3,500 Volunteers Power Arizona's Biggest Golf Tournament

While golfers compete for millions at the WM Phoenix Open, Daniel Kalfayan is solving a different kind of puzzle: getting nearly 1,000 volunteers exactly where they need to be, exactly when they need to be there.

The Arizona resident uses his vacation time every year to serve as chairman of Scoring and Communications Transportation at TPC Scottsdale. He manages eight drivers and coordinates hundreds of golf cart trips across the sprawling course during tournament week.

"There's a lot of coordination involved," Kalfayan said. "Getting all the volunteers out on the course and of course getting them back."

The WM Phoenix Open depends on more than 3,500 volunteers annually to handle everything from security to concessions to logistics. Without them, the tournament couldn't happen.

Kalfayan's role sounds deceptively simple until you consider the reality. He's navigating course traffic, redirecting drivers around congested areas, and matching specific volunteers to specific carts to ensure they reach their assigned posts on time.

On the busiest tournament days, he's responsible for nearly 1,000 people who need reliable transportation. One scheduling mistake could cascade into delays across multiple operations.

The Ripple Effect

Kalfayan has volunteered in multiple roles over his 25 years with the tournament. He returns every year for the same reason thousands of others do: the people.

"The volunteer core as a whole, it's an amazing opportunity to meet a lot of people and it's what drives a lot of the tournaments across the nation," he said.

His observation highlights an often invisible truth about major sporting events. The athletes and sponsors get the spotlight, but volunteers form the backbone that makes these spectacles possible.

Professional golf tournaments across America rely on similar volunteer armies. Without people willing to donate their time and energy, these community traditions would disappear.

"I love it every day. I look forward to it," Kalfayan said.

His enthusiasm after 25 years proves that some rewards can't be measured in paychecks.