The Rocket Classic is in full swing and hundreds of dedicated volunteers are helping ensure the event runs smoothly.
With a four-day tournament and week's worth of events, it takes a lot of people to put on the Rocket Classic.
"It takes the 1,400 volunteers that we have on the site. The fact that they give up their time to do this so that our community can benefit from a tournament such as this, it's magnificent," Katrina Kelly-Winker, the volunteer chair at Rocket Classic, said.
The event started in 2019, and for Detroit Golf Club member Allen Lewis, watching the tournament come to life was eye-opening.
"To see all the build-out of the stands and what's going on there. It takes some time," Lewis said.
Lewis is one of the volunteers who have helped with the Rocket Classic since its inception. His current role involves helping guide standard bearers—the people who carry signs alongside golfers with their scores.
"So I schedule them all. I pray they come in on time," Lewis said. "Some days I work harder now than I did when I worked."
But as someone who plays the course, he finds it worth the effort.
There are also first-time volunteers like Saisha Dhawan, an avid golfer from Rochester Hills.
"I've been playing for a while. I play like every week, sometimes I have a tournament every week," Dhawan said.
She hopes that by giving her time to the Rocket Classic, she might pick up some pointers from the pros.
"I want to experience watching other players play and maybe even learn from them and affect my own game," Dhawan said.
Volunteers say that each time they come out, it's like joining a big family.
"We come out here because we enjoy it. We know there's a benefit for the community and we just want to be a part of it," Kelly-Winker said.
Volunteer roles range from gallery management to tracking golf balls throughout the four-day tournament.
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