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By Dave Lagarde
PGATOUR.com Correspondent

There wasn't the slightest hint of hesitation from Boo Weekley in early November of 2006 when he was asked what he would miss most about the Nationwide Tour when he moved on to the PGA TOUR in 2007.

"The Truck,'' Weekley said, grinning.

Masters champ Zach Johnson sent a gift back to "The Truck". (PGA TOUR)

Shoot Weekley, the home-spun, genuine good ole boy and very good golfer from the Weekley-made-famous panhandle speck that is Jay, Fla., got such a hankering for a quick fix of "The Truck'' in March that he took an addictive detour to Broussard, La., as he drove to the Shell Houston Open. Experience told Weekley exactly where to find "The Truck'' -- a chip shot away from the 18th green at Le Triomphe Country Club -- during the final round of the Chitimacha Louisiana Open presented by Dynamic Industries.

Weekely was greeted like a long lost brother by the guys inside "The Truck.'' To see illuminate like a Christmas tree at that moment was to understand Boo felt at home again, naturally.

In all likelihood, you've never heard of "The Truck.'' But the story of "The Truck'' is compelling, in a golf tour meets truck, golf tour and truck fall in love way. Honest it is.

At first glance, "The Truck'' appears to be no different than any other 75- X 9-foot, 18-wheeler that travels an Interstate Highway near you, save for the distinctive, stem-to-stern red, white and blue Nationwide Tour logo that adorns it. That description, however, sells "The Truck'' and its magical powers woefully short.

Fact is the Nationwide Tour's heart beats loudly inside this specially equipped vehicle which serves as the on-site nerve center at each and every stop the Tour makes in the continental United States. It carries all of the equipment -- scoreboards, cups, pins, flags, caddy bibs, computers, scoring standard signs and radios -- necessary to make an event run smoothly. And for all intents and purposes it houses the men who make things hum like clockwork -- Jeff Thomas, the director of Tour operations, Chuck Walker, the manager, Mr. Fix-it Bob Benson, the equipment manager, and operations specialists Patrick Nichol, Tommy Sheridan and Polo Escudero. Simply put, each and every one of "The Truck'' guys is a certified people magnet who has an uncommon sense of pride of ownership, not only of their red, white and blue streamlined baby but also of the Tour itself.

Just ask any player.

"They pour their heart and soul into this Tour,'' said Chris Smith, one of five players who has used the Nationwide Tour as an avenue to the PGA TOUR on three occasions. "They don't get any credit, but they're the ones who run this Tour.

"They take such pride in what they do. If you have a problem -- any problem -- you can always go to them for help. Need a hotel in a city? They find you one. Need directions to a golf course? They have them.

"Just the other day, Bob Benson was repairing a bunch of Blackberries for the guys. And they do all kinds of stuff like that with fewer resources. I know the PGA TOUR has at least two trucks. Ours is one of a kind. It's packed and unpacked every week we play. It's amazing.''

Smith has returned to the Nationwide Tour in 2007 after losing his PGA TOUR playing privileges in 2006. It is a transition many veteran players find difficult for a variety of reasons. Smith, who has played nine full seasons in The Big Show, is no exception, except he found one saving grace: "The Truck.''

"Let's face it,'' he said. "There were a lot of negatives about where I was in my career in the off-season. But 'The Truck' was one reason I was able to suck it up and come back out. I love spending time with those guys, more so than I do in the locker room or on the range. That's the absolute truth. I feel like 'The Truck' is my life line.''

It's no stretch to take Smith at his word. Just spend some time in or outside "The Truck.'' A steady stream of players will drop by to bat the breeze, blow off steam accumulated from a bad round or simply bond with each other and the affable guys in "The Truck.'' It is no secret among insiders that it is the focal point of the Nationwide Tour community, where camaraderie and support are as strong as the suspensions on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Heather and Marco Dawson were there last Friday after Dawson completed the second round of the LaSalle Bank Open. Heather had gone to the trouble of making groceries and then cooking a large pan of ziti for "The Truck'' guys in the Dawson's travel trailer. This was not the first time she had gone to "The Truck'' bearing culinary gifts. She prepared gumbo and fried crawfish tails when the Tour stopped in Lafayette, La., in March.

"These guys are the best,'' Heather Dawson said. "I love doing this.''

Marco Dawson elaborated.

"They see just about everything from year to year,'' he said. "They'll tell you to hang in there after a bad round or be patient if you've missed a cut. They're like cheerleaders. They know how to pump you up. And they treat everyone the same, with so much respect.''

So it's no wonder "The Truck'' has turned into something of a frat house. It is, by all accounts, a movable oasis, a very welcome resting spot for road weary players, tournament officials and just about anyone else that wanders by and pokes his or her head inside. Once in the friendly confines they can kick back and unwind, dip into "The Great White,'' an Igloo cooler of great renown, and pull out a libation. Perhaps they might even get a plate of Heather Dawson's ziti if their timing's impeccable.

On Saturday, the menu changed to hot dogs and brats, prepared on the Weber mini-grill that travels with "The Truck.'' Everything went smoothly during the day at The Glen Club so the grill was fired up the minute the last putt disappeared. Players came and went early due to a weather-induced 7 a.m. final-round start, but the gathering was still some 40 folks strong and the laughter hearty and loud when the proceedings disbanded at 10 p.m.

Such is life in "The Truck.'' It does change seasonally and the verbal needles fly hot and heavy during the fall, when the favorite topic of "The Truck'' -- college football -- is in all its gridiron glory. On any given Saturday there could be as many as four games going on the televisions inside "The Truck'' which can pick up just about any feed due to its complex satellite system. Preference always is given to the universities "The Truck'' guys attended -- North Carolina State (Thomas), Georgia (Walker), Auburn (Nichol), Florida (Sheridan) and Colorado (Benson).

That's five football teams and just four televisions. Hence the genesis of "The Truck's'' plasma program, designed to enhance and enlarge everyone's viewing pleasure.

It was Sheridan's idea to sign up players. He approached Johnson Wagner, who finished second on the Nationwide Tour's money list in 2006, last year in Omaha, "inviting'' him to join after Wagner roared into a tie for third with a third-round 64. When Wagner agreed, Sheridan said, "You win, you have to buy a TV for "The Truck''.''

Wagner, apparently drawing on some serious "The Truck'' karma, ran away with the title, shooting a final-round 63. "The Truck'' took delivery of a 32-inch Sharp LCD the following Wednesday in Rochester, N.Y., where there was a proper signing ceremony as Wagner and his wife Katie applied their autographs to the TV before it was mounted in "The Truck's'' most prominent viewing area.

"They were there every week for every player,'' Wagner said recently. "They're all good guys who do so much for you that it makes it easy to do something for them.''

Brenden de Jonge, another Nationwide Tour alum, was sitting across the table from Wagner.

"He's not lying,'' de Jonge said.

The television isn't the only thing that is signed in "The Truck.'' Matter of fact, it has become all the rage.

Some "Truck" regulars hanging out in their favorite spot. (PGA TOUR)

Remember the aforementioned "Great White,'' the Igloo cooler that holds refreshments that go down so easily after the daily grind of tournament play? Although it clearly hasn't achieved the celebrity status of "The Truck,'' it too has become legendary on the Nationwide Tour. For the last two plus seasons every tournament winner has marched into "The Truck'' following his victory and affixed his autograph to "The Great White'' with a black Sharpie.

The staff of "The Truck'' will get together with Nationwide Tour tournament directors at annual meetings at PGA TOUR headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The staff got the idea to hold a raffle and award the first "Great White'' to one lucky director.

"I remember the first time we wheeled it in,'' Jeff Thomas said. "There was a real buzz among the tournament directors like, 'Oh, that's the 'Great White.'' And then to give it away, that went over great.''

There's another piece of Nationwide Tour memorabilia hanging on the wall near Thomas's work station in the front of "The Truck.'' It is Jason Gore's hole-by-hole score from the Tour's outdoor scoreboard when Gore shot 59 in 2005. Gore's signature is on it.

Media official Joe Chemycz, who worked predominantly on the Nationwide Tour for the last six seasons, started another tradition upon moving up to the PGA TOUR full time early in 2007. He asked Nationwide Tour grad Charley Hoffman to autograph and frame a flag from the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic after Hoffman won the event this year. One from the 2007 Masters showed up the week after Zach Johnson's win.

The inscription reads: "The Truck, Miss Ya, Love Ya, Thanks for the Support.'' Nick Watney, Johnson and Weekley have sent others. Just this week, Benson found a suitable place to hang them, just above the space on some large storage cabinets where tee times are posted each week, just another way the guys in "The Truck'' see to the players' needs.

And so it goes, week in, week out.

Matter of fact, there was a typical "The Truck'' moment during the LaSalle Bank Open's first round. Someone approached Nationwide Tour media official John Bush with an inquiry. Bush thought for a moment and couldn't come up with an answer.

"I'm not sure,'' he said.

Then in a flash, Bush came to his senses and offered a reflexive, go-to solution.

"Just ask 'The Truck.''' he said.

End of problem as well as end of story.