Headline: Go Inside the Ropes at a Major Championship; Many Volunteer Opportunities Available for 2017 U.S. Senior Open Championship at Salem CC

For Immediate Release: February 6, 2017

Go "inside the ropes" at the 2017 U.S. Senior Open Championship.

Peabody, MA — When the 2017 U.S. Senior Open returns to Salem Country Club later this year, the first time since 2001, tens of thousands of fans will descend on the North Shore of Massachusetts as some of the world’s top professional and amateur players compete for the famed Francis D. Ouimet Memorial Trophy and the title of U.S. Senior Open Champion.

Among those guests, however, are the 2,300 volunteers who are the “backbone” of the operation of the event and the driving force behind the success of the annual golf tournament, now in its 38th year.

With less than five months to go until the June 26-July 2 Championship, the management team for the 2017 U.S. Senior Open is reaching out to build the core of its volunteer base with the hopes of fulfilling many of its needs in the next few months, leaving plenty of time to ensure that each group is properly trained to complete their assigned tasks.

“When you talk about working with 2,300 volunteers, the [US Senior Open] would not really be possible without them,” said Megan Gormley, Volunteer Manager of the 2017 U.S. Senior Open. “Over 80 percent of our volunteer base comes from Massachusetts this year, which is fantastic, and it’s a really great way to get involved and give back to the community.”

Giving back to the community as a U.S. Senior Open volunteer, whether it be as an individual or an entire group, can be done in many different ways as the Championship offers many different ways to get involved. While some volunteer positions are tailored for individuals or groups with specific experience, many of the volunteers being sought don’t need to have prior knowledge, as they will be trained on site in pre-Championship sessions or when they arrive to their first shift.

Asked to work at least four, four-hour shifts over the course of the seven-day championship, volunteers for the 2017 US Senior Open could be tasked with jobs such as marshaling, scoring, transportation or any of the 18 different committees that the needed 2,300 volunteers will consist of.

According to Gormley, many of the volunteer positions are scheduled to take place between the seven days of the championship week, but a small portion of volunteer committees may be asked outside of the seven-day period, specifically for player registration and transportation needs.

Among the 18 committees open to volunteers, Gormley says that some of the major needs lie within the laser operators, access controls, leaderboards and marshals, public committees that require the most number of people and that still have few spots open.

Laser operators operate tracking devices and communicate locations via handheld devices while access control volunteers are tasked with ensuring championship guests have the proper credentials to enter various restricted areas. Leaderboards help post player information following each round and marshals are in charge of enforcing crowd control and golf etiquette while play is active.

A complete list of committees and descriptions can be found by visiting: http://2017ussenioropen.com/committee-descriptions.php

Among the 18 volunteer committees, there are also two unique positions that are reserved for junior volunteers, boys and girls aged 13-17. Standard bearers, responsible for carrying the two-sided scoring standard to inform how each player stands, as well as program sales, responsible for selling the Championship Program on course throughout the week, are both unique opportunities that provide the youngest golf fanatics the chance to get as close to the action as possible.

Three volunteer packages are available to those interested and those volunteers can identify their top-3 choices for volunteer committees they would like to work on while also providing their schedules so the best times can be arraigned for each volunteer. Over the next several weeks, U.S. Senior Open staff members will be working on putting together each committees schedule and will be following back up with each registered volunteer.

For more information on the volunteer positions available ahead of the 2017 U.S. Senior Open, visit the volunteer web page at: http://2017ussenioropen.com/volunteer-application.php.

You can also reach out directly to Megan Gormley, the event's volunteer manager, at 978-818-6006.