"I have to have something to do. Mowing grass is one thing I really enjoy," said Smalley. "Plus you get to see a lot of people, faces you know and faces you don't know. It's something you enjoy because it's outdoors, the people you work with and people tell you what to do, you don't have to tell them."

Marcus worked for Sun Chemical Corporation, an ink manufacturer, as a plant manager in Boston (not surprising considering his New England accent), St. Louis and Indiana before retiring in 1994. His wife, Nancy, is from this area and they moved to Bloomington a year later.

The laid-back atmosphere at El Paso Golf Club appealed to Marcus right away. To say he's enjoyed every minute of the last 21 years on the course he's worked would be an understatement.

"It's the most unusual golf course I've ever belonged to, and I've belonged to a lot," he said. "It's like a family in a way."

Smalley, a native of Normal, and his wife, Kathy, moved to a house off the 12th hole at El Paso Golf Club eight years ago.

"There's a lot of people from Bloomington-Normal here and El Paso and the surrounding areas," he said. "Lane (Vance, general manager) and Greg have kept it probably one of premier courses around.