From Tee to Green, Tait Is the PGA’s Man

After 21 years on the job, it’s still a guessing game.

Would Nick Faldo use a driver on this hole?

Which iron would Payne Stewart choose to reach the green?

Glen Tait scribbles his best estimates on a piece of paper and proceeds to the next hole. As a PGA tournament official, it has been his job for more than two decades to set the tees and pins for tour events.

“You want to get the best out of the players but not make it grueling,” Tait said. “It’s like going to war. You get all the intelligence you can get and make your best guess.”

The week before a tournament begins, the PGA’s advance team--Tait and others like him--arrive to make small adjustments.

“Anyone can go out and set up a golf course,” he said. “But do you want to be nuts about it or make it darn easy?”

The job is largely mechanics.

For example, if Tait figures most pros will reach a particular green with an eight-iron on their second shot, he knows he can tuck the pin close to a front-side bunker.

But if the second shot requires a long iron or a wood, he can’t put the pin where the ball won’t hold or where the player will not be able to reach the flagstick.

Wind plays a part in all of this, too, especially when it comes to setting the tee box.

“The prevailing wind [at Valencia] is west,” Tait said. “But we’ve had the wind shift on us 180 degrees and then you have a par four where they can’t reach in two.

“Then you look like goats. Nothing you can do about it.”

The setup must change every day, forcing players to make different decisions.

“They don’t like to play four days playing the same clubs,” Tait said. “They like the variance.”

To all this complexity, add one more element--television.

The setup man must be sure the field finishes 18 holes by the time the announcers are signing off.

“You have to come in under the gun at three o’clock,” he said.

Finally, the calculations must be guided by a sense of order.

“If I’m setting up, I like to judge my setting so the players can play near the same score every day,” Tait said. “The closer you can get to par, the better.

“You never quit learning in this job. I’m still learning.”