INfrequently Asked Questions: Golf ball collecting guy on getting hit

Peter Howard

Age: 26

Hometown: Park Ridge

Why him? Des Plaines Park District employee Peter Howard mans the golf ball collecting cart at the Golf Center driving range. A 5-year park district employee, he is the center's most experienced "picker" - riding in the cab of a John Deere cart to collect hundreds of golf balls every day.

Q. How often does the cart get hit?

A. "The cart gets hit all the time. You get the high school kids who come out. They like to have fun and they like to aim for you. You get the little kids with their parents and sometimes you get close enough they'll just pick the ball up and throw it at you. Little kids, I don't mind it."

Q. Was there a time when someone was really trying to aim for you?

A. "Last summer, right when I got to the 25-yard marker, there were high school kids up on the third (level). There were like three or four of them. You would think it was hailing. They're just dropping and dropping and dropping. You just kind of turn (the picker) around and try to get out of their range as fast as you can. One or two balls isn't so bad but once it starts raining, you just want to get out there farther where they can't aim."

Q. The windows of the cart are plastic boards. Are you ever in fear of a golf ball getting through? Do you feel pretty safe in there?

A. "Safe, for sure. They'll just bounce off. These get replaced every couple years after they've taken enough beating. I feel safe in there. The only time I'm a little nervous is when I'm out there kicking the nets (where balls have collected)."

Q. When you've gotten out of the cart to retrieve balls from the netting, have you gotten hit by someone taking a swing?

A. "It's happened. We wear construction helmets. Occasionally you'll get the bounces on the leg or the bounces on the back. Nothing really that bad. It's just something that you definitely have to look out for."

Q. Do you wear any other safety gear besides a helmet?

A. "When I'm out of (the picker) I'm pretty much just wearing a helmet. When I'm in the picker I'll be wearing earmuffs. When a golf ball hits that and you're not wearing ear protection, it just rings."

Q. How many golf balls can you collect in one trip?

A. "There's six baskets, and each one holds 300 balls, so 1,800. When it's really busy and the range is just littered with balls, I'll fill up these crates in 15 minutes. If it's a slow day I could be out there for like an hour to get all the balls picked up and have the range looking decent."

INfrequently Asked Questions

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