U.S. Open photo parade pt. 2

Welcome to the U.S. Open! This is day two of the photo parade... I'm Seth, and I'll be your host. Just a note about these photos, they are taken straight from my camera without any Photoshop or light filtering, etc. They're just pics I took. This photo, for example... I did not travel back in time to get it. Instead, I took a photo of one of the promotional signs at Merion.

Some of the guys relaxing in the mid-afternoon.

Rickie Fowler about to go on camera with the USGA. Had no idea the lovely on-air talent was locked in on me when I was about to snap this photo. Had I known, I would have asked them to say, "cheese!" Or, for Rickie, "Go Cowboys!"

Here is the front view of No. 14 tee (/green), which I was writing about yesterday... weird, huh?

A lot of boots on the course these last two days...

The crew gets in dinner before going out on their evening rounds.

Tom Marzolf, senior design associate with Fazio Golf Designers, explains to a couple of golf fans, "I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure the weight room is... THAT WAY..."

Wicker.

Robert Smith observes the fairway mowers as they're in action.

Having one leg doesn't slow this crew member down. Wait...

$6.50 a beer. I confirmed that this price was what they were actually charging. You see, I go the extra mile for you, the reader. Because I care.

A note about these photos: They're all property of Golfdom magazine. But if you're a benevolent entity (read: not one of our mortal enemies... you know who you are) you can "borrow" these photos if you just give a credit to GOLFDOM and a link back to www.golfdom.com. Thanks much.

U.S. Open photo parade pt. 1

Welcome to the U.S. Open and my first of three photo parades. My name is Seth, I'll be your host... let's get started.

On the right is Robert Smith, equipment technician here at Merion. That's his brother Mike on the left, and his dad, uh... Mr. Smith, in the middle. Yep, this journalism thing, I've got it down.

The preferred reading of the Merion maintenance tent is Golfdom. This photo proves it. Take THAT, competition. (Gotta beat that competition, yessir!)

The crew, excited to get back out there on the course, on Tuesday afternoon. Once it was discovered that this photo might make a magazine, I had to take it again, so the young lady in the center could take the photo again sans sunglasses.

"And now, a word from our sponsor..." Merion GC superintendent Arron McCurdy speaking to the crew in front of the sponsors banner. Is it just me, or does that Turf Screen logo really pop?

Walk mowers, along with their mats for turn-arounds on the collars, head out for the afternoon shift.

Rakers. Lots of rakers.

The fairway mowers are all lined up and ready to mow.

There were a lot of golf fans out there today. There were also a few of these fans, too.

Rollin', rollin', rollin' fairways.

You see, there is random stuff in the rough. AND WE LIKE IT THAT WAY! (More on the rough in a future post.)

I haven't seen this before: the fairway mowers mow to the end of the fairway, then, one-by-one, they all stop, throw it in reverse, and back their way out of their.

The fairway mowers mow in a staggered line, like this character:     /       ... so no chevron, or flying 'V.' It's a little less dramatic for photos, in general. Still fun to watch, though.

Matt Shaffer, director of grounds at Merion, and his close friend John Zimmers, superintendent at Oakmont CC, observe the crew at work. (Great, great guys to work with.)

Uh-oh... someone got a little arty with a few photos...

A note about these photos: They're all property of Golfdom magazine. But if you're a benevolent entity (read: not one of our mortal enemies... you know who you are) you can "borrow" these photos if you just give a credit to GOLFDOM and a link back to www.golfdom.com. Thanks much.

Masters photo parade pt. 2

The fairway mowers were out in force Wednesday afternoon.

I heard a guy say, "That's the damndest thing I've ever seen! The damndest thing!"

One of the guys gave me a salute as he came through the ropes, but of course I was in-between clicks and missed it!

This is looking through that corridor on No. 18, from near the tee box looking down towards the fairway.

Fly mowing around 15 and 16.

Here is a wider shot of the fairway mowers from the grandstand on Amen Corner.

Let me get a greens mowing pic in here, too!