Ken Waldron was 17 years old the first time he saw golf played at a major championship level.

It wasn't on television, nor was he in the gallery. But it's an experience that he'll never forget.

Waldron ended up at Oakmont Country Club in 1983 as one of U.S. Open's many volunteer workers. A teenage golfer with dreams of one day going pro, he carried a placard for the threesome of Peter Jacobsen, Dan Pohl and a Chinese player on that Thursday and Friday. It was an experience the owner and general manager of Buffalo Golf Course in Buffalo Township will never forget.

“I volunteered to get close to the golf course and close to the golfers,” Waldron said. “Golf's been part of my family forever, and I wanted to see what everything was about. You have this dream of being a professional, and I wanted to get close to a national championship and see what it was like.”

Waldron can still recall how the tournament went to work on each man — Jacobson remaining light and talkative, but focused; Pohl becoming intense and introverted as the pressure of making the cut mounted. And he still wonders what weekend group he might have ended up with, had he not thrown in the towel early.

“Like a stupid kid I decided I didn't want to work the weekend,” Waldron said.

Instead, Waldron decided to walk Oakmont as a spectator — a last-second decision that was actually possible in 1983. He drove down that Saturday, parked in the club's parking lot and walked right into Oakmont East with no one around.

“It was unbelievably different from today,” Waldron said.

A draw for thousands

This week, when the U.S. Open comes to Oakmont for the first time since 2007, the tournament will bring with it thousands of spectators, hundreds of volunteers, and more than $100 million in economic impact for the region, according to U.S. Golf Association estimates.

Bars, hotels and merchants still recovering from the celebration of a Penguins Stanley Cup victory on Sunday night will have little time to prepare for the onslaught. Tourism promoters say everyone from families on vacation to contingents of corporate sightseers in private jets will inundate the region.

The Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport in Penn Township already has made staff and pricing adjustments to try and draw as much air traffic to its facility as possible, said Clayton Findon of Air Quest Aviation, the fixed base operator in charge of the airport.

He said the facility was a favorite of corporate visitors on private planes because of its location and easy access to Oakmont.

“From a drive-time standpoint, Butler is the airport to utilize,” Findon said. “We're a direct route (to the tournament) as opposed to any of the other locations.”

For those driving in or staying outside of Allegheny County, Butler County is a popular destination, said Jack Cohen, director of the county Tourism and Convention Bureau. But for those looking for last-minute lodging might find it difficult, he said.

“Most of Butler County's hotels are already sold out,” said Cohen. “That tells you enough right there. It's a great impact on our community.”

“It's going to be tough getting tee times,” said Jason Fulvi, executive vice president of Visit Pittsburgh, Allegheny Township's tourism promotion agency. “We see that every time the U.S. Open's up here.”

Open brings out golfers

In 2007, the last time the tournament was played at Oakmont, Waldron said his course had a 20 percent to 40 percent increase in golfers. He expects the same kind of bump this year as long as the weather cooperates.

“Typically people watch it on TV and it's local, and it gives them a desire to play golf,” Waldron said. “There's always an increase in play when there's a major tournament. Of course, it's weather-dependent, like our business is all the time.”

The event manages to draw casual and dedicated golfers alike, Waldron said. Some courses cater to their members during the week of the tournament by hosting special events.

Out of the ordinary

Rob McClellan, the head golf professional at the Butler Country Club, said the tournament will pack an already-busy season at the club with special events on Wednesday and Thursday.

Matt Ginella, a writer for the Golf Channel, will speak at a club event midweek. The club also will host a clinic featuring a top-100 instructor who is in the region to watch several students compete in the Open.

The extra events mean McClellan won't have a chance to visit Oakmont himself. He'll be too busy making sure the influx of visitors to the club have a smooth experience on the links.

The U.S. Open attracts tens of thousands of people, and some come in large groups. One Butler Country Club member has about 100 guests coming to Butler County for the week, McClellan said. He expects the guests to play “on and off” at the course throughout the week.

“We expect a little bit of a bump,” in course play, he said.

Even pros volunteer

Club pros aren't the only ones that will be putting in extra time because of the tournament. The scale of preparation and daily upkeep associated with the Open draw course superintendents from across the country to Oakmont.

They volunteer their time working the jobs they left behind years ago — raking bunkers; rolling greens; cutting rough — when they took over managing entire golf courses.

Micah Lowell, superintendent of Butler Country Club, looks at the U.S. Open as a sort of homecoming. Lowell worked for Oakmont superintendent John Zimmer after he graduated from college, and this week he will again. Lowell will be part of a group of 100 or more volunteers who will meet at 4 a.m. daily to prepare Oakmont before the first groups tee off each day.

Lowell said the tournament never has to search hard for volunteers. It's a chance for journeyman groundskeepers to see what it takes to prepare for a world-class event.

“It's a big event; a lot different from just your local club championship,” Lowell said.

Most of the volunteers dedicate their entire day to the tournament: prepping the course early in the morning and then either napping or watching golf until the final group starts its round. Then the volunteers are back out on the course for another couple hours of upkeep work in the afternoon.

The Oakmont extended family reaches across the country. Nearly a dozen of the people Lowell worked with under Zimmer have, like him, gone on to become course superintendents. Also like him, many are coming back to help Oakmont host the Open.

“Actually it's kind of nice not to have to worry about everything, necessarily,” Lowell said. “You're going back to help out a friend. It's nice to catch up with old friends.”