What is a Walking Scorer?

Anybody who has watched professional golf on the TV will have seen the people going around with clipboards, radios, earpieces, and PDAs. Many have wondered if they are referees or marshals. They are in fact the walking scorers for the group. Every group in the tournament has one. They input the scores in the PDA and this gets transmitted to the score controller which then gets relayed to the score boards and TV screens around the course and on your screen at home. What is it like to be a walking scorer? I was lucky enough to have been accepted for the role in Royal Greens Golf Club Jeddah for the first Saudi Open and here is my first hand experience of it.

(For my previous review and hole by hole walkthrough of the course please click here.)

 

How to apply for a walking scorer role

When the email came around asking for volunteers I was straight onto it! I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see this historical event live. This was something I wanted to be a part of as I was aware that volunteers may be hard to come by for certain roles due to the location and the fact that golf is still in it’s youth in Saudi Arabia. I applied for the role of a walking scorer, and made sure to point out in the notes that I was a golfer with a relatively low handicap so that the person in charge of allocating the roles to the volunteers would know I had a good idea of golf and the scoring system.

When applying I listed the days I was available, (which was the four days of the tournament as I didn’t want to miss any), and other information such as shirt size.

Thankfully, I received confirmation a few weeks later that I had been accepted for the position! The application was through an online portal. All correspondence was through this portal from the Chief Marshall in charge of the volunteers for the tournament.

A couple of weeks before the tournament started I received a message with my shift times on it. Listing what number group I would be in and also the tee-times. From then on it was a constant check on the European Tour website to see who I would have the privilege of walking the course with! The tee-times only come out the day before the tournament so it was a long wait.

 

Checking in to the Marshalls

The night before the tournament started I arrived in Jeddah. As a volunteer you don’t receive any reimbursement for the role so don’t ask about it as you won’t get anything. For me I was just glad to be able to get the chance to meet some of the pros up close and that was enough for me. I would have gone to the tournament anyways so would have still paid the same costs for flight, hotel, and car hire.

I got to the final briefing at 1600 that evening. We were given a run down of the jobs of all the volunteers. Ranging from marshals, to roaming marshals, to scorers. The scorers were told they needed to be there an hour before their tee-times to get the equipment and a rundown on how to use it.

Everybody received their shirts, hats, car park stickers, and volunteer access passes which gave course access. After this it was time for me to take a little walk around the putting area, the driving range, and the clubhouse to see if I could spot any pros. I did spot a few, Haotong Li, Justin Rose, and Ian Poulter to name a few.

As light was fading there was not a lot of activity around so I headed back to the hotel to get some rest for the next day.

 

The equipment used in the role

Arriving early at the volunteer’s headquarters, I was told I may need to go out earlier as some people hadn’t turned up. I was surprised at this, and to be honest thought it was bad form. The scorers are all allocated to a tee-time and it’s not like a marshal’s position where they have plenty of people on standby. Anyhow I had no problem being moved up and proceeded to get my introduction to the equipment.

The PDA

The first item was the PDA. This is used to input the scores after each hole for the player and it is transmitted to control. The score is inputted, then you click ‘SEND’ to transmit it to control. After it’s sent, the only way to correct it if it is incorrect is by radio to control. I found the best way to keep track of the number of shots each player had was to increase the score by one after each shot was played and at the end of the hole send it to control. If you were unsure of the score you could double check with the caddies as they walked off the green. Also be sure to check with the referee if they are involved in the case of a drop ball to see if it is a free drop or a one or two stroke penalty.

The radio

The second item was the radio and earpiece. This is used in case you need to call a referee for the players, or in case somebody is hit with a golf ball and you need to inform the medics. As the walking scorer you not only have the responsibility of doing the scoring but you are also the point of contact between the players on course and the controllers in HQ. You need to make sure you are out of earshot of the players if using the radio and that the volume on your earpiece is not so loud it can be heard by them.

The clipboard

You also get a clipboard with a scoresheet, a course map, and an incident form attached. The scoresheet is to keep track of the scores manually. As control may ask you to repeat a score from a previous hole. Sometimes one of the crew from the TV stations may ask you for confirmation of the scores they have on their sheet. The map is in case someone asks you where the toilets or something else for the spectators is on the course. And the incident form is for you to fill out if there is a spectator hit by a golf ball or some other on course incident.

 

Interaction with the players and caddies

The players and the caddies are all here to make a living. They all have different ways to dealing with their jobs. While some may be chatty. Others will be focused entirely on their job. Do not interact with them unless they talk to you first. I was lucky with the groups I was in as most of them were talkative. Maybe because it was Saudi Arabia and they were interested in why I was here and they wanted to know more about the country. But in general your job is to assist with the scoring, not to become their best mates.

Etiquette with the players and caddies

Make sure not to be intrusive when they are taking their shots. Stand well to the side so you are not in their eye line. Especially on the greens. Don’t walk on the greens at all and walk well around it to a spot you can see every putt. Do not send the final score until the ball is in the hole. As what may look like a simple putt can be missed and then you will have to contact control to change the score.

I found a good way to get on their good side was to hold the ropes up so they could pass under. When walking to their balls keep close by them so that if they do want to talk to you they will. However once they get close to their ball move well away. I also asked the caddies at the start of the round if they think I’m getting in the eye line of the players to please let me know and they all appreciated this and it kind of broke the ice as well.

At the start of the round when you are on the tee with the players, the majority of them will introduce themselves to you. This helps if the players are not some that you know. When finishing the round, what I did was to stand by the exit near the 18^th green and shake their hands as they walked off and wished them luck in the next round. This is where if you are lucky they may give you their golf ball.

Interaction with others working on the course

In some cases you may have a TV crew with your group. It’s interesting to hear how they go about their jobs. Calling in that there’s an eagle putt on a certain hole so the cameras can focus on it, or calling the scores so that the TV commentators can know what shot a certain player is playing.

You could be sharing the fairways with a lot of people. Cameramen, microphone carriers, interviewers from Sky Sports, commentators from different channels, it can get quite crowded. However your job is to do the scoring, not to get on the TV. Sometimes you may be accidentally on it, and there’s nothing you can do. So be conscious of that fact all the time and be aware of your etiquette.

 

After the round

Once the scores are in then all that’s left to do is to return your equipment and get your lunch voucher. Then the time is yours to pass out on the course as you please. Personally I preferred to sit by the 18^th green so I could see all players coming in instead of just following one group around. But that’s a personal preference.

You may be asked to go out again if somebody hasn’t turned up. This happened me on the first day and I basically rushed back out to the first tee after coming in. If you’re up for it it’s an opportunity to meet more pros. But it can take a toll on your legs!

Once the tournament is over, and if you stick around, the winner may join the volunteers for a group photo. You get to see them close at hand with their new silverware and this is quite a treat.

 

Advantages of being a walking scorer

• You get to walk the course with the players and see the shots from their perspective instead of the TV screens.
• Its possible to see shots that sometimes are not covered by cameras or from places that are inaccessible to the public.
• You hear the interaction between the players and caddies, and between the players themselves.
• If lucky the players and caddies will chat to you.
• You may be lucky enough to get some good souvenirs from the players at the end of the round. If nothing else you get to shake the hands of some of the best golfers in the world.
• You get the opportunity to learn a lot by listening to how they go about judging what club to play and how they factor the wind, the slopes, the temperatures, etc., into account.

 

Disadvantages of being a walking scorer

• A lot of walking is required. If your golf shoes aren’t comfortable it can be quite painful after a few rounds.
• You don’t get to see what’s happening around the course as you are tied to one group.
• There’s a large responsibility attached with the role. You need to be fully aware of each shot and of any cases where a referee is required. You will need some knowledge of golf and the scoring system involving penalty drops.

 

Who I shared the course with

Day 1 – Morning Session

Soren Kjedlsen
Chris Paisley
Saud Al-Sharif

Day 1 – Afternoon Session

Stuart Manley
Ashley Chesters
Min Woo Lee

Day 2

Joost Luiten
Justin Harding
Ross Fisher

Day 3

Trevor Immelmann
Min Woo Lee

Day 4

David Lipsky
Andrea Pavan

 

My spoils from the tournament

I was lucky enough to come away with a nice haul of goodies from the pros. I got golf balls from eight different players. And pride of place is the yardage book from David Lipsky. This is something I’ve always wanted from a pro. To see how detailed it is compared to the ones amateurs get is amazing and I’m really pleased he gave this to me.

As well as that I have had some of the pros coming on my Twitter account liking my photos of them, or saying thanks for my help during the day. This gives a great feeling of satisfaction. When I met Min Woo Lee for the second time he shoke my hand on the tee and said “Good to meet you again”. I felt delighted he had remembered me from the previous time. I saw Chris Paisley walking off the 18^th green on the third day and said well done to him. He replied by saying thanks and asking how I was, showing that he too recognized me.

It may not be much but to me it gave me a great feeling to know they had recognized me. Even for a brief amount of time. Guaranteed if I saw them in a few weeks they may not know me. But I don’t mind. I had my moment of being recognized by the pros.

 

Conclusion

I’m really glad I got to be a walking scorer. What I learned, the experience I had. The items I came away with. The chance to walk the course with these guys. To see how they play. To shake their hand after the round. It’s something that will stay with me for a long time. If the chance comes up again I will definitely take it.

If you are someone who loves golf, and you have knowledge of the scoring system and want to volunteer for a tournament, then I would highly recommend putting yourself forward as a walking scorer. It is such a great opportunity and a highly pleasurable experience.

Thank you to Ian MacMillan the Chief Marshall and to David who was responsible for the scorers. Without them my experience wouldn’t have been possible.