Experiencing the US Open 2011

On June 18, 2011, I was delighted to join my husband Tim to the US Open at the Congressional Golf Club in Bethesda, Maryland.   This would my first time attening a US Open.

It all started when Tim put in for tickets through a lottery ticket process.  He was surprised when he received the three days he requested; tickets to the practice round on Tuesday, the second round on Friday, and the third round on Saturday.  We both love golf and knew that it wouldn’t be in this area again for quite some time.   

We started the day by getting to the Montgomery County Fairgrounds to take the shuttle in.  You had to proceed through metal detectors and they checked any bags taken in.  While the staff was thorough, they couldn’t have been more polite and efficient at their task.  No cell phones and no cameras.  Onto the shuttle bus by Academy bus service.  They dropped us off at the gold course of Congressional Golf Club.  It was a short walk to the entrance.  

Upon entering we received the course map and grogram.  There was additional information showing the groupings, electronic survey machines, the AMEX experience tent, and the merchandising tent.   Upon taking the survey we headed to the merchandising tent to get some souvenirs.  All I can say is “WOW!”   I have never seen a merchandising with the amount of merchandise, the organization and the amazing customer service provided.   It was a well oiled machine.  Providing personal touches at every turn; from artists signing their prints of the US Open, a kids book author signing her books, and the ability to personalize the back of a Head hat with embroidery.   One of my favorite items was a Kids golfing journal by Susan Greene for our son Gavin (available at childrensgolfbooks.com).  The book is perfect gift for him, as he starts golf camp this summer. We were able to check our bags of souvenirs to pick back up on our way out- how great! 

As we starting strategizing on what hole we would go to first the main item on my list was to see Phil Michelson and Rory McIlroy.   For the past 10 years I’ve been with Tim, I’ve been told time and time again how much he looks like Phil, to the point he has been asked for his autograph, so I wanted to see the real deal in person.  I’ve seen him on TV, but would he look different in person?   

Phil looks the same, but it is the details you don’t notice on TV.   We parked ourselves on the fairway on 1^st hole.  Tim did a shout out to Phil with my woohoo backing it up and we were given a thumbs up from him.  It was cool to be acknowledged.   We followed him to the 2nd hole and decided to head over to the tee box on 5 and be ahead of the crowds.  To our excitement we had front row seats.  We were about 10 feet from the golfers.  As Phil approached, I started looking at the details.  What style he has.  He had on a grey alligator belt and white alligator golf shoes.  He seemed very calm and very polite.  We listened as he and his caddy Bones discussed what to do.  I was again back to the details looking to see that Bones wears New Balance sneakers.   It was great to see them in person and wish them well.

We moved onto tee box on the 8^th hole.  We watched as Jason Day, Lee Westwood, and Matt Kuchar teed off.  We followed Phil for a few more holes.  

Our next goal was to catch up with Rory.  He didn’t tee off until 2:40 p.m. so we had some time to wait. 

We grabbed lunch and a beer from the concessions.  Again, everything was perfectly situated.  They had a good selection and also had options for those who wanted to say more on the healthy side or were vegetarians.   The port-a-pots were close so you never had to worry about being hungry, thirsty, or finding a place to relieve yourself.  

We headed to the 18^th hole.  We had a good hour wait before we would see Phil again.  We parked ourselves on the grassy hill with the 18^th.   It wasn’t as long of a wait as the golfers came every 10 minutes.  We talked with other spectators.  People were polite and very easy going.  The only odd thing I saw and heard was a Steelers fan dressed in full Steelers garb and shouting out “Go Steelers”.  Tim said “there is one of those in every crowd”.  I’m unsure how they thought it was appropriate.

It was exciting to see each player come up to the 18^th hole and finish their day.   The golfers would take off their hat and shake hands with the other player.  There was only one that didn’t take off his hat, I’m unsure if he was just having a bad hair day or if he was just rude.  Each golfer passed by the fans in the grand stand and then by a bunch of kids that were yelling out to throw them a ball.   Several of the golfers did give them the ball of the day or their glove.  The most giving from the time I was there was Padraig Harrington who threw 4 balls up to the crowd as he passed by and then balls to the kids.  

It was time to go see Rory.  We headed to the 15^th hole to wait.  We sat in the grand stand for the perfect seat.  I was sure that it wouldn’t be too bad in the stands as people sat there all day.  Well, I must be a baby, because my rear started hurting after about 20 minutes on the hot wood.  I was so fidgety and they started packing people in like sardines.  I was amazed how close the guys would sit for this type of event; as well all know that guys sit one seat apart any other time.  Between the players I had to stand up, but didn’t feel too stupid because the guy behind me was the same way.  I talked with a volunteer to find that there were over 3,000 volunteers at the event.  Each of them had their polo volunteer wear and looked great. 

After seeing all the different players, Rory was headed our way.   All of us started cheering “let’s go Rory” “let’s go Rory” – you know the chant.  Going back to the attire details he was sporting blue and white with an Oakley lime green circle on his chest and an Oakley belt.  He was the only player I noticed has a little slit at the bottom of his pant leg.  It is the little details like this that intrigue me.   He had a great putt and then we were off.  On our way out we walked by the 17^th tee and saw Rory up on the hill.   We waited on the path to see him hit the ball.  His swing was amazing.  People yelled to him as they passed by.   

We headed to the merchandising tent to pick up our monogrammed hats and checked souvenirs.  With bags in hand we headed back to the bus.  We exited the grounds with happy staff members whishing us a great evening and asking us to come back again.  The bus staff directing us to bus to take us back out our car.  We had a great ride back and talked with the Academy bus driver the entire way.  She was one of 250 busses to take care of transportation of the spectators.  She preferred driving in NY City and New Jersey to the suburbs of Maryland.   If I ever had to book a person for an event she would be first on my list.

We made it to our car just after 8 p.m. and headed home.  The ride home we talked about the events of the day and how great it was to enjoy it together.   The weather was hot and humid, but the breeze under the trees made it more bearable.   

We picked up our son Gavin on Sunday, Father’s Day, and shared with him the excitement and souvenirs of the US Open.    All of us watched the final day of the US Open on our family room TV and talked about each player with Gavin.   Tim beamed with excitement as it was history taking place and we were able to be there in person for part of it. 

 The US Open at Congressional is a great memory for us and I recommend anyone who has ever thought of going to make it happen.   It is more exciting, more beautiful, and more enjoyable than I could ever put into words.