MY YEARS AT THE COLONIAL

by DOUG ATTAWAY
(WACO TEXAS)

I BECAME A VOLUNTEER AT THE COLONIAL IN 1981 ALONG WITH SEVERAL OTHERS FROM CENTRAL FREIGHT LINES, WHEN THE SALESMAN IN OUR FORT WORTH OFFICE ASKED, IF ANYONE IN THE DALLAS TERMINAL WOULD BE INTERESTED. I TOLD HIM I COULD ONLY THINK OF ABOUT 20 RIGHT NOW.

WE STARTED OFF EVERY MORNING ALONG HOLE NUMBER 1 AND WERE GIVEN A RED TICKET. OUR NUMBERS WERE CALLED AND TOLD WHAT GROUP WE HAD AND WHAT TIME WE WOULD BE ON THE NUMBER ONE TEE TO WALK WITH OUR GROUP AND WE WERE CALLED FORE CADDIES AS WE WOULD SPOT THE BALLS FOR THE GOLFERS AND HOLD THE ROPES IN THE CROSSWALKS TILL THE GOLFERS PASTED AND THEN WE WOULD GO TO NEXT HOLE WHILE THEY APROACHED GREEN AND PUTTED OUT.
SOME DAYS WERE LONG, IF YOU GOT A GROUP THAT DID NOT TEE OFF TILL AROUND NOON. IT WAS FUN AND WE SAW A LOT OF GOLF. ARNOLD PALMER TOLD ME ONE DAY THAT THEY REALLY DID LIKE FOR US TO VOLUNTEER AS THEY COULD NOT HAVE TOURNAMENTS WITHOUT US.

THAT MADE MY DAY AND DECIDED I WOULD KEEP ON AS LONG AS I COULD. I LOVE DOING IT AND WILL CONTINUE TO VOLUNTEER AS LONG AS I CAN.
THE COLONIAL WILL BE CALLED THE CHARLES SCHWAB CUP CHALLENGE STARTING in 2019 AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT.