California Here I Come – For the US Open
Different writing for me. I write a column for my local newspaper, mostly travel stuff. Hope you find it interesting as something whimsical and non-political.
California Here I Come – For the US Open
Brian C Joondeph
When one thinks of attending a major sporting event, like the Super Bowl or World Series, one imagines sitting in an arena or stadium for a few hours, watching the entire contest at once.
When it comes to golf tournaments or championships, the arena is spread over hundreds of acres with no single spot to see all the action at once.
We had the great opportunity to attend the US Open golf championship a few weeks ago in Los Angeles and I will recount some of the highlights.
The US Open is played on a different course every year, unlike the Masters which is always played on the same course. This year the Open was at the Los Angeles Country Club. The club has two 18-hole courses, one for the tournament, and the other used for foot traffic and parking.
Tickets for the US Open are pricey but readily available, compared to the Masters which operates via a lottery system. We opted for higher end tickets which included a hospitality venue located along the 14th fairway, with a lavish spread of food and beverages.
One can park at a particular hole – tee, fairway, or green – and there are often bleachers set up at these locations. Or one can follow a particular player or pairing from hole to hole. Or as we did, a combination of both, eventually settling in the hospitality tent to watch the final parings play through on Saturday afternoon.
Walking the course allowed us to see the Playboy Mansion and Lionel Ritchie’s behemoth home, both along the course.
As golf is not played under a domed stadium, weather can be a factor – wet or dry, hot or cool, sunny or cloudy. Sunscreen is a must as is good walking footwear. We walked about 10 miles or 20,000 steps, according to my watch.
Thursday and Friday there are twice the number of players, playing in threesomes. Only half make the cut to the weekend where they then play in pairs. Most of the big-name players were there and depending on your vantage point, you can get quite close to them as they walk by.
Players are focused on the task at hand, not chatting with fans or signing autographs. With huge prestige and prize money on the line, the pressure on the players is immense.
For average golfers, attending such a tournament is one big golf lesson, watching the best golfers in the world play a challenging course, getting themselves out of the same trouble that weekend golfers like me get into. But the pros get into trouble far less often and are much better at getting back in the game compared to us weekend warriors.
Portable phone chargers are available as phone batteries rapidly drain as we take photos and videos. Several merchandise stores dot the course so everyone can come home with a US Open hat or shirt.
And of course, there is Los Angeles and Malibu, which we visited on Sunday and Monday, a nice complement to a day on the golf links.
For golfers, this is a bucket list item and as the Open is at a different spot each year, there will always be a convenient course to get to. For non-golfers, it will be an extremely fun eye-opening introduction to golf, as it was for my traveling buddy.
Don’t forget the myriad other tournaments including the Women’s US Open and amateur and seniors opens. Some even come to metro Denver courses.
And one of this year’s highlights was a local kid, Wyndham Clark, winning the US Open, and we were there watching it. For a different type of vacation, consider attending a future US Open golf championship.