Tiger Woods is a household name across the world, while Norvin Moulton is a household name in his own household.
However, Buick Open volunteers such as Moulton, a Goodrich resident, will be valuable in making sure the tournament is run smoothly when Professional Golf Association players such as Woods arrive for the event later this month.
This year’s Open is scheduled for July 25-31 at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc, and Moulton, as he has for about 20 years, will volunteer and have a birds-eye view of the best golfers around.
Moulton, a member of Goodrich Country Club, 10080 Hegel Road, Goodrich, since 1974, first volunteered for the tournament as a marshall at the second hole at Warwick Hills.
‘I did that for 14 years,? he said. ‘I was in what you call a drop area. When the guys hit the ball off their tee, I spotted it for them. If they hit it out of bounds, I motioned for them to hit a provision. I also communicated with PGA officials.?
However, Moulton, who worked in management with General Motors before retiring after 35 years with the company, said there was a lot of work involved in being a marshall, and that took its toll physically as he got older.
‘After a while, it got too rough on me,? he said. ‘We worked 12-hour days. It got to be too much, so I went into communications.?
During the past six years, Moulton has worked less time-consuming shifts in the communications branch of the tournament, volunteering about four to five hours per day.
He is in charge of the radios that are used by security, PGA officials, and the American Red Cross. He also said there are doctors on hand at the tournament that carry radios.
‘We assign the radios to different people, maintain the batteries and take care of them,? he said. ‘We have to charge the batteries overnight so the radios can be used again the next day.?
In his years as a volunteer, Moulton recalls interacting with some of golf’s biggest names, such as Chi Chi Rodriguez, Lee Trevino, J.C. Snead, and Tom Kite.
‘They would talk to us while waiting for others to putt out on the green,? he said. ‘Most of them are very polite and thank you.?
Moulton said he has also seen some of the pro golfers take bad shots, ‘so I don’t feel bad when I sometimes make a bad one out there.?
Most recently, he has seen Woods show respect to the crowds at the tournament.
‘Tiger Woods has a large crowd following him, and he’s one of the most polite ones ? he’ll talk to you,? Moulton said. ‘Sometimes, a little kid will be in the gallery, and he’ll sign a golf ball and toss it to them.?
Above all else, Moulton said he volunteers at the tournament simply because he enjoys doing so.
‘You feel like you’ve accomplished something at the end of the day, and it’s fun ? you meet a lot of nice people,? he said.
Volunteering at the Open seems to run in the Moulton family. His wife, Patricia, volunteered as a concession stand worker in the 1960’s, when the event was known as the Buick Open Invitational.
Moulton’s volunteer work at the Open is an extension of his enjoyment for the sport. He recently made his first-ever hole-in-one at Goodrich Country Club, on the 173-yard 12th hole.
He quipped that Patricia doesn’t seem to mind how much golf he plays. ‘I think she wants me to get out of the house,? he said.