Augusta National Golf Club, home of this week’s Masters Tournament (and the 2010 debut of Tiger Woods), reigns as the crown jewel of American golf courses. 

And Mt. Juliet jeweler Dwight Belew counts himself fortunate to be returning for his eighth year as a gallery guard on hole No. 1 because not only does it mean that he gets as close as anyone to the greats of the game but it also means he will get to play the course in May.

Mt. Juliet jeweler and Masters Tournament volunteer Dwight Belew, left, prepares to tee off at Augusta National Golf Club with his friends, Dr. Greg White and Danny Hammonds, right. Submitted

Augusta National Golf Club, home of this week’s Masters Tournament (and the 2010 debut of Tiger Woods), reigns as the crown jewel of American golf courses. 

And Mt. Juliet jeweler Dwight Belew counts himself fortunate to be returning for his eighth year as a gallery guard on hole No. 1 because not only does it mean that he gets as close as anyone to the greats of the game but it also means he will get to play the course in May. 

“I tell people Augusta National is just like stepping into a picture postcard. You can’t describe how immaculate everything is,” said Belew, 67, a member of Five Oaks Golf Club in Lebanon.

“Augusta National is a quality place to spend a day or, in my case, a week. I enjoy joking with the patrons, and I just have a big time. My duty is to make sure the crowd has a good time. I feel like a representative of Augusta National. I carry myself and act like I am representing them in a fun and positive light,” said the owner of American Jewelry Co. in Mt. Juliet.

In Belew’s office, four colorful  photographs of different holes at Augusta National, including the trio that makes up the famous Amen Corner, decorate one wall. In a corner by the window stands a statue of a young caddy toting a bag of golf clubs. A plaque with the words to the “Golfers Serenity Prayer” rests on a table that holds a lamp stand shaped like a golfer.

Belew began his Augusta National role in 2003 through the efforts of his friend, Wilson County orthopedic surgeon Dr. Greg White. In the early 1990s, White served in the military in Bosnia, and his nurse-anesthesiologist turned out to be the guy who was in charge of coordinating the more-than-300 Masters Tournament volunteers.

“I was assigned to hole No. 1 as my permanent assignment,” Belew said. “We are gallery guards. There are about 20 of us who work the first hole. If a golfer hits a ball outside the ropes, we have to back the crowd up and let down the ropes so that the golfer has a clear shot to the green.

“We also are walking information booths. I probably answer 100 questions a day, from ‘where’s Tiger?’ to ‘how do you get to Amen Corner?’ and ‘what kind of grass is this?’ The question I’m probably asked the most is ‘how did you get this job?’”

Belew has been at his post long enough to know a few habits of the PGA tour professionals: “Tiger is always the first one out on the practice rounds, early in the morning,” he said, whereas V.J. Singh prefers to practice late in the day when the shadows are long.

The gallery guard arrives in Augusta, Ga., the Sunday before the tournament, and by the break of day has to be at his assigned post Monday through Sunday for three days of practice rounds and four days of the contest.

The tournament guards or marshals are easily recognizable by the yellow hard hats atop their heads for safety. Only the gallery marshals wear them, but they are not souvenirs. “We have to turn in the hats at the end of each day,” he said.

Belew has made strong friendships with several of the other guards, men who hail from such places as Maine, Hawaii, California, Texas and Canada. Most of them are professionals themselves in such roles as doctors, lawyers and businessmen.

“We have to wear long pants and dress like a golfer. We’re on the first hole from 6 to 6 most days. We have to stay there until the last golfer goes through.”

While the days are long, and the work is pleasurable but hard, the payoff is unequaled in the world of golf.      

“We get to go back in May, the Tuesday before Memorial Day, and play the course. They turn the course over to us. We have the run of the place, the clubhouse. They have grills and food and serve us.”

A 10 to 12 handicapper at golf, Belew has played six rounds at Augusta and shot a 92 there on his best day.

He has many memorable experiences of the course. He recollected the following: “In springtime things are in full bloom, and the pollen is noticeable. This lady was coughing her head off near the first green. I asked her if I could take her to the first-aid station, and she said no, but she began coughing uncontrollably.

“I noticed she was wearing a three-carat, heart-shaped diamond in each ear. She had a bracelet on with 40 one-carat diamonds that appeared to be of high quality, and she had a five-carat diamond on her other hand.

“I moved her out from under the trees where the pollen was falling over her. While helping her, I noticed her badge read ‘Woods,’ and I asked her, ‘Are you Tiger’s mom?’ She said, ‘Yes.’ I told her that I was a jeweler and noticed what she was wearing, and she said, ‘Yes, I have a wonderful son.’”

These days, Belew roots for professional Brandt Snedeker, a Nashville-based golfer who played for Vanderbilt University in the SEC. But his golfing favorites are the guys who are now retired or play on the senior circuit.

One memory he clings to: “I was proud to watch Arnold Palmer take his final stroll down hole No. 1. I stood at attention and saluted as he went by, and he looked over and smiled.”

Belew, who grew up in Lawrence County, began his jewelry business in 1974 in Madison with his wife, Billie. They just celebrated their 45th wedding anniversary. In 1979 the couple relocated to Mt. Juliet and found a gem of a community.

“I was looking for a small place in the country to raise my kids, and Mt. Juliet was that. The population was 1,400 at the time,” he recalled. “We have grown with Mt. Juliet, and in the beginning I really regretted seeing it grow, but now that I’m used to it, I love it. I would rather live in Mt. Juliet, Tenn., as any place on earth.”

The Belews’ three children (Misty, Sonny and Dusty), live in Wilson County as do their five grandchildren. In August 2007, the Belews moved their business to a new building in Providence MarketPlace where they have 10 employees.

“We’re a full-service jewelry store. We do it all here from the melting of the gold and the forming of the mounting and setting the stones. We specialize in diamonds of all shapes and sizes with stones up to five carats in stock,” said the Masters volunteer who considers his Augusta experiences to be pure gold.

Ken Beck may be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .