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| - I am not a big fan of golf - I usually find it to be quite boring with little action compared to other sporting events out there. However, this event is hardly about the product on the field - it's about drinking, having a good time, and watching the antics of others around you.
I went with a group of eight - none of us having been there before. We had plans to spend the day at the infamous 16th hole, hearing that it was the place to be. In our ignorance, we showed up at 7:15, with the gates opening at 7:00. This turned out to be far too late to get a seat within the grandstands. Since we were so close, we decided to try waiting out the line. This turned into a four hour ordeal.
To get in, you are at the mercy of security personnel who seem more interested in making money off bribes letting people in then actually monitoring the occupancy levels of the grandstands and letting people in as appropriate. We saw at least 30 people bribe their way in, which is really demoralizing when you've been standing in line patiently for four hours.
In the end, we finally made it inside at about 11-12am, right when the first few golfers were hitting the 16th tee off. With some beers and hot dogs we settled into some open seats and watched the madness unfold. By madness I refer to the attendees cheering and heckling the golfers based on their ability to make the green. It definitely has a college party atmosphere, and I honestly had a great time watching the antics of those nearby me. Occasionally I would actually watch some of the golf taking place too.
In the future, I would recommend showing up exceptionally early (certainly before the gates open) and running to the 16th if you want to take part in that atmosphere. It is not worth waiting for four hours as we did. If the 16th doesn't appeal to you, there are 17 other great holes on the course you could hang out at. Maybe they're not as crazy as the 16th, but with good friends and good drinks, you'll have a good time nonetheless.
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