You might not know the score without these to help
OAKMONT – It might not tell you who’s on first, but it sure can show you who is in first.
The old-fashioned leaderboard that sits along the 18th fairway and stands three stories tall keeps golf fans informed about who is doing what and where it’s happening during the 116th U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.
No electronic gizmos here.
This hand-operated leaderboard is the largest and most detailed of the other 16 scattered around the 7,219-yard course because it gives the hole-by-hole account of the top golfers while the others display the leaders and relation to par.
It works much like the old-fashioned baseball scoreboards at Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley field in Chicago. There are openings in the board, where names or numbers can be attached with magnetic squares.
“It’s my understanding there was a late decision not to use the electronics,” said Jan Hawkins, a volunteer leaderboard worker. “I think the bulk of people who are working the leaderboards were on the wait list for the tournament.”
The older leaderboards wouldn’t be in use today if not for the 2015 U.S. Open at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash.
“I think there was a general dissatisfaction with the way it went last year at Chambers Bay, from the layout, the course, the way it was broadcast,” said Bob Jokl, a volunteer and member of the leaderboard committee. “They couldn’t see the numbers on the electronic board because of the sun and the background. It was hard to watch that tournament.”
So Oakmont formed the scoreboard committee in December to discuss the situation.
“The USGA wasn’t happy with the way it looked, the feel and they wanted to go back to this type of scoring,” Jokl said. “I did this in 2007, too.”
Oakmont uses three types of leaderboards and each has a different purpose.
“This one here is called the monster board,” Jokl said. “This has the leaders and how they are doing for this particular day’s rounds, all holes. There are smaller ones that just have the top seven and relative to par. They also have what is called the through board. … The fans want to know who is coming through (to the holes they are watching). As soon as the golfers step off the green, you put new names up of people coming through next. And you have standard carriers with the group.”
Five people, and one ladder, are required to operate the monster board. Scores are communicated through a hand-held device at the board from another such device at each hole. Names are not used, just the position on the monster board that needs changed. So a row is designated by number and whether it receives a black or red score. A ladder is needed to change the scores on the names higher up on the monster board.
“Through boards change all the time,” said Beth Spatz, a leaderboard volunteer working the monster board Friday. “We use letters and numbers that are rubbery with a metallic back. These numbers go from event to event. But these haven’t been used in a while.”
One of its unexpected uses for this board is for conformation. Numerous fans stopped by this board to take selfies.