Chattanoogan Ron Spruill will be a volunteer at the PGA Championship. This
is the first time he’s ever been to a golf tournament in person.Ron Spruill has never been to a golf tournament.
He hasn’t attended the Chattanooga Classic. He hasn’t been to a prep match at Bear Trace. He’s never been to The Honors Course.
Spruill is jumping into the deep end of golf and doing so voluntarily.
The 65-year-old will work at the upcoming PGA Championship this week at the Atlanta Athletic Club.
“I have no idea what I’m in store for,” Spruill said last week. “I’ve just watched golf on TV. I’m not beside myself with excitement, but I’m looking forward to it.”
Spruill will be a volunteer in the ticket and admission department. He had his choice of assignments, including on-course marshal, shuttle driver to and from the airport and merchandise tent worker. He chose to stay on the grounds and in the comfort of air-conditioning while working instead of standing, sitting or walking in potential 100-degree heat.
“Far as I know, I’ll be working inside,” Spruill said. “But I plan on going out every day and watching what’s going on there on the course.”
A PGA official said Spruill was one of the first volunteers to sign up. That’s not exactly true.
His wife signed him up.
“I got an email and thought about doing it,” Spruill said. “My wife must have got the same email. She signed me up and I didn’t even know she was doing it. I told her that I’d thought about it, and she said, ‘You’re in.'”
The PGA Championship will be an eye-opening experience for Spruill, who started playing the game about a year ago and is a regular at Concord Golf Course.
His first round of golf came last year during a Bible conference with his church. A couple of weeks ahead of time he told the event organizer that he’d like to play, but that his only golf-playing experience was miniature golf. No worries.
“I had about three weeks to get my game on,” Spruill said. “I had to borrow my son’s clubs. I went to the driving range three or for times a week to just be able to hit a ball.
“I’ve enjoyed it ever since.”
And he’s about to enjoy the experience of a lifetime – a major championship.
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6484. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP