Almost exactly forty years ago, I was involved in establishing the Golf Club Stewards' Association's first representation at The Open Golf Championship. So far as I can recall, that particular tournament was held at Birkdale and, although I could only manage a single day's visit myself, my younger son stayed with my parents (who were living in Southport at that time) and he attended every day assisting in one way or another.
Subsequently, over the following seven or eight years, both my sons, some of their friends, and I spent the whole week at various Open venues acting as 'resident caretakers' - sleeping in my VW camper-van or in the tent itself. For many of us, those weeks would become amongst the most memorable of our lives. In 1977, for example, my younger son became friendly with Jack Nicklaus's son who was staying in The Turnberry Hotel and, for my part, at golf courses such as St. Andrews or Lytham St. Annes, I've rubbed shoulders with more famous golfers and personalities than I care to remember.
Subsequently, over the following seven or eight years, both my sons, some of their friends, and I spent the whole week at various Open venues acting as 'resident caretakers' - sleeping in my VW camper-van or in the tent itself. For many of us, those weeks would become amongst the most memorable of our lives. In 1977, for example, my younger son became friendly with Jack Nicklaus's son who was staying in The Turnberry Hotel and, for my part, at golf courses such as St. Andrews or Lytham St. Annes, I've rubbed shoulders with more famous golfers and personalities than I care to remember.
In the early days, we pretty much had to erect the tent and set out the tables, chairs, and bar facilities ourselves (see above - left) and, to be honest, much of the tented village was cobbled together in a rather casual manner (above - right). In time, however, the administration of the tented village become more 'professional' and, by comparison with the early years a more regimented style has been adopted (see below).
Over the years, although the powers-that-be at The R & A had (to some extent) turned a blind eye to the somewhat cavalier methods employed by the stewards (a lot of what was sold had been donated by suppliers and all the bar-staff were unpaid volunteers), it was impossible to deny they were at odds with the commercially motivated methods which were employed by almost everyone else in the tented village. So, when the R & A decided to franchise the administration of the tented village to a commercial events specialist; who, for a variety of commercial reasons, were not prepared to be quite so sympathetic to the stewards and, sadly, the aforementioned forty years association with the event has come to an end and there is no Golf Club Stewards' association tent at this year's Open. AMEN.
Bearing in mind the village is far larger than shown in this photo of this years event at Muirfield (above), it gives some idea of how large the operation has become.
