Volunteers sort thousands of golf balls by hand at Myrtle Beach Classic

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - Volunteers shared a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most tedious tasks at the Myrtle Beach Classic.

Thousands of golf balls are put into a bin each day and sorted out for players on the driving range, and it’s all done by hand.

As players start their day off at the driving range, Richard Miller hops into the “picker” collecting every golf ball.

The part-time job is more of a hobby for Miller, but just when he considered hanging up his keys, he hopped right back into the driver’s seat.

“I was thinking about slowing down and stopping my part-time job, but when they told me the PGA was coming, I said I’ll be there,” Miller said.

Once Miller finishes collecting the golf balls, the tedious work begins.

First, volunteers Mike Jenkins and Henry Morales have to wash the golf balls.

Then, they sort each and every one of them into nine different groups for the pros.

The work starts early and takes hours, but the pair said it’s all worth it.

“This seemed like an interesting area to work,” Jenkins said. “We wanted to get into it, and you get to see some of the players practice.”

“Just to meet the pros you see on TV all the time it’s exciting,” Morales said. “Being able to see them face to face, it’s a chance very few people get to experience.”

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