SYLVANIA, Ohio — Events like the Dana Open wouldn't be possible without the help of volunteers.
And a specific group of volunteers who play a vital role in the tournament get closer to the game than anyone else: walking scorers.
"That's the best job there is," Martha Huetteman, a long-serving volunteer walking scorer, said. "So, I signed up to be a walking scorer having no idea what it was."
During each round of golf at the Dana Open, up to 60 volunteers spend the day with player groups, tracking each hit from the golfers with a handheld device from R2 Innovative Technologies.
Through local cell or Wi-Fi signal, the player's score is updated live online, on monitors across the golf course and used on Golf Channel coverage.
"This helps us track stats," Mike Mays, associate with R2 Innovative Technologies, said. "We track fairways hit, greens in regulation up and down percentages from bunkers."
Scoring coordinators said the scoring device's user interface is so straightforward that anyone with even a minor understanding of golf can help track their scores.
"We used radios and pencils and paper, and sometimes we'd have to wait quite a while to get evidence of a shot taking place or a score," May said. "We do this in real-time, you know, within seconds the score of any player on any given hole."
Along with getting about six miles of walking in a day alongside the golfers, Huetteman said the best part of the volunteering job is getting up close access to some of the greatest golfers in the world.
"You're right here on the tee, walking along with the players, seeing everything that they do, how they approach their game," Huetteman said. "And that's why I come back."
You can sign up to be a volunteer walking scorer by registering on the Dana Open website once next year's signup begins.