Thursday, September 20 7, 8, 9 4:30 p.m. 10, 11, 12 6:00 p.m. Friday, September 21 13, 14, 15 4:30 p.m. 16, 17, 18 6:00 p.m. Saturday, September 22 Special Teams (Last Names A-N) 11:00 a.m. Special Teams (Last Names O-Z) 2:00 p.m. Thank you for volunteering! We hope you thoroughly enjoy your Ryder Cup experience!