DUTIES OF GALLERY MARSHALS

1. OBJECTIVES There is no more visible tournament committee than the Gallery Marshals. This committee can do much to improve the quality of any tournament by using simple common sense and diplomacy with professionals and spectators. The main objectives of the marshals are to ensure the physical safety of the spectators and ensure fair play for the professionals. The following are some guidelines you may find useful.

2. GALLERY CONTROL The best tools of the trade for a marshal to control a gallery are his or her voice, eyes, hands, arms, and the gallery rope lines. Awareness of play and anticipation of situation are also important senses a marshal should have. As mentioned previously, common sense and diplomacy can work well for a marshal.

a) Voice commands, PRIOR TO THE PLAY OF A STROKE, are your best asset for controlling a gallery.
b) A marshal can usually see when spectators may disturb play by moving, making noise, running, or attempting to cross under gallery ropes, and can make the appropriate voice command to keep these things from happening.
c) The marshal can be at his or her best by facing the gallery with arms held high. This puts you in the best position for the gallery to observe commands.
d) The gallery rope lines are more symbolic than they are a physical barrier, but they show the spectator that there are certain places he or she cannot go, for safety’s sake. It is the marshal’s place to see that ropes and supporting stakes are replaced, when they are taken down for a stroke to be played.

3. PLAYER INTERACTION The playing professionals will more often notice when marshals do not have control of a situation than when they do. It is very much like the saying, “Now news is good news.” The Marshal Committee will find that the contestants are much more cordial when they feel a sense of calm on the course. Marshals can greatly add to this by being aware of a few points.

a) Be as inconspicuous as possible; your best place to be, when a stroke is being played, is facing the gallery and close to the rope lines, so as to blend in with the gallery.
b) You should always give your voice, hand, and arm commands BEFORE THE PLAYER TAKES HER STANCE FOR A STROKE. Any noise or movement you may make after this point can disturb a player’s preparation.
c) Never attempt to give advice or rulings to players. If a player needs help with the rules, she will ask you to alert an LPGA Official. Please DO NOT call for an LPGA Official until a player or someone authorized by the player asks you to do so; DO NOT ANTICIPATE A RULING.

4. RELATIONS WITH NEWS MEDIA PERSONS Media coverage of a golf tournament requires that sports writers and photographers be able to move more and be closer to the action than for most other sports. The LPGA provides guidelines for these media representatives so they can maximize their news/picture-gathering efforts, minimize the inconvenience to spectators, and, above all else, not disturb play in any way. Some points marshals should know in regard to these persons include:

a) Once the professional, tournament-counting rounds begin, only authorized media representatives may use cameras on the course, and then only when wearing an arm band or special credential which authorizes such use.
b) Media writers and photographers MUST HAVE ARM BANDS to be allowed access inside the rope lines to do their work, remain WITHIN ONE ARM’S LENGTH OF THE ROPE LINE, and be as inconspicuous as possible. It is the responsibility of the marshals to remind media personnel of this regulation. If you encounter someone who does not abide by this regulation, please notify an LPGA Official through the communications system; do not be discourteous or offensive to this person.
c) Writers and photographers should kneel around tees and greens in order not to block the view of the paying spectators.
d) Writers must not attempt to interview a player during the round, and photographers must not take pictures as a player is making a stroke. The marshals should remind the media of this important requirement as well, and notify an LPGA Official if a problem persists.

5. AREA DUTIES There are areas on each hole that require different, specific duties for marshals. Those areas include tees, drive zones, greens, and crosswalks. Other special areas or functions that should be assigned marshals include scoring tents and feature groups, which may attract large crowds. In addition, Drive Zone Marshals on two designated holes will be asked to measure driving distances for LPGA statistical information.

a) TEE MARSHALS
1) A marshal should be sure the entrance rope gate area is clear of spectators so players coming from the previous green can enter the tee ground area easily.
2) If there is a crosswalk in the fairway you should signal to the Crosswalk Marshals to close the crosswalk AS SOON AS PLAYERS LEAVE THE PREVIOUS GREEN (OR AS SOON AS YOU CAN SEE THEM APPROACH YOUR TEE). This way, the fairway will be clear for the players to play when arriving at the tee.
3) Be sure you give your voice commands BEFORE THE PLAYER TEES HER BALL. Stay next to rope lines, even with tee markers and facing the gallery, with arms held high, until after you hear the ball strike.
4) Never position yourself on an extension of the player’s line of play behind the ball.
5) Coordinate signals with the Drive Zone Marshals to know when a stray ball may be out of bounds. If the Drive Zone Marshal signals “out”, notify the player that “my partner out there thinks it may be out of bounds.” This should be enough information for her to play a provisional ball to save time.

b) DRIVE ZONE MARSHALS
1) Watch all balls that come into your zone. If you are uncertain whether a ball may be out of bounds, signal “out” to the Tee Marshal so he can notify the player (see above).
2) If a ball comes to rest outside the gallery rope lines, protect the ball so it is not moved by a spectator. After all tee shots have been played, get another marshal or a spectator to watch the ball so you can take the gallery ropes and stakes down, if necessary, and create a path for the player to play a stroke. There will need to be a five-yard-wide path at the ball, with an ever-widening angle toward the intended target. THIS IS WHERE THE MARSHAL CAN BEST CONTRIBUTE TO FAIR PLAY FOR THE CONTESTANT AND SAFETY FOR THE SPECTATOR; BE SURE TO USE COMMON SENSE.
3) Give your voice command before the player takes her stance to play a stroke; stay next to the rope lines, even with the player’s ball, and facing the gallery, with arms held high, until you hear the ball strike.
4) Be sure to replace gallery rope lines and stakes. If stake holes are not painted, put a tee in the ground where the stake was removed for easier replacement. A clove hitch knot is best for keeping the rope tied to a stake and for keeping the line pulled tight.

c) GREEN MARSHALS
1) Be alert for stray balls that may go outside rope lines. If a ball may be out of bounds, signal to the Fairway Marshals as described above. Be sure to protect any balls hit outside the rope lines, and clear a path as described above.
2) The Green Marshals will need to be particularly aware of shots on and around the green, as more strokes are played in this area than any other location. Be sure to give your voice command before a player takes her stance to play a stroke; stay next to the rope lines, out of a player’s line of sight, if possible, and facing the gallery with arms held high, until you hear the ball strike.
3) Replace gallery ropes and stakes, as described above, but only after the group has finished play on that green.
4) When there is a large gallery following a group, at least one marshal should be positioned OUTSIDE THE ROPE LINES BETWEEN THE GREEN AND THE NEXT TEE. If the marshal sees or senses the gallery is about to move, before the next player is to putt, he should give a loud voice command before she putts to stop the crowd from moving and disturbing her play.

d) CROSSWALK MARSHALS
1) Crosswalks are areas where spectators may cross fairways after players have passed and the ropes have been lowered. There should be a marshal on each side of the crosswalk.
2) The marshals should become familiar with the particular nuances of a hole, and establish guidelines for each crosswalk.
3) Crosswalks should only be opened for use when there are no strokes being played in the vicinity on that hole and after players have crossed through that area.
4) Crosswalks should be closed when players get near their balls or get near to playing their strokes; i.e., closed when players near their tee shots, arrive at a green, or arrive on a tee.
5) When not performing crosswalk duties, marshals should assist other area marshals.

e) SCORING TENT MARSHALS
1) The scoring tent area is possibly the most critical of all; one mistake can disqualify a player, and a quiet decorum must be maintained.
2) Persons allowed in the scoring tent include: players, their caddies, the Walking Scorer for the group, the Scoring Tent Committee on duty, marshals on duty, LPGA Officials, and persons servicing equipment or replacing refreshments. Marshals should request identification, if uncertain of a person’s authorization to enter the tent.
3) Persons NOT ALLOWED in the scoring tent include: media persons (including but not limited to photographers), television personnel, friends of players, Tournament Officials (only LPGA Officials, as identified by their personalized credentials), and any other persons not described above.
4) Marshals must be firm but polite in denying entry to unauthorized persons. Please notify an LPGA Official in case of a problem.

f) SPECIAL GROUP MARSHALS
1) Some groups, particularly the last few of the weekend days, attract a large enough crowd that additional marshals are needed to assist the marshals on each hole, in the movement of players from green to tee and with the control of the additional spectators.
2) The position of these marshals is equally important inside and outside of the rope lines. Inside the ropes, they can assist Tee, Fairway and Green Marshals in their duties. Outside the ropes, they can control the gallery noise that would otherwise go undetected from inside the ropes.
3) Special Marshals should help Hole Marshals see that galleries do not break rope lines behind the final group of each day. Spectators must remain behind the rope lines until the final group has completed play on the particular hole.