Inside the scoreboard at the Open Championship
By Charles Gwynn
This past July, I was presented with a unique opportunity to work inside the iconic yellow scoreboard behind St. Andrews' iconic 18th hole. Here's what my experience was like:
We were invited to operate the scoreboard for the Celebration of Champions event at the beginning of the championship week. This event featured past Open champions, as well as other R&A championship winners from women's golf, amateur golf and disabled golf. Notably, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Tom Watson played in the four hole loop.
Ten teams, lead by past champions, competed in the event. We were responsible to update the scoreboard accordingly. Using specific handheld scoring devices, we were alerted every time a score change was made and what our scoreboard should look like from the outside. Luckily, the laid-back nature of this small event made our jobs stress free, although it is easy to imagine the difficulties of keeping up with the tournament on moving day, where names move on and off the leaderboard at a moments notice.
Inside the scoreboard is fascinating, being a tight two-storied space with an mesmerizing array of light rays passing through the slits and cracks belonging to the face of the scoreboard. Mechanically, name slots open inwards allowing players names or scoring tiles to be attached and flipped back outwards. Shelves are filled along the back wall with the name of every player in the field - should they make an appearance upon the leaderboard at some point throughout the week.
Low-ceilings and poor airflow make the scoreboard slightly claustrophobic and adding to its' old-fashioned feel. Thankfully, the view of the Old Course and West Sands make it a hard place to complain about. The only thing that I would do differently next time is bring a camping chair and an extra bottle of water.
Thank you to the R&A for the amazing volunteer experience throughout the week and for inviting us to participate in this unique Celebration of Champions event. Exploring inside of the iconic yellow scoreboard was truly a treat.
Written by Charles Gwynn
