NEWPORT — Mike Gilmartin moved with an air of bustling efficiency.
He navigated Newport Country Club effortlessly, sheet pan in hand, to serve the latest dish at the U.S. Senior Open. He’s one of many that kept the course stocked and ready for the thousands that descended on the City by the Sea this week.
The Las Vegas native grew up with golf and working the U.S. Senior Open isn’t lost on him. He took glances at the 18 fairway between food runs, but Gilmartin wasn’t truly immersed in the golf. His continuous 14-hour shifts as a server for Par Caterers kept him busy all week long.
People like Gilmartin were plentiful this week in Newport.
“They’re the lifeblood of what we do,” chief operating officer of Par Caterers, Todd Hanson, said of the servers. “They’re the muscle and we bring the management and the brain. But the hands that physically cook or wrap a hotdog or serve a cocktail to a guest or stock up beer, that’s all done from local residents from Newport and beyond.”
More: Richard Bland wins US Senior Open in dramatic finish at Newport Country Club
Richard Bland doesn’t storm to a comeback win to the magnitude of Monday’s final without the some-thousand volunteers moving with the same productivity as Gilmartin. The anxiety-filled four-hole playoff that saw the Englishman work out of the bunker on 18 to deny Hiroyuki Fujita the title isn’t showcased without them. And there is no tournament at Newport without the grounds crew that turned Sunday’s rain into a shining course for Monday’s championship.
“A real successful event is when people say, ‘I had a great time. We’ll definitely be back next time,’” Gilmartin said. “And I think that’s really what we go for in-and-out every day.”
Shuttle buses and their gracious drivers carted fans in droves to the course on endless loops from Fort Adams. Those workers only saw the course from the entrance before circling back around to haul in the next group. And the ground’s crew handled Wednesday’s storm and each subsequent hazard for perfect greens.
“One of the great things was I came here to set up and it’s a beautiful course,” Gilmartin, who worked in the media center, said. “One of the most beautiful courses I’ve ever seen and I was in the clubhouse. But everything about the people, the course and the location — it’s all fantastic.”
Volunteers managed the walkways and concessions, and their staffs, were within earshot of nearly every hole. As the front-nine turns into the back and Ocean Avenue appears on 13, there’s no mistaking you’re in Newport.
Tom Steffens, of Narragansett, took the week off from work to operate the 16th tee box. The 68-year-old volunteered throughout the week. And Steffens’ reward was looking on at 16 as the final group, which included Fujita, teed off for the last time.
“It’s just great being this close and seeing it,” Steffens said. “I love golf so much, it’s nice to be a part of it all and make a contribution to the game.”
Said Gilmartin: “It’s every aspect from the food to the drinks, to the service to the displays and to the server. It’s a whole process, but we really work to make it seamless.”
Liam Olsen might have had the best seat at Newport. The 20-year-old was stationed outside the first hole tee box and it was the perfect spot for the security guard, who has recently found the sport. He took in Fujita’s meticulous routine that resulted in just one missed fairway and only two bogeys through 64 holes.
“Especially for someone who has recently gotten into golf, being able to even work stuff like this [has been cool],” Olsen said. “I’m trying to play a lot more, it’s really cool to see all this stuff happening.”
Olsen’s days started at five each morning of the tournament and he was there for about 14 hours. The University of South Carolina student handled the longer shifts because he saw something new with each drive on the first hole’s par-5, 568-yard design.
Asked if the lengthy shifts bother him: “A little bit, but not so much. It’s cool to see, it’s cool to be here. I’m getting a lot of experience and this is the industry I want to go into when I start working. It’s really cool to see how this all functions.”
The Massachusetts native has worked golf championships before, but the treasure of watching Sunday’s start and the field’s drive for the title in his backyard is a blessing that few get.
“Everybody has a whole different demeanor after the cut,” Olsen said. “Then, especially getting into the final day, everybody was normally very laid back and joking around on the tee, then stone-faced and not saying anything.”
Gilmartin polished his weekend off during Sunday’s storm, this time through torrential rain to ensure the week ended seamlessly.
“There’s a progress [to the tournament] and there’s always something to do, and it’s really fun,” Gilmartin said. “And I think you want people to have a great time.”
jrousseau@providencejournal.com
On X: @ByJacobRousseau
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Meet the people who made the U.S. Senior Open happen
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