Mark Place has had the special opportunity to play the game of golf for thirty years.  What some people don’t know about this Owatonnan is that he has been volunteering for a golf event for nearly three decades as well.

It all started for Place in 1997 when he assumed his role as a course marshal when the tournament was a Senior PGA Tour Event – known then as the Burnet Senior Classic.  The three-day tournament traversed Bunker Hills in Coon Rapids, Minn. where the likes of Arnold Palmer, Gil Morgan, Chi-Chi Rodriguez and Hale Irwin participated – to name a few.  The event moved to TPC Twin Cities in 2001 when it also underwent a name change to the 3M Championship.  In 2019, the event became a PGA Tour stop in Minnesota while also altering its name once again to the 3M Open – which it remains today.

Although the event Place volunteered for experienced tour, name and venue changes – one constant remained – he continued to marshal.  In his 29^th year of volunteering, Place serves as the hole captain on the Par-4 ninth hole at TPC Twin Cities.  He strategically positions himself behind the green to see groups through who have finished navigating the challenging 502-yard hole.

A full crew – under Place’s supervision – is 26 team members strong.  He oversees scheduling all the volunteers that report to him to make sure that approximately 14 individuals are manning their posts at any given time throughout each day of the event.  “My goal each day is to have players successfully get on and off our hole without incident, not needing us and not knowing we’re there,” Place said. “Throughout the week, addressing the caddies is okay when needed but players are more on a speak when spoken too basis.”

Although Place’s role as hole captain can make for an excruciatingly long week, it is the little things along the way that keep him doing it.  “I feel like I am giving back to the game,” Place said.  “It is offering to take a family’s picture in a free moment or seeing some of the same people every year that make it fun.”

Although Place spends most of his volunteering duties behind the ropes, he has had the unique privilege to also enter the field of play.  On two different occasions, Place was offered the chance to play in the Pro/Am portion of the festivities.  As a golf enthusiast, this would be a bucket list opportunity.  Playing alongside a professional and having the ability to see what they see and experience the course laid out for the upper echelon of golfers would be extraordinary.

Place shared two stories that were quite surreal to wrap my head around.  He mentioned meeting Palmer twice and Tom Watson once.  “Arnold Palmer was the same guy in person that you saw on the course and in front of the cameras,” Place said.  “He had an incredible ability to laser focus in on you like nobody else was around.  Tom Watson shared some perspective on what the biggest difference is between a professional golfer and an amateur.  The professional expects to mishit about twenty percent of their shots whereas an amateur expects perfection on every shot.  About 95 percent of the time, amateur players mis club and come up short.”

Places’ mission is clear as a hole captain and volunteer on the PGA Tour stop in Blaine – blend in like a CIA Agent, keep everything running smoothly and ensure all individuals inside the ropes make it safely to the tenth hole without any noteworthy disruptions.   

Having seen Place at multiple of these events, he typically stays camouflaged in the background.  However, if the situation dictates, Place has the perfect deep and projecting voice for the role.

Quiet on the ninth green in Blaine – or Place will be on the prowl.

Until next month, hit ‘em long and straight – and most of all have fun!