AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, PURE Insurance Championship run smoothly thanks to dedicated volunteers
If you’ve ever attended the AT&T Pebble Beach ProAm or the PURE Insurance Championship, you’ve undoubtedly seen a sea of blue and grey jackets, donned by the thousands of dedicated volunteers who help host organization Monterey Peninsula Foundation bring every facet of the tournaments to life.
Tournament volunteers are the gallery management ambassadors who manage on-course noise and traffic and help ensure the safety of guests and players. They’re the information representatives who greet spectators and provide guidance for making the most of the tournament experience. They’re walking scorers who keep track of the players’ scores and statistics. They’re also the hosts who support their peers in Volunteer Hospitality. They are, as Clint Eastwood, Chairman of Monterey Peninsula Foundation, describes “the lifeblood of the organization.”
Each January and September, the volunteers descend on the Monterey Peninsula from all over the country (with a handful traveling internationally). They represent a remarkably committed group – 85 percent of AT&T Pebble Beach ProAm volunteers boast an average tenure of seven years of service, and more than sixty have been inducted into the illustrious 40 Year Club.
“Our volunteers continually inspire me with their commitment to Monterey Peninsula Foundation. They return to the tournaments year after year, many of them traveling thousands of miles, to donate their time and help put on world-class events,” says Mary Dubé, Monterey Peninsula Foundation Volunteer Program Manager. “Their positive attitudes and exuberance for volunteering never wane, even in the years when weather makes for more challenging conditions. It is an honor to support and work with them.”
While world-class golf is an obvious draw, community and charity are the through-lines that drive tournament volunteers.
For many of them, the tournaments are an opportunity to deepen their local engagement, support the Foundation’s philanthropic work, and create meaningful, lifelong friendships.
This year’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am marked its first year as a PGA TOUR Signature Event, and while this designation brought adjustments to the format, the volunteers’ enthusiasm and dedication remained unchanged. “It was great to see the best players in the world come to the Monterey Peninsula,” shared one volunteer, “and I look forward to volunteering at the 2025 AT&T.”
By the end of each tournament week, Dubé notes the volunteers may come away tired, but they’re buoyed with the knowledge that their hard work helped support so many charities along the way. In just a few days of golf, the tournaments change thousands of lives in Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Benito counties.
In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Week, Monterey Peninsula Foundation recognizes several recent “Community Heroes” – tournament volunteers nominated by their peers who go above and beyond to make the local community a better place to live, work, and raise families. To recognize their volunteerism, the Foundation donates $1,000 to a non-profit selected by the volunteer. Recent Community Heroes (and their charity of choice) include:
• Mary Young and Rex Young (In memoriam) – Meals on Wheels of the
Monterey Peninsula
• Marie Ziegel – Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Roy Poss – The SPCA for Monterey County
• John Oldemeyer (in memoriam) – Special Olympics of NorCal
• Mike Hennessy – Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula
• Eric Fonferek – Legal Services for Seniors
• Mary E Knierim – Gathering for Women – Monterey
“Our volunteers are critical to our charitable impact – they truly embody the spirit of philanthropy with their unwavering commitment to the success of our tournaments, which enables us to uplift lives throughout the region,” says Monterey Peninsula Foundation CEO and Tournament Director Steve John.
Last year, host organization Monterey Peninsula Foundation distributed
$18 million through over 200 grants across all areas of giving, including $1 million for emergency relief to help people in grave need after historic rains and flooding devastated communities throughout the tri-county area.
If you or someone you know are interested in volunteering for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am or the PURE Insurance Championship, please call (831) 649-1533 or send an email to volunteers@ mpfca.org.