Monday, 16 August 2010 09:49 Ryan Sloane

With only days left until the start of the Wyndham Championship, there isn’t much of calm before the storm. There’s mayhem all around to be sure, but the preparations for the 2010 match have been in motion since the end of 2009’s competition.

Hundreds of spectators, dozens of news organizations and millions of viewers from all over the country will convene on the Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina this week for the biggest sporting event in the southeast that doesn’t involve a pit crew or a checkered flag. And with the only thing left to chance being the weather, the chaos surrounding the otherwise serene country club takes on the precision of a Swiss clock.

Several days of torrential downpours across the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina have stymied some of the preparations for the event. But as of early Friday morning, general admission bleachers and the closed in members-only guest boxes are already up along the fairway. The media center, which is being housed in one of Sedgefield’s older clubhouses is beginning to take shape, with movers hauling in desks, copy machines and desk space for reporters on deadline. Mobile information centers and a visitor concourse are erected in record time. Work crews and organizers will work feverishly through the weekend for the first day of Monday’s Pro-Am play, and the official kickoff of competition for the 2010 FedEx Cup.

Andy Deiro is overseeing much of the preparation, construction and coordination of the event. As the Director of Operations for OB Sports points out during a whirlwind tour of the course, two things become evident: Spectators who plan on trekking all 18 holes along with their favorite golfers won’t have to go long without finding a place to rest or fuel up. The other thing I learned is that it is exceedingly difficult to take legible notes while in a speeding golf cart.

For golf fans, names like John Daly and late addition Fred Couples are a huge draw. For golf fans with an appetite, names like Pepper Moon Catering, Hungry Howie’s and The Lexington Barbecue Company are enough to warrant equal excitement. Six concession stands are already up along the 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th, and 18th fairways. Each have the new addition of a second tent with seating for as many as 25 people, for those who want to enjoy a meal or a light snack, or just get out of the sun for a few minutes.

Deiro also points out this year’s event will serve liquor drinks for the first time, and points out the site of a fenced off bar area. Beer and wine drinks will be provided courtesy of sponsors Budweiser and Berringer, as well as local brewery/bar/downtown mainstay Natty Greene’s.

A brief tour of Sedgefield’s main clubhouse includes a quick peek into the kitchen. It’s surprisingly quiet now, but it won’t last long. It also allows for brief entry into the men's clubhouse that will double as the player’s lounge. With a fully stocked bar, a big screen television and the customary overstuffed leather armchairs, Deiro shows where in the secluded room a food prep station will be set up to feed the golfers at the beginning (an omelet station) and the end (pasta bar) of the day’s play.

As of Friday morning, there is still a lot more work to be done. Too much to fully wrap your head around. But it all seems routine. People look harried, rushed, exhausted. Even at 9 in the morning. But no one looks worried or frustrated. They’re professionals. They leave that to the players.

Follow Dine & Cook’s extensive, round-the-clock reporting of the 2010 Wyndham Championship from the Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, NC. Coverage begins Thursday, August 19th.