STATELINE, Nev. – Being one of a few lakeside holes and the only one entirely visible from the lake (tee to green), hole 17 at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course draws boats and raucous beach crowds, earning a certain reputation over the years at the American Century Championship.

“It’s a beautiful chaos,” says Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Bruce Jacobsen, who has been supervising the event for the sheriff’s office over the last five years.

The scene at hole 17 involves fans lining the beach with pop-up tents, kegs, grills, and enthusiasm. Fans throw footballs to celebrities for autographs, and some even offer the stars beverages to quench their thirst.

While keeping the vibe high, interacting with the crowds, smiling and joking, deputies are simultaneously keeping a watchful eye for those in need and certain dangers.

“We understand what 17 is, and we have people out there who are fun, who are personable and can interact and do both,” Sergeant Jacobsen says. “When it’s time for business, we handle business and when it’s time to joke and have fun, we joke and have fun.”

When big names like Stephen Curry and Charles Barkley come through, there are crowds upwards of 10,000 people, adding to the mayhem, especially when celebrities walk from hole 17 to 18—a walk the sheriff’s office refers to as “the gauntlet.”

“We’re trying to let people have that good, fun time that they always do,” Jacobsen says, “but making sure it doesn’t go overboard and over the top where we have to step in.”

Although deputies will occasionally get the drunk person who tries to run onto the course, Jacobsen says that in the close to 40 years of the tournament, there hasn’t been a major incident at hole 17.

One rowdy moment at the hole in ACC history involved Green Bay Packer AJ Hawk after a crowd member requested the linebacker tackle him. Hawk agreed and, Jacobsen describes, “wrapped him up and took that guy to the ground.” It’s a moment often recounted at the sheriff’s office.

With all the mayhem and excitement, it takes a certain type of deputy to work hole 17.

“They’re the ones sitting in the hot sun,” Jacobsen describes, “walking up and down the beach in uniform, full gear, and they love it. They look forward to it every single year.”

The same deputies often return each year to patrol the eventful hole. Jacobsen says, “It’s not just the deputies that come back year after year, but it’s also the community members and the families that keep showing up.”

Officers and crowd members build years-long relationships, developing a mutual rapport in which they take care of each other.

One couple, South Tahoe residents Karen and Steven Imhoff, have offered free burritos in the morning and hot dogs in the afternoon to deputies for about five years now, while also making sure they stay hydrated.

“The sheriffs do a wonderful job out there on 17 and we’ve come to know them because they’re so personable.” S. Imoff says, who has various videos with sheriffs over the years and regularly jokes with them.

New to this year is a sign that says “Douglas County Sheriffs eat here for free.” The sign features a photo of JT, a regular beach deputy they’ve come to know and admire. The photo draws laughs and selfies from other deputies.

After the reaction the sign received this year, the couple says they will continue to bring it each year, “because we want to let them know that we support them.”

The sheriff’s office’s overall goal, Jacobsen says, is safety, but not too far behind that is fun, especially for the kids. “Really, the kids make this event,” he says. Kids are often seen asking for autographs from stars and sometimes deputies themselves.

When it comes to managing the event, now for 37 years, on behalf of the sheriff’s office, Jacobsen says, “There’s nowhere else that does this in the entire world, and it’s right here in Douglas County. We take a ton of pride in it.”