Watching Golf Tournaments in Person

[The Vanity Golfer]

Hey All,

I am curious if any MGS members go out and watch amateur or pro-level (korn ferry or qualifiers) in person? If you do, how do you go about finding the tournaments or the schedules? I'd love to check out some qualifiers in person or just go and watch some high level golf in my area.

Thanks

[russtopherb]

I've been to TPC Boston a number of times to watch the PGA tour. I prefer to go on practice days, because it's far less crowded and you can get right up close to watch the players. I'll usually start around the practice greens and range to watch them warm up, then I'll follow a player's group for a bit. Like I said, when it's less crowded it makes it a lot easier to pick someone to follow for a while. 

[Golf2Much]

I've been fortunate enough to go to a Ryder Cup, men's US Open, men's PGA Championship (at Oak Hill) and numerous LPGA tournaments (at Locust Hill), all in my former hometown of Rochester, New York.  It's a lot of fun and definitely different than watching on television.

How'd I start is going to the PGA Tour or LPGA Tour sites for the tournament schedule.   Figure out which are closest or which one you'd like to see.  Then, search for that tournament.  You typically find a site dedicated to it.  Here's the one for this weeks' PGA 3M tournament:  http://www.3mopen.com.  There you can get information about the tournament, who it benefits and pricing for various spectator packages.    For example, this week you can get daily grounds access passes for practice rounds for $25 and tournament day daily passes for $65.  There also likely to be various other packages for food, beverages, seating and fan access.   It just depends on what you want to do and see.  

Important on those sites is also what to know before you go to the event.  That's includes when the course is open, a course map, what you can and cannot bring to the event, allowed payment options when your inside just to name a few.  They will also often highlight various hotels or other places to stay.  Make sure you read off of these before you go.  It will save you in the long run.

If you have time or the inclination, I'd suggest looking into volunteering for the event.  Sign up is usually way in advance of the tournament.  Tournaments are always looking for volunteers for fan services, logistics and other non-golf related activities.  You may can be asked to pay for a uniform (shirt, hat, etc.), but after serving a required number of shifts, you get full access to the tournament and other benefits.  I volunteered for the 1995 Ryder Cup and had the time of my life.  I worked security, which back then was basically checking tickets, credentials and making sure people didn't wear metal golf spikes into the property (mostly so they wouldn't puncture the miles of electrical and video cables).  

As mentioned, practice rounds tend to be more causal as players hit various clubs and check out the greens and various conditions they may face around the greens. 

It's always an interesting debate on viewing strategies.  Do you pick the golfer you want to follow for 18 holes or do you camp out at a strategic location and watch the golfers come to you?   Do you stand at the driving landing zone areas and watch their drives and approach to the green or sit at the green and watch the approach, chipping and putting?  During the US Open, I found a location at the top of seating stands area that I could watch golfers tee off when looking forward and if I turned 180 degrees I could watch them putting on the previous hole.   Best of both worlds.  If you plan on camping out at one location, bring a lightweight chair to sit on.  You want it to be light weight in case you decide to walk.  With either viewing strategy, be prepared for a lot of walking.  Many tournaments bus fans from a centralized parking location.  So you walk from the drop off to the entrance, around the course all day and back to the bus pickup location.  In the end, it will be miles.  Wear very comfortable shoes!  This is no time to be fashionable!  Bring credit cards for your visit to the retail shop for shirts, hats and other paraphernalia.  It's tough to leave without something to remember the event.  Sometimes if you go late on the last day of the event, they may have merchandise marked down to a reasonable amount.  

One more thing, as much as it's great to see the PGA men bomb huge drives and unbelievable distance iron shots, I found it more enjoyable to watch the women LPGA professionals make their way around the course.  I was a member of Locust Hill when they sponsored their stop and spent countless days watching the women play.  I found their game to be more in line with mine and enjoyed watching them hit from areas I knew all too well.   

I hope that helps.

[Hobert]

I have been to a tournament at Doral in Miami (Accenture at the time if I recall correctly), a course that was used by the Honda Classic when it took place in the Boca Raton area, and to the Masters. At Doral, we did a lot of following (Tiger, Phil, Ernie back in the day). At Augusta, that would have been difficult, so we spent parts of the day camped at different places (Amen Corner; and another spot where you could see players coming in to the green and then turn our heads to see them tee off on a par 3). Both are fun. I am hoping to go to the Wyndham in nearby Greensboro this year. I haven’t yet picked a strategy.

[Caddie1966]

I was with MCI in the 80s and 90s when we sponsored the Heritage at Hilton Head, now the RBC Heritage, the week after the Masters.  I was lucky enough to have customers there as guests and had passes to the clubhouse.  Watching is a choice as @Golf2Much says,you can follow groups or pick a spot.  If you pick a spot, it’s always nice to have a view of a few holes at once if that’s possible.  Sea Pines is tight enough that you can switch it up easily.  Some courses are spread out and that makes following a group a challenge.  
I always preferred to pick a group unless the customers wanted to stay in one place.  I have been to the Players, Byron Nelson, Colonial, Senior Open ( Dearborn TPC in Michigan, PGA at Oakland Hills in the 70s, and once to Muirfield in Ohio.  I’ve also seen the LPGA twice.  
The  crowds are at the PGA events so it’s easier to get up close at the LPGA and as @Golf2Much says, relate to the game a little easier.  However the crowd feeds off the players at the PGA and the excitement level is much higher.

My club held Tour Qualifying Round 1 back in the 90s.  It was a five round qualifying event.  We could walk the fairways with them back then.

[The Vanity Golfer]

3 hours ago, Golf2Much said:

I've been fortunate enough to go to a Ryder Cup, men's US Open, men's PGA Championship (at Oak Hill) and numerous LPGA tournaments (at Locust Hill), all in my former hometown of Rochester, New York.  It's a lot of fun and definitely different than watching on television.

How'd I start is going to the PGA Tour or LPGA Tour sites for the tournament schedule.   Figure out which are closest or which one you'd like to see.  Then, search for that tournament.  You typically find a site dedicated to it.  Here's the one for this weeks' PGA 3M tournament:  http://www.3mopen.com.  There you can get information about the tournament, who it benefits and pricing for various spectator packages.    For example, this week you can get daily grounds access passes for practice rounds for $25 and tournament day daily passes for $65.  There also likely to be various other packages for food, beverages, seating and fan access.   It just depends on what you want to do and see.  

Important on those sites is also what to know before you go to the event.  That's includes when the course is open, a course map, what you can and cannot bring to the event, allowed payment options when your inside just to name a few.  They will also often highlight various hotels or other places to stay.  Make sure you read off of these before you go.  It will save you in the long run.

If you have time or the inclination, I'd suggest looking into volunteering for the event.  Sign up is usually way in advance of the tournament.  Tournaments are always looking for volunteers for fan services, logistics and other non-golf related activities.  You may can be asked to pay for a uniform (shirt, hat, etc.), but after serving a required number of shifts, you get full access to the tournament and other benefits.  I volunteered for the 1995 Ryder Cup and had the time of my life.  I worked security, which back then was basically checking tickets, credentials and making sure people didn't wear metal golf spikes into the property (mostly so they wouldn't puncture the miles of electrical and video cables).  

As mentioned, practice rounds tend to be more causal as players hit various clubs and check out the greens and various conditions they may face around the greens. 

It's always an interesting debate on viewing strategies.  Do you pick the golfer you want to follow for 18 holes or do you camp out at a strategic location and watch the golfers come to you?   Do you stand at the driving landing zone areas and watch their drives and approach to the green or sit at the green and watch the approach, chipping and putting?  During the US Open, I found a location at the top of seating stands area that I could watch golfers tee off when looking forward and if I turned 180 degrees I could watch them putting on the previous hole.   Best of both worlds.  If you plan on camping out at one location, bring a lightweight chair to sit on.  You want it to be light weight in case you decide to walk.  With either viewing strategy, be prepared for a lot of walking.  Many tournaments bus fans from a centralized parking location.  So you walk from the drop off to the entrance, around the course all day and back to the bus pickup location.  In the end, it will be miles.  Wear very comfortable shoes!  This is no time to be fashionable!  Bring credit cards for your visit to the retail shop for shirts, hats and other paraphernalia.  It's tough to leave without something to remember the event.  Sometimes if you go late on the last day of the event, they may have merchandise marked down to a reasonable amount.  

One more thing, as much as it's great to see the PGA men bomb huge drives and unbelievable distance iron shots, I found it more enjoyable to watch the women LPGA professionals make their way around the course.  I was a member of Locust Hill when they sponsored their stop and spent countless days watching the women play.  I found their game to be more in line with mine and enjoyed watching them hit from areas I knew all too well.   

I hope that helps.

I should've maybe asked my question a bit better but I have been to a PGA event (Bellerive in 2018) but I guess I am wondering how to better go about going to tournaments that aren't PGA and more qualifier types or lesser tournaments like Korn Ferry or other amateur/pro-am types. Any advice there? 

[cnosil]

57 minutes ago, Dooby said:

I should've maybe asked my question a bit better but I have been to a PGA event (Bellerive in 2018) but I guess I am wondering how to better go about going to tournaments that aren't PGA and more qualifier types or lesser tournaments like Korn Ferry or other amateur/pro-am types. Any advice there? 

I think the answer is to just look at the various tour and amatuer organization websites and see where they are playing and where the qualifiers are being held. 

You mentioned Korn Ferry,  here is there schedule: https://www.pgatour.com/korn-ferry-tour/schedule 

The USGA championship schedule is on their site:  https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page.html

Keep an eye on the media sites to find qualifiying sites for the US Open:  https://www.golfchannel.com/news/usga-announces-sites-2023-us-open-local-final-qualifying

You can also look at your local and state golf organizations sites.  Here is Missouri's:  https://www.mogolf.org/

 

[CLenahan]

14 hours ago, Dooby said:

I should've maybe asked my question a bit better but I have been to a PGA event (Bellerive in 2018) but I guess I am wondering how to better go about going to tournaments that aren't PGA and more qualifier types or lesser tournaments like Korn Ferry or other amateur/pro-am types. Any advice there? 

Here is the Amateur Players Tour events for Saint Louis, might check some of those out.

Korn Ferry Tour schedule, each event has a ticket link below. 

Ascension Classic at Norwood Hills (Champions Tour) is coming up in September.  Pro-Am at Belle Rive as part of that during the week.

Best thing to do would be to look at the different websites, or reach out to some of the clubs/courses and see what they are hosting.

Edited July 27, 2023 by CLenahan

[Specneeds]

Your local colleges will play matches on their home courses regularly.  You should check spectator policies but typically you can walk along free of charge. If you’re a fan of a local university so much the better.

If you want a great experience check your local PGA tournament committee at your nearest course & see what their programs are to volunteer or to caddy at the Pro Am. I’ve caddied several times at Torrey Pines for amateurs & once for a local pro - getting paid to hear McCord joking live was a great experience. All the amateurs were good guys if not great golfers.

[CLenahan]

To @Specneeds point, UMSL plays at Normandie Golf Course, which also happens to be the oldest course in operation west of the Mississippi.

[The Vanity Golfer]

36 minutes ago, CLenahan said:

Here is the Amateur Players Tour events for Saint Louis, might check some of those out.

Korn Ferry Tour schedule, each event has a ticket link below. 

Ascension Classic at Norwood Hills (Champions Tour) is coming up in September.  Pro-Am at Belle Rive as part of that during the week.

Best thing to do would be to look at the different websites, or reach out to some of the clubs/courses and see what they are hosting.

This is perfect man - thanks!