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The regular driving range at Torrey Pines is serving as a parking lot during the U.S. Open.
The regular driving range at Torrey Pines is serving as a parking lot during the U.S. Open.
Volunteers and full-time staffers gather in the maintenance area at Torrey Pines for an orientation meeting Sunday night.
Each worker at the Open received a package that contained shirts paid for by sponsoring companies, hats and a handsome USGA blanket.
This sign posted in the maintenance staff's dining area thanks the sponsors for the week. This photo passes on that thanks to the blog.
Mike Davis, the USGA's director of rules and competition, addressed the assembled maintenance workers during Sunday's orientation meeting.
Mark Woodward, CGCS, passed on plenty of plaudits to the rest of the full-time staff at Torrey Pines for all their work in preparing the South Course for the U.S. Open.
Some of the most popular folks around the maintenance area — the crew who is volunteering to prepare meals all week.
Six volunteers from Japan are working this week, and brought Woodward a few gifts, including this traditional Japanese kite.
An orange ribbon on a piece of equipment indicates it's been fine tuned and is ready for action.
The entrance to my home away from home this week, the media center at Torrey Pines. It sits on what is normally the second hole on the North Course.
A view from the inside of the media center. There are 925 credentialed members of the media on hand to cover the tournament.
This is the interview area in the media center during the quiet before the storm. Both Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson performed to full houses in this room on Tuesday.
The area in front of the merchandise center, which runs along the right side of the first hole on the South Course.
I've been to a few of these U.S. Opens, and this grandstand that wraps around the green on No. 18 is among the largest I've ever seen.
More cooking, while hungry maintenance workers look on. It was hamburger and fries day on Monday.
Woodward (left) and his assistant Jon Maddern, CGCS, strategize prior to Monday afternoon's round of maintenance.
Woodward and Maddern (back left) talk to this week's team leaders prior to heading out to the course on Monday afternoon.
Maddern and Woodward address the troops to give them pointers before Monday afternoon's work began.
Can you guess what vehicles in this parade are NOT with the golf course maintenance department this week?
Before the four-person team of greens rollers took to the course, North Course superintendent Bill Sinclair (red shirt) led them through a quick demo on the 16th green of the North Course.
Normally, overlapping passes on a greens roller is a no-no. This week, it's acceptable as long as the finished lines are straight.
On Monday evening, the greens on the South Course were single cut and rolled. Beginning Tuesday, they received a double cut.
Classroom time over, the greens rolling crew loaded up the equipment to head out on the course.
Banners from some of the turfgrass schools and other organizations represented among the maintenance workers at Torrey Pines covered the walls of the dining area.
That's Jim Hyler (right), the head of the USGA's championship committee, and Jim Vernon, the president of the USGA, at the USGA press conference on Wednesday.
Mark Woodward, CGCS, sat in on the USGA press conference and answered a few questions of his own following the event.
Following a stint in the interview room in the media center, Woodward moved on to radio row where he conducted a handful of live interviews. This one is with the PGA Tour Network on XM Satellite Radio.
Following his morning with the media, Woodward headed out to take part in a production meeting featuring personnel from both NBC Sports and ESPN. That's the USGA's Mike Davis speaking to the group.
It's Wednesday afternoon, and the maintenance staff prepares to head out for to begin preparations on the South Course for the first round of play.
The rest of these photos are from my ride-along time with South Course superintendent Candice Combs, CGCS (left). Here, Combs and some other members of the maintenance team check out the first green on the South Course.
Mark Clark, CGCS, the superintendent at Troon CC in Scottsdale, Ariz., manned the hose to give the first green a quick drink Wednesday afternoon.
Combs chats with David Oatis of the USGA Green Section (center) and an unidentified member of the maintenance team just off the green at No. 1.
Combs explains the preferred traffic pattern for utility vehicles along the fifth hole to a member of the maintenance staff.
Combs chats with two maintenance staff members about the firmness and moisture levels on the fifth green.
Think the whole alternative spike thing is a meaningless fad? Well check out the damage wrought by metal spikes from touring professionals left behind on the fifth green of the South Course Wednesday.
A member of the maintenance team at Torrey Pines takes soil moisture readings on the fifth green.
Just how firm were the greens at Torrey Pines? Look at the beads of water running down the fifth green like it's been waxed.
Combs took matters into her own hands and watered the fifth green. A Golf Channel crew filming a short piece for that night's broadcast stands on the bleachers in the background.
Combs dabs at a small area near the fourth green where hydraulic fluid from a rough mower leaked. There was no visible damage to the spot.
Combs continues her watering duties, this time on the fourth green with the Pacific Ocean in the background.
Combs goes over maintenance plans with crews on the eighth green of Torrey Pines' South Course.
