Joshua family has 20 years of being on board with Colonial

For years, the Peets family would go to Colonial as fans, setting up on the ninth green to watch the pros come and go.

Then they found a new perch, and this season marks the 20th straight year that the family from Joshua has, what it considers, the best seats at the tournament.

While they might not get to see much of the tournament, they’ve had a bird’s-eye view of memorable finishes. That’s because the Peets family manages the massive manual leaderboard on the 18th green.

“It’s a pretty good view from the top,” said Randall Peets, who works on the upper half of the 20-foot leaderboard with his brother Chris.

Randall’s father, William Peets, started the tradition when he decided he was perfectly built to help update the scores on a manual leaderboard.

During one tournament, he saw a volunteer standing on a milk crate changing numbers on the 12th-hole leaderboard. A milk crate wouldn’t be necessary for William, who stands 6 foot 8.

So as a volunteer in 1997, William thought he would be stationed on the 12th hole but was surprised to see he was working the 18th leaderboard, which stands much higher.

In 1999, he became the captain of the leaderboard and it became a family affair.

“They let me bring in the people I want,” William said. “Anybody that knows golf and is related can help work the leaderboard.”

While William and wife Teri enjoy working on the course, spending time with family there is just as enjoyable. With Randall and Chris grown and out of the house, William and Teri now enjoy Colonial not only for the golf, but because it gives them a chance for some quality family time.

This became apparent to Teri after she took a couple of years off from the leaderboard to work in a different area of the tournament.

“I missed it,” she said. “That first year back was great. It’s special getting to spend time with your kids.”

Teri jokingly says another reason William likes working with family is because he can boss everyone around.

William is quick to point out that wasn’t always the case.

“You didn’t boss Dad around,” he said.

Donald and Florence, William’s parents, joined the rest of the family on the board for five years, but the daily trips to the board became too much.

“My parents would still be doing it, but they’re in their 80s,” William said. “There’s just so much walking now.”

William said working the leaderboard isn’t always easy — especially early on.

The board stands 20 feet high or higher, with two levels and a 5-foot platform in the middle for people to work the upper half. It takes 13 to 14 people to work it comfortably so people have a chance to take breaks, or watch a little golf. Early in their time on No. 18, the Peetses had a table, a few chairs and an umbrella behind the board.

The family is usually in position around 5 a.m. every day of the tournament, and are on the course until usually around dark.

“We’re the first board up, and the last to go down,” William said.

Along with the long days, Randy said there’s another aspect that makes working the leaderboard tough — the heat that sometimes comes with a spring tournament.

“The afternoons are pretty hard,” he said, “with that sun beating down on you.”

After doing the same job for so long, however, the difficulties are minimized.

“I guess it’s hard,” Chris said. “But when you do it so long you kind of get used to it.”

Tournament officials also helped make things easier as well.

After one tournament, an official asked if there was anything they needed. Someone pointed to a tentlike structure in the Cadillac area across the way. William didn’t think it would happen, but the following year, there it was: a covered area that keeps the family out of the elements while spending a day working the board.

“It’s the Taj Mahal now compared to what we had,” Chris said.

The Peetses are firmly rooted off the 18th green right now, and Teri said they’ve been working the leaderboard so long that they have become Colonial staples.

“Some people around Colonial have started calling it ‘Peets’ leaderboard,’” Teri said.

Over the past few years, however, the Peetses kept thinking that it might be their last year, but they keep coming back. William said he has a goal in mind before he hangs his last number.

The Peetses have seen their family move from No. 9 to the black and red numbers above the No. 18 green, and William doesn’t want to see that tradition end anytime soon.

“I want to make it 30 years and then pass it down to one of the boys,” he said. “Then I will let one of them start their own tradition.”

This story was originally published May 23, 2017 at 11:22 AM with the headline "Joshua family has 20 years of being on board with Colonial."