Wells Fargo Championship Security Is Non-Existent

Dawn breaks over south Charlotte, as a pair of Killdeer chatter back and forth along the 18th fairway of Quail Hollow Country Club. They are often considered a threatened species, a ground nesting bird that due to its poor habit of laying their eggs on the cart paths of golf courses has a fairly high mortality rate.

Stupid is like that.

Entering the Well Fargo Championship Sunday you might want to think of the Killdeer.

For most patrons entering the golf tournament is much like any other sporting event, bag searches, magic wand screenings, lines of low paid workers in less than imposing shirts that say “security” and an occasional CMPD police Officer working secondary employment scan the crowd.

They do an admirable job screening the patrons looking for any obvious trouble makers. But their success is more driven towards keeping your cheap beer and John 3:16 signs off the bus.

Pretty tight security right? Hardly. The Wells Fargo Championships is as porous as the Swiss cheese at Harris Teeter.

Step off the bus at Carmel and Quail Hollow Roads, walk up Glen Eagles past the security check point where the police are far too concerned about the cars to give notice. Turn left through the pedestrian entrance and on to the course. It’s as easy as that, no security, no police, no one even checking to see that you have a ticket, nothing.

Don't feel like walking up Glen Eagles or riding the bus? Drive your car up Glen Eagles at 5:59 am before the cops show up. Park in the lot across the street from the club and again walk right in no ticket required.

In fact none of the media, players, VIP patrons, or members are screened or have their bags searched. Wear a blue blazer, pair of khakis and a tie you can walk right into the club.

Carry your back pack anywhere you like no one even looks sideways at you.

Access to the 18th Green and sky boxes is no problem it’s all unattended. The hole marshals won’t even show up until nearly 10 am.

Vendors deliver donuts, the Charlotte Observer and Coffee. A golf cart rumbles by with programs as the players won’t make it to the first hole until 7:30 and most of the time no one is around.

Taking it all in you can’t help but notice that anyone with a blind faith in Muhammad could walk in here and set device on a table and walk away.

The attractive green webbing around the bleachers could easily obscure a small back pack a mere 59 feet from the 18th green, where the bowl shaped area with live television coverage will soon hold five thousand spectators.

Even during the height of activity no more than four CMPD officer cruise the course on bikes. There is a battered CFD golf cart with two firemen/medics that every once and a while moves through the crowd. Course marshals have radios but coverage is spotty and few even know that there is an emergency channel. Most don’t understand how to work the radio other than the volume and push to talk button. And few know that the back nine marshal group is on a different channel from the front nine.

There are no bomb dogs, there are no eyes screening the crowds. There are security cameras but they are only concerned with the club house.

Mickelson and McElroy have a single police officer that walks the course with them, but security for the rest of the players is nonexistent.

The police ranks are far too thin, players too self-absorbed, fans too drunk, and vendors too consumed with their jobs at minimal pay to do be concerned about your back pack.

Friday two apparent photographers with an Asian news agency were out walking the course inside the ropes with back packs and cameras the size of stinger missiles. Of course they were media, but neither displayed the required media credentials and no one asked them to produce their photo ID Wells Fargo Championship badge.

Need a golf cart just take one, the keys are universal and most the time the keys are left in the cart. Just ask CMPD Chief Rodney Monroe about the perils of leaving your key in your golf cart with a golf course full of drunk patrons.

The lack of security is troubling in the shadows of 9/11 and Boston.

The Killdeer dart again, turn and bank low to the ground, occasionally standing defiantly in front of an oncoming Toro fairway mower.

Stupid is like that.

Johnny Harris and The PGA Tour are clearly more concerned about showing the players and the VIP sponsors and patrons a good time than concerned with security.

Stupid is like that as well.