Joel,

Very cool. Glad you had such an amazing time. Those players are unreal, they are tour player quality and we'll see many in the professional ranks for many years to come.

Without people like you these great tournaments could not be put on. Thank you for taking your time to help stage one of the greatest sporting events in the world. 

As you wrote in your title, the U.S. Amateur is truly the best.

I couldn't agree more and stoked to hear you had a great time...    I volunteered for the 2012 US Junior Amateur and was selected to be a caddy for a young kid.  I caddied 8 rounds for him (practice and tournament) and it was one of the best experiences in my golfing life.   During the practice round, he was paired with another kid who played in the US Open and it was cool to hear stories. 

The best part for me was being up close like you said and watching them hit..  I mean they're on another level and to watch them how much they practice and what they work on is amazing..  Really enjoyed that...

I agree with Joel, if you ever get a chance to volunteer for a USGA event, especially amateur events definitely sign up..  It's worth it... 

Thanks for sharing Joel!  That was a great tournament to watch...