Caddie's Role: It may have been the Booz Allen tournament last week but that was not the main attraction. The venue was the Congressional golf and country club in the state of Maryland but only a stone's throw, relative to the size of the United States, from the pulse of political America, Washington DC. Founded in 1924, there is a sense of tradition and heritage in a club like Congressional.
It is a bit like walking into an ornate old building with wood-panelled chambers and tartan carpets, you sense quality and permanence. It's old world yet like so many of these classic courses they have, with a little tinkering, survived the test of time because their initial design was so good.
It will be the host of the US Open in 2011 and the fact that it is an Open venue attracted the strongest field this tournament has ever had.
The concept of Congressional all began in 1921 as a result of the efforts of Congressmen Oscar Bland and OR Luhring. They felt the need for a club where members of congress could meet socially. The list of founding members is quite impressive, including such luminaries as John D Rockefeller, the DuPonts, Walter Chrysler and William Randolph Hearst.
Given its location just over the Potomac river in the state of Maryland, the club has a rich history of US presidents being members or visiting the club. Presidents Coolridge, Taft, Hoover, Wilson and Harding were lifetime members of the club. Not only was there a wonderful golf course but also facilities for tennis, bowling and swimming. In fact the three outdoor pools were strategically placed between the ninth green and the 10th tee of the Blue course. With temperatures in the high 80s last week coupled with high humidity, it was close to torture having to shuffle by the inviting azure blue pools knowing you had another sweaty nine to go without a refreshing dip in between.
The tee markers, small replicas of the dome of the capitol building in DC, are probably the most distinctive markers of any course in the world and add a touch of class to a place with an old money feel about it.
As I wandered around the front nine on the Sunday evening before the event the quality unfolded in front of me, what you see is what you get. In the sultry heat of the late evening I came across a figure on the back of the eighth green in a beige green-keepers uniform and a floppy wide brimmed to protecting him from the harshness of outdoor. I think I heard him singing as he applied a powder to some small ant hills that were developing at the back of the green.
I bade him a good evening and as he replied I detected a southern accent.
The greenkeeper turned out to be from Mitchelstown, Co Cork, paying attention to the finest of course details as they do at such an esteemed club, big tournament or not. It's not the first time I have come across an Irish greenkeeper tending the grasses at some of the more famous courses in America.
Meeting Eoin O'Neill brought to my attention the programme that is operated by another Irishman Mike O'Keeffe. Mike has worked in connection with the Ohio State University bringing potential greenkeepers from all over the world, including Ireland, to America to gain invaluable experience on the better courses.
Eoin will finish his one-and-a-half-year stint of hands-on experience of course care in August and return to Ireland to hopefully continue a degree in agronomy. A self-confessed golf junkie, greenkeeping was the logical way for the Corkman to maintain his association with the game. Having worked on the greens staff in Douglas in Cork, as part of his employment he had to further his education by studying turf management and spraying techniques.
At Congressional last week Eoin was responsible for three holes. Not just by himself, he said there were up to 90 greens staff working for the week of the event. Eoin talked of the other Irish greenkeepers he had met on his travels, including Liz Crotty who used to work in the Old Head in Kinsale, who has spent time working in Augusta National and will be in Pinehurst this week helping out at the US Open.
It seems greenkeeping is similar to caddying whereby you can ply your trade globally as long as you are happy to travel. There is a camaraderie amongst the 'muck mechanics' but they are also competitive. With big clubs like Congressional on your CV there is always a better chance of landing a top job back home.
If there were 90 greenkeepers involved in last week's event there is bound to be a legion ready to take on the challenge of Pinehurst No 2 this week where my boss will be defending his US Open title and hopefully the professional greenkeepers will be exercising some restraint over the frequently over-zealous USGA when it comes to preparing the course for their showpiece event.
