An Open Invitation

I nipped out of the house this afternoon to go and hit 110 balls (it’s amazing what you can do when you slow your swing down, instead of going at 100mph), but today’s excitement came from a letter I received this morning.

In October 2009 I applied to work at the Open Championship at St Andrews in July 2010. I had been checking the recruitment website each day and submitted my application the day the application form went live. There were loads of jobs available, some were vastly better than others.

Today I got the letter saying that I have been allocated a position, and I got my first pick out of all the jobs available – BBC microphone walker.

I’ve not done this job before, but basically it entails walking around the course with a group of players, carrying a microphone pack, picking up the noises, conversations, and feeding them back to the control centre. It will be hard work, 10 hour shifts for 5 days carrying a heavy microphone pack, but I’ll get paid £60 per day for the effort. If I went as a spectator for all 4 days it would cost me £240 and I would be stuck behind the ropes. Instead, I will be paid £300 to walk around St Andrews Old Course, inside the ropes with better access than the spectators, listening to professional golfers and their caddies. I am absolutely delighted with this, I’m going to do as well as I possibly can whilst there with the aim of getting one of the final groups on the final day. The chance to be walking up the fairways with the players on the final day of the 150^th Open at St Andrews is quite exciting.

Even if for some unknown reason it’s not as good as I imagine (I can't see that being the case though), I am going to the Highlands of Scotland for 3 days with a friend the weekend before the Open, playing 5 absolute gems of courses, the cost of which is………. £300. I think I know what will fund that.