"There might be a little scuff mark on it, so we're scrubbing it," Niewland says. "Pros want their balls like they just came out of a sleeve."
If there's a significant dent, scratch or scuff that can't be rubbed away, it's tossed.
Then comes the tough part.
Each golfer has his brand of ball. He only hits that type whether it's in a round or on the range. So the hundreds of now-clean balls have to be separated. Again, by hand. Then bagged by brand. Which doesn't sound like that big a deal until you look more closely.
There are two types of Callaway balls. They look exactly the same. Figuring which is which requires reading a font that's barely there to see if it says Chrome Soft X or Chrome ** Soft. If your astigmatism is acting up, you have no chance. Even worse is the challenge of deciding which Taylor Made is a TP5 and which is a TP5X. Again, you'd better have the vision of an electron microscope or you're pooched.
When the golfers show up and find a spot, the range workers are supposed to place a name bar on the grass behind them so fans can see who's practising. Of course, this means knowing what all the players look like. If they don't? Well, you sneak a peak at their bag and see if their name is embroidered on. If not, you ask other workers if anyone knows. Failing that, you quietly ask the caddie.
"You never ask the player," Niewland laughs.
Then there's all the other stuff. On Monday there was a pro-am. That was chaos, with all the amateurs looking for a place to warm up as the staff set up really cool-looking pyramids of balls beside them. All while lunch was being served on the range.
Wednesday is another pro-am. In addition to the balls, you have to make sure there are enough tees and water, and garbage is collected so the place looks meticulous. The golfers' swings chew up the tee box, so each morning the ropes running from end to end — marking the area in which the players can hit that day — have to be moved back to fresh turf and measured to exactly six of Niewland's foot lengths.
"That gives us enough room so by the end of the week we're not on the cart path," he says.
On top of everything else, there's the one thing you probably don't want to know about. Particularly if you're wandering the course not paying attention to the practice area at all.
The range is 290 yards long. When they lean into one, many golfers can hit the ball more than 300 yards. If that happens, some fan standing on the second hole could be within distance of a bonk. That risk hasn't escaped Niewland.
"If we get a wind blowing that way, I have to get security and block off the back of the range," he says.
The whole thing sounds like a nonstop pursuit of an impossible Sisyphean-level of perfection. The kind that could drive a person nuts. Is it even fun?
Niewland's regular job is chief financial officer of a pharmaceutical company. Eight times over the years he's volunteered to work the range, including all the times the Open has been here in Hamilton. This is his second time as boss. He took a week of vacation to do this.
"Of course it's fun," he says. "I wouldn't do it if it wasn't."
sradley@thespec.com
905-526-2440 | @radleyatthespec
Spectator columnist Scott Radley hosts The Scott Radley Show weeknights from 6-8 on 900CHML
905-526-2440 | @radleyatthespec
Spectator columnist Scott Radley hosts The Scott Radley Show weeknights from 6-8 on 900CHML
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June 05, 2019 at 05:31AM
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