I attended my first professional golf tournament last week. A vendor of ours invited 6 of us to their Sky Suite at the Muirfield Village Golf Club for the Memorial tournament. The experience was incredible, but, as usual, you get a much better feel for what’s going on when you watch on TV.
We spent a lot of time at the 10th green watching the players’ approach shots and putts. It was neat seeing everyone make the same mistakes and problems with the putts. Next we ventured to the 7th hole and watched Jack Nicklaus play 4 holes. Following a golfer is hard work. I never realized how fast they walk between shots. They also have a straight, clear path, while the gallery, excuse me, patrons have to dodge each other and follow some meandering paths. You’re lucky to get where you want to be to see the next shot.
As expected it was near impossible to follow Tiger Woods. We saw him at the 10th and 13th greens. The swarms of people trying to follow him around was too daunting to even try to join in.
Ample food and beverage was provided by our hosts along with an air conditioned view of the 14th green. It made a nice place to stop in between forays onto the rest of the course. Sunburn and a two-hour drive each way also deserve mentions, but it was a great day. Now if I can just get Sunday tickets next year instead of Thursday. For some reason I think the vendor’s own executives get them on Sunday, since none of the salespeople I talked to were going to be there.
The next time I go, I have a better plan. I’ll walk the course with one of the first pairings of golfers. There won’t be many people following them so I’ll get to see all the holes (we only saw 9 of the 18 this time) and then go back to a favorite spot or to check in on particular golfers.
FORE!
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