It started when he was 6 years old. Growing up in Watsonville, just off the fourth hole at Pajaro Valley Golf Club, Anthony Gallino used to jump the fence and hit a few balls, when no one was looking. By the time he got to high school, he worked there, mostly in the parts shed.
Today, the Carmel resident and member of Tehama Golf Club considers himself an avid golfer. He’s also the chairman of Caddie Hospitality for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, dedicated to satisfying the needs of the essential support staff to the golfers.
Some 35 years ago, Gallino volunteered, during middle school, to carry the leaderboards during the AT&T. Beginning in 2014, he volunteered at the tournament in support of Player Hospitality. In 2017, he shifted his role to chairing Caddie Hospitality, at the behest of Steve John, CEO of Monterey Peninsula Foundation, and tournament director for the AT&T and the PURE Insurance Championship tournaments.
“When I joined Tehama,” Gallino said, “I got involved with a core group that has helped Steve John and the Foundation for years. I was chairing Player Hospitality when Steve approached me to take over Caddie Hospitality. After about three bottles of wine, I said sure. That’s how it usually happens.”
Gallino wasn’t entirely sure what John was asking him to do, as he took over the role from a couple who’d been handling Caddie Hospitality for 30 years.
The role of Caddie Hospitality, he says, is not only to help caddies feel welcome but also to help ensure their successful support of their golfer. The goal is to solve problems and satisfy needs. This includes providing breakfast and lunch, as well as a place to hang out, take a break, play a little ping pong, talk golf.
“Some caddies go out of their way to talk to us,” said Gallino, “and some don’t say a word. They’re professionals, they’re focused, they’re there to do a job. And we’re there to serve them.”
Gallino also makes sure each caddie receives a bib with their player’s name on it, and that they get to the right tee box on the right golf course. During last year’s tournament, due to COVID considerations, his crew laundered the bibs every night and redistributed them each day.
COVID considerations
Last year, COVID cleared the field of amateur golfers and spectators. This simplified the structure of the event and diminished demands on volunteers, including Caddie Hospitality.
“The Tour presented specific COVID protocols we had to follow,” said Gallino, “but our workload was actually a lot lighter. Caddies couldn’t congregate inside the tent, so there was no hanging out, and food was take and go. The absence of a fan base during the tournament played a big factor in curbing responsibilities but also excitement.”
Moreover, volunteer numbers were down, some having been turned away by the tournament, and others, many of them longtime volunteers, having turned themselves away in the interest of keeping their distance.
“The volunteers are what make this tournament work,” Gallino said. “So we very much look forward to their coming back.”
Taking time off to work harder
Gallino, the vice president of sales for Bobalu Berries out of Oxnard, says he’s the only guy he knows who takes a week off from work, just so he can get up at 4 every morning and work harder than usual, never getting home until after 10 p.m. He volunteers as chairman of Caddie Hospitality, he says, because he loves it.
“I love what Monterey Peninsula Foundation does for our local communities, I love volunteering for the tournament, and I love having such an awesome way to give back. Besides,” he said, “I encounter some interesting stories and see some really great golf.”
A particularly favorite story of Gallino’s took place in 2019, the year of the “Big Winter,” which blew in some spectacular “AT&T Weather,” including heavy rains, hail and wind, causing numerous tournament delays during the week. On Sunday, during the final round, the weather caused a 2.5-hour delay.
“About 10 minutes before the players were going to return to the course,” he said, “Steve John came in and said he needed a caddie for quarterback Matt Ryan. His brother had been caddying for him, but the rain delay had put him too close to his flight home, and he had to leave.”
Gallino had no extra caddies. Even after placing several hopeful phone calls, he was out of ideas. Except one. He grabbed Ryan’s player bib and headed out to caddie for the golfer, himself.
“Having just come off my second hip replacement,” he said, “I was still doing rehab and hadn’t even walked 18 holes, let alone played any golf yet.”
Ultimately, Gallino’s hip held out, even after he hit a slick spot on the rise at No. 6 and went down.
“Matt asked if my hip was all right. I told him I wasn’t worried about my hip; I was concerned there might be TV cameras around.
“My hip was fine, and we had another successful tournament. It couldn’t happen without the Monterey Peninsula Foundation and all the volunteers, who play such a huge role in the tournament. I love it, and I’d do anything to help.”
IF YOU GO
- What: AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am
- Where: Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill Golf Course, Monterey Peninsula Country Club Shore Course
- Tournament: Thursday-Saturday, 8 a.m., all three courses. Sunday’s final round at Pebble Beach GL, 7:30 a.m.
- Practice rounds: Monday-Wednesday all courses, 7 a.m. (tournament courses closed to spectators
- Wednesday special events: 3M Celebrity Challenge, The Hay, holes 7, 8, 9, 1, 2, 10:30 a.m.; Chevron Challenge Champions vs. Champions, The Hay, putting green, 12:30 p.m.; Million Dollar Hole-in-One for Charity presented by Cisco, Pebble Beach Golf Links, hole 17), 2:30 p.m.
- Tickets/more information: www.attpbgolf.com (although Wednesday’s events are free, they require a ticket)
- Coming Wednesday: Swingtime, your guide to the tournament with maps, stories and photos
