A marshal on the par-three 13th hole at Royal Portrush
The Open is a well-oiled machine every time it rolls into town but, even so, without the dedicated work of the volunteers that give up their time to marshal or score or operate the scoreboards around the course, what is taking place at Royal Portrush wouldn’t be possible this week.
Twenty-one clubs from across Northern Ireland have been enlisted to provide volunteers this week in a variety of roles and doing an outstanding job, helping the record crowds flow around the course safely and quickly to follow the likes of Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Scottie Scheffler.
Each hole is marshalled by volunteers from one club, with the exception of 18 which, due to the size of the massive grandstand that flanks the green, requires two clubs, while hosts Royal Portrush are also in charge of the practice range.
There are marshals who belong to other clubs, for instance I met someone from Strabane on the fourth on Wednesday, however these are the clubs who are ‘in charge’ on each hole.
Hole marshals
#1: Portstewart
#2: Castlerock
#3: Bushfoot
#4: Galgorm
#5: City of Derry
#6: Belvoir Park
#7: Shandon Park
#8: Moyola Park
#9: Ballycastle
#10: Cairndhu
#11: Ballyclare
#12: Lisburn
#13: Royal Belfast
#14: Holywood
#15: Clandeboye
#16: Dunmurry
#17: Greenisland
#18: Royal Portush and Lurgan
Practice Range: Royal Portrush
