A buddy of mine is a professional photographer. He being somewhat aware of the fact that I used to play some golf, he invited me to be his assistant on a shoot today at a country club. Which country club? The country Club, it says. The one in Brookline. Someone is doing a piece on the 100th anniversary of Francis Ouimet's historic victory at the US Open, and dispatched my friends to get some shots.
Second assistant, actually; my job was to stay out of the actual assistant's way, and maybe carry some stuff if necessary. Which I pulled off, no major incidents.
I won't go into the details of the shoot, but allow me to rave about my day. The members I met were gracious from the start, and really opened up when they found out I knew a little of the club's history, that I attended the last round of the 1988 US Open the day after I moved to Massachusetts, and that I was 100 feet from The Putt at the 1999 Ryder Cup (just after I actually said this to my friend: "nothing ever happens at 17; let's run to 18 to see the end!").
They talked a lot about how the 2013 Open ended up at Merion, and their plans for the 2013 Amateur.
I got to spend an hour in the men's locker room, looking at the historical photos that abound. Favorite item: a photo of what they believe is Payne Stewart's last competitive golf shot, from the bunker on 18 on Sunday, just before he conceded to Montgomerie. Other favorite item: a sign at the bar that reads ,"Phone is for Spousal Calls Only."
I got to spend about an hour pawing around in their archives room, which will soon be relocated and expanded. Favorite item: the oversized (and empty) bottle of Moet champagne that the 1999 Ryder Cuppers sprayed on the crowd, signed by all the players.
And when one of the photo subjects had to leave the club for an appointment, they treated us all to lunch at the club. Favorite items: the oysters enjoyed by one member.
All in all, a pretty cool day.