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WYNDHAM CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 13, 2014Weldon FieldsGREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA MARK STEVENS: Mr. Weldon Fields here. Weldon, you volunteered at the very first Greater Greensboro Open in 1938 the year Sam Sneed won. Tell us a little bit about what you remember that first year and -- WELDON FIELDS: Well, that was a long time ago but, anyhow, the thing that I remember is that when I look out today, of course, what you fellas have been doing and what you got here this day and time and compared to 1938 just boggles my mind, to tell you the truth, because certainly didn't have any such crowds as this. We didn't have any layouts like you had. So the main thing that I remember is that comparatively, a lack of people that we had back then. We thought we had a good crowd and we did. We had a good tournament. It was just so many different compared to what it is today. But it was nice and quiet and -- well, the gallery were just as nice as they could be but they come in with shirts and ties on and hats and the ladies, I think the ladies wore their best Sunday stuff, garb, that's awful, isn't it (laughter), to show off out during the proceedings down the fairway. But I think I got it right now that I've been thinking about it, that one of the celebrities was -- I done forgot his name again, too. I thought I would remember it because my wife was here and we got to walk down the first fairway and got to walk down the first fairway with him. Fred McMurray, is the guy that I'm trying to think of. Of course, he drew a good crowd alone with Sam Sneed, you better believe that, too. So, it's such -- just flabbergasts me, put it that way the difference between the '38 tournament and the one coming up now, especially this one in our good old Sedgefield Country Club, there. MARK STEVENS: Anybody have any questions? Q. Mr. Fields, what was the most fun back then? WELDON FIELDS: Well, I guess the most fun, in the evenings you get together and have a good confab fab together and discuss what went on and how the players were doing.  That was the fun part of it but it was just fun to follow the players back in those days, too. It was to me. I'm sure it was to others. That was the fun part of it and, of course, we didn't have to fight as many people -- I mean fight the gallery like you people this day and time. It was nice and quiet. Once in awhile -- I mentioned one time before once in awhile whenever like Sam would be up on the tee to shoot and there would be a little bit of pushing and shoulder shoving and shoulder pushing to get a good look at Sam doing his playing. That was the fun part. It was fun to be here back in '38. It's hard work now, isn't it? MARK STEVENS: Do you have any special memories of interacting with Sam Sneed? WELDON FIELDS: He was a little temperamental, you know. If things didn't go along to suit him he kind of let you know about it. That was kind of a -- not peculiar but one of his traits and some of the rest of them it didn't pay much attention to what went on around about him. But I think that's about the best deal we had to see them. MARK STEVENS: Can you talk about what you did as a volunteer? WELDON FIELDS: My job -- when I look around here now it scares me to death. My job was the concession stand. We didn't have but three. I can't remember exactly where they were on the course but if I saw it I might remember the spot. But we didn't have anything but Coca-Colas and maybe some snack crackers and somebody might have brought some sandwiches or something like that to sell. Compared to what it is today, it's just -- it's really unbelievable, you might say. That was my job to keep that -- and I was -- had three of them and I can't remember exactly which greens they were close to but that's all we had. It was all we needed, too. We didn't have any sudden rushes to the concession stands in between when they played. MARK STEVENS: Couple more questions? Q. How many years did you volunteer? WELDON FIELDS: Well, in '38 I was 24 years old and if I remember correctly -- my mind is not too clear. You aged out at age 30 from JC but you volunteered from then on and actually up until about 19 -- well, about 1950, about the last time I can remember being involved in anyway just to come out and do whatever I might be able to do. But I don't know. How many years is that? But it's a long while. But I still enjoy it, you better believe it. MARK STEVENS: Did you realize at the time you were such a part of history as Sam Sneed won 8 times? WELDON FIELDS: Yes. We realized that he was the top golfer you might say, a top golfer, that's a good way to put it and that whenever he come back every time he was -- he was a legend, let's put it that way, no doubt about it whenever he was here and playing golf along with others but I'm a little -- well, whatever. Arnold Palmer, for instance coming over from Wake Forest. Some of them went to Wake Forest. I have a little special place in there for such -- for him and any of the Wake Forest players that come out because the instructor, I can't remember his name at Wake Forest. He was quite a golfer, had quite a reputation of putting out some good golfers in the game. No doubt about it. Q. The volunteers have to pay money to volunteer now at each tournament. Did they have to pay anything back then? Usually it's like $75 or something, you get a shirt. I was curious if they paid or had anything back then. WELDON FIELDS: That was one of the GGO was one of the top things that JC did and by that I become acquainted with a lot of the Greensboro people, boys and girls -- there wasn't any ladies in it then, just the men that were involved in the GGO and turned out to be real good friends of mine and a lot of them were in businesses that we worked together on. Some of them were competitors and some of them were not competitors, were friends but it was friendly competition. Let me put it that way whenever -- but that's the main thing that I got out of it is being in the JCs and what it meant to me here in the local area because I was born and raised here except a little while when I was gone in World War II and a little later, but it meant a lot to me, the guys I got to work with. I can name a few of them. I don't think -- well, Carson Bain for one of them and guys that went in the insurance business. I can't think of that either. That's my memory. Anyhow, that's where -- what meant more than anything else is the friendships that we made in putting on the GGO. MARK STEVENS: Did you keep any memorabilia, autographs or programs? WELDON FIELDS: No. We moved around a lot. I keep a lot of stuff like that but the only thing I got that even is associated with GGO is at the celebrity banquet on one of the Wednesday nights I got a nice mug out of it. That was 1975. I was still attending some of the stuff. That's the only really memorabilia I do have of the GGO. I lost a lot of other things, too, in that moving around. MARK STEVENS: Okay. Everybody is good? Thank you for your time, Weldon, and thank you for being here for the 75 years. WELDON FIELDS: I appreciate to come up here because I just can't imagine -- I have to stop and pinch myself to think what has come because -- become or what has happened since the time it was put on in '38, the first GGO. It's just amazing and mind boggling to me. Halleluiah. I appreciate it. Just keep on keeping on. That's my motto, anyway how. MARK STEVENS: Thank you also and obviously we couldn't put on events without our volunteers and pretty interesting what you've done. WELDON FIELDS: I appreciate it. MARK STEVENS: Thank you for your time. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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