Sports

From the Parks to the Parking Lot

Whether it's Tiger-mania or just great golf, this husband-and-wife team has seen it all as longtime volunteers for the BMW Championship at Cog Hill.

While the job description is an enticing one, Lemont resident Jan Porter cautions that working as a volunteer at the Western Open and BMW Championship is not always a sneak-peek look into the phenomenon known as Tiger-mania.

Nor is it truly a glimpse into the celebrity life of the PGA Tour professionals who so routinely make it their business to hopscotch across the country in order to keep their appointed rounds.

Porter has learned the players are often out of sight, if not out of mind.

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"We're on the main gate and they get to go in for free, and so we never really see anybody important," she said. "As a matter of fact, people ask us what's going on. Or where's Tiger? Which hole? And we have no idea because we're way out in the boonies just taking tickets.

"So, really, we never even get to see the golf tournament. It's not very glamorous."

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Then, in the next breath, she confesses there are moments.

Porter and her husband, Bob, receive official volunteer uniforms—golf shirts and hats—and single-day admission passes for working at the annual event played at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club. This year's BMW is the third leg on the FedEx Cup playoff series and runs through Sunday.

The Porters, linked as a husband-and-wife team, have a combined 20 years experience on the job. Neither one considers the work a job; both say it's more a labor of love.

Bob, retired director of the Lemont Park District, started running the cash register for the Lyons Club on Cog Hill's old Pork Chop Hill.

"The Western Open was incorporating using locals here to do everything — the gates, you name it," he said. "The first year they had a restaurant company here which actually tried to run the food tents. The Lyons Club — that's how I got involved — we ran their Pork Chop Hill.

"They asked me to do the cash register because I was apparently the only one who knew how to push a key on a cash register. But no one came and got the money. And, so, my particular cash register when I closed out had $73,000 rung through it. I had $73,000 in grocery bags underneath my feet. We just kept stuffing it in bags.

"The thing really has advanced over the years. Cog Hill took it over. And IPRA — which is the Illinois Parks and Recreation Association — got involved doing this 10 years ago or something like that because they could generate a large volume of people — personnel — who are experienced in dealing with crowd management. We basically took over all the gate systems. Then, the food systems Cog Hill took over and used the locals for that.

"At that time, they had a lot of parks and recreation people taking vacation leave from their agencies and coming here and working throughout the week. Now, there are a lot of volunteers. But the BMW and all the other previous sponsors contribute to IPRA. So, they generate several thousand dollars for their budget every year through our volunteer work."

Bob, 59, and Jan are empty nesters today. They worked for years to make ends meet and to raise their own family. Their son, Ryan, 25, is married now and has gone off on his own.

Jan keeps active in town through her work with handicap organizations and as the assistant manager at . She spent 14 years working in the parks and rec field before getting out to become a playground equipment saleswoman.

That part of her life — the daily grind — is not unlike the experiences she shares with many of her friends and neighbors. Her golf volunteer job is what ranks as a special treat.

"Well, of course, you like to watch Tiger (Woods) play," she said. "Why? It's the magnetism. I usually just sit down at one of the holes and watch every one come through, rather than following one player. I enjoyed it when Steve Stricker was out here — when he was first starting — and his wife was caddying for him. Those are the fun times.

"Usually, when I do come out to watch, I stay until 3 o'clock and then go home to watch on TV. You can see a little more and the traffic isn't quite as bad trying to get out of here."

Jan said she plays "just a little bit" of golf. She is in a different league than the pros.

"I do enjoy watching how it's supposed to be played—let's put it that way," she said.

Likewise, Bob enjoys the spectacle. Over the years, he has made deposits in his personal memory bank. At the top of the list he puts the image of Tiger making his triumphant march up the 18th fairway, a huge gallery riding British Open-style on his coattails, as he wrapped up his first professional victory in July 1997.

"It was unbelievable to see that happen with those thousands and thousands of people walking up behind him," Bob said. "Quite candidly, I'm sure Cog Hill and BMW are praying he makes (a run) and he makes it to the 18th hole this weekend. Because this is half a field now, so it's nothing like it used to be in the old days.

"It's in September vs. July. So, on Sunday, they've got the Bears game. They've got all these other competing sports menus that are going to take away from this. I'm sure they're hoping Tiger is in the final pack because that will keep the crowd attendance up here."


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