A guide to collecting autographs : Tournament edition

If you have been following my recent instagram posts (#gordonmccloud), you would have seen some pictures of souvenirs / autographs (*read : showing off ) I got during the CIMB Classic. 

 Assorted balls / caps and tags with autographs

This was from 2013. Managed to get Rickie to sign a hat, a few balls and a ticket. Big fan, so am hoping to see good things for him this season. Pity he didn't come down this year.

Back to back winner, Ryan Moore. Managed to scoop 3 of his autographed balls and he kindly signed this photo this year. Only regret was not asking for a photo with him. There's always next year.

 Sergio Garcia and two time runner up Gary Woodland

Jason Dufner. Had to wait for a long time but I managed to get his autograph and I am convinced I am the only one who did.

Some people think it's a waste of time but I like collecting memorabilia and autographs and I think it makes for a cool collection. Some are rather envious and have asked how I got them (stalked for them), so I figured, why not make a post of it.

So here it is. "A guide to collecting autographs : Tournament edition".

Firstly, I won't lie. It takes alot of time and perseverance to get these autographs. But being prepared definitely makes things alot easier.

1. Attire

I attended both editions of the CIMB Classic in 2013 and 2014 and here's what I can say about the weather. It's very hot and at mid-day, scorching. It also rains sometimes so attire is crucial.

Top : Wear light, comfortable clothing that dry quickly. If you're following the players and want to wait for autographs, you are going to sweat, alot. So think moisture-wicking material.

Bottom : Comfortable loose sport shorts, with pockets. Golfing shorts are most ideal. Avoid long pants at any costs.

Shoes : Comfortable sport / walking shoes or spikeless golf shoes (I wore my True - Phx) with comfortable thick socks. You're going to be walking / standing for half a day so it helps to keep your feet comfy. Avoid slippers, sandals or dress shoes, unless of course you are there to spend time in the air - conditioned marque tents. Actually saw a couple of guys in suits no less. 

Other stuff:-

It's going to be hot and the sun will be glaring. So make sure to wear a cap, bring your sunglasses and do not forget the sunblock lotion. Helps to bring a towel too. I used one of those Mission Enduracool towels which help to keep you a little cooler.

Backpack. Bring a big enough backpack to keep the following:-

i. Your autograph equipment (more later) 

ii. a spare change of clothes

iii. an umbrella or rain coat

iv. bottle of water

v. Small packets of tissue

vi. Basic medication like panadol / Oral Rehydration Salts or two. Last year, I saw a guy on the course who collapsed to his knees and started vomitting. Poor fellow looked like he had a heat stroke, so I passed him a bottle of water with a pack of ORS, a pack of tissues and some panadol for his throbbing head. Oh, and he was wearing khakis long pants and a polo t-shirt and only had a bottle of water. Safe to say, he was not prepared.

2. Autograph gear

Most of the stars will sign anything. Phil Mickelson signed a guy's shoe last year and no, it wasn't a new pair (he politely told me that he doesn't sign golf balls though). In my opinion Golfballs, caps, photos and posters (draw sheets  or magazines) make the best memorabilia. Golfballs are very personalized so they are great. Hats are also ideal simply because you can just wear it and it fits a ton of autographs. Photos and posters are even better but you will need to keep them in a file (I used an A4 file with envelope sheets) to keep them from crumpling.

Golfballs : You can always bring your own balls but I would suggest heading over to the merchandise tent (MST has a great merchandise tent) and grab a box of those logo balls. This year, I bought 2 boxes (24 balls in total) of Wilson Staff balls with the CIMB Classic logo for RM100.00. It's no ProV1, but I like that it has the CIMB Classic logo.

Caps: Buy a CIMB Cap and bring one of your own. Like last year, I brought a Puma cap for Rickie and a Callaway hat for Phil.

Photos : Good quality A4 prints on good thick photo paper. None of those light A4 stuff. They will crumple / tear and you will cry. 

Pens : Sharpies with fine point nibs. The pros use them and will usually have their own but there are instances where they don't have it on them. Lost count on the number of fans I have lent my sharpie to. So bring your own. No permanent markers, as they tend to bleed-out and make the signatures, ugly. Ultra fine pens or ball point pens are hard to sign with.

3. Where to get autographs

The best place to get autographs is outside the scoring area which is where the golfers submit their score cards after each round. There is a designated area with barricades and security personnel.

That's me in blue and Ryan Moore after his round on day 2. Photo was taken by Chris who was helping the PGA with the tournament. Met him during day 1 and had a good chat with him whilst I was waiting for the pros to emerge from the scoring area. Great guy.

4. When to get autographs

After the pros submit their score cards. Never before. Usually the pros will emerge from the scoring room and oblige their waiting fans. Bear in mind though, that some don't come back out (esp. if they had a bad round.) I have seen so many fans chase after the pros during their warm up sessions, during rounds (this is a HUGE no-no) and right after they step off the 18th green much to their disappointment. So,  wait in front of the barricades and you will probably get a signature or two. 

Also, worth noting that if you are determined to get autographs, try to attend on the first 2 days when the crowds are much less. 

I should though mention that I waited at the scoring area for a long time. This year I waited outside the scoring area from 11.45am and only left at about 1.15pm. I am pretty sure I was the only one waiting the whole time so don't let that scare you. You can always get a signature or two, leave and then come back later.

5. Plan ahead

The daily pairings will usually be published the night before tee-off and there will be daily draw sheets with grouping info and tee-off times. 

Have a good read to plan ahead and you won't have to follow that particular group the whole 18 holes. It will usually take 4-4.5 hours for a flight to complete their rounds and with the draw sheet, it isn't difficult to monitor when a particular flight is heading for the scoring area.

6. Stay hydrated and nourished

As I said earlier, always have a bottle of water in your bag. There are a good number of food and beverage stations so make sure to stay hydrated and grab a bite to eat.

7. Remember names

I will admit to not knowing alot of the players out of the top-50. 

The tournament website will usually have a page of the field and there will be photographs, way before the tournament starts. But even if you don't check out the field, it isn't too hard to find out just who is walking off the green. You can always refer to the draw sheet and the players will have their names on their bags or caddy's bib, so make an educated guess.

Kevin Chappell came out to sign some autographs and this one uncle kept calling him "John, John!" I cringed. Kevin didn't find it too hilarious either and actually told him "Look, I am not John." So I quickly told the uncle who he was and he then started to call out "Kevin, Kevin!". I think it's only polite to call a person by their correct name. But if you really have no clue, "Hello, could I have your autograph?" usually works.

Didn't end there though. I think the uncle must have asked for a personal souvenir because I saw Kevin patting his pockets and heard him say "Sorry, I don't have anything else on me." I cringed again. It's one thing not to know the person's name but to ask for a personal item after? Alamak.

8. Persevere

Most of the players are very obliging and will take the time to sign autographs and take a picture or two. Phil, Rickie and Sergio for instance will spend ages to try and sign for the fans. Some though, don't. 

So when they come out from the scoring area, do what I do. Call them out (politely of course) and stick out your autograph item. That's worked for me.

Like I said, some stars don't spend very much time to sign for autographs or even come out after, so if you don't get it on day 1, try again on day 2, 3 and 4. 

Last year, I waited 3 days for Bubba Watson. He didn't come out on day 1 and day 2. On day 3, he made a quick dash to the scoring area after his round and eventually did re-emerge. 

9. Exclusive passes

You will see alot of people wearing tags around their necks around the course and club house. Only for the exclusive crowd, these passes are the golden tickets. 

Some tags will get you right into the club house and that's where you will catch the pros in a more casual setting. They will usually oblige for photographs too so If you can get your hands on one of these next year (pass me one) and make full use of it.

Thanks to Ian, I got a pass to the BMW Marquee Tent, which was very cool. That's Sergio, Davis Love III and Ryo Ishikawa's signature (from left to right)

Then when you come back home, sort out the memorabilia and display them proudly like so. Hope some of you will find this useful in future.