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(philly.com)
Matt Shaffer, the director of golf course operations at Merion Golf Club, said there is a logical reason he has managed to attract such a talented staff of volunteers to maintain the layout during the week of the U.S. Open.
"I've been around for a while," said Shaffer, 53, who has worked in the golf course maintenance business for more than 30 years, the last 11 as the head man at Merion.
About 130 volunteers will join Shaffer's full-time staff of 45 for Open week, some coming from as far away as Australia, England, Panama, and Mexico. Shaffer will even have three faculty members from the turfgrass management program at Penn State, his alma mater, on site.
"I have a lot of great friends that are willing to sacrifice a lot of their time to come and help us out the week of the Open," he said. "Most of the volunteers have prior championship experience. Their expertise will be extremely valuable.
"It'll be an exciting week. There are some times when it can get stressful. But if you're completely surrounded by your friends, it makes you feel good. Many of these guys were former assistants here, so they're real familiar with Merion. If you ask them what they think, they know right then and there. They'll give you their honest opinion."
Shaffer has volunteered at a number of championships, including the 2003 U.S. Amateur and the 2007 U.S. Open, both at Oakmont Country Club outside Pittsburgh. Oakmont superintendent John Zimmers will ride in Shaffer's cart as his righthand man during the Open.
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