Advice for attending TPC Sawgrass

[bigblueonion]

I will be attending the TPC Sawgrass tournament on Friday May 7 and was wondering if anyone has advice for me. This will be my first PGA event I go to so I am a real rookie. Is it better to follow a group or sit in one spot? I like the idea of seeing the whole course but I don't know how crowded it will be. I have gone to a couple of Canadian Tour events but they really aren't too busy so viewing is always easy. Any other advice for the event would be appreciated. Thanks a lot.

Dan

[Par Fore]

I think I went to Sawgrass on a Thursday or Friday, it was perfect. Enough people to enjoy the crowds, but not so much that you couldn't get around. IMHO, find a few of your favorite groups and figure who you'd like to follow. We watched a couple of groups tee off on 1, and when we found a group we liked, we just followed them for a few holes. Then we stopped, got a beer and some food, waitied for the next group we liked, and then followed them for a while. Repeated this process until we hit 17 in the afternoon - then we just relaxed on the hill, drank beer, and joined in the fun.

You will have a blast....enjoy....get your walking done in the morning so you can sit and relax later in the day.

[Shindig]

The best place if you want to sit and watch a hole at TPC Sawgrass is to find a chair somewhere between the tee and green on 17.

Just kidding! Seriously, if you find a chair there, I'd be surprised. It would probably be an interesting viewing angle, though.

You need to decide if there's a player you want to see or a hole you want to see, and this is something only you can decide. Both are great ways to view a tournament. The first par-3 on the front is, I believe, under-appreciated as a cool hole. And if you can get a good view of the green on 17, that would be fun.

But suppose you have a player you enjoy watching - Mike Weir and Stephen Ames are playing, as are 118 non-Canadians - is playing in a group that doesn't have a huge crowd. Perhaps you could follow them around. And if they have an early tee time, follow them and then find a place to sit viewing the 18th (or 9th) when they reach it. Or, if they have a late tee time, find a good place to view early in their round (pay attention to see if your group is teeing off at 10 or 1), watch the hole, and then follow your group when they arrive. This way, you can do both a group and a hole. Remember, on Friday, there are two waves, so you can watch your favorite player and then go watch a hole anyway, or vice versa. Pairings and times should be announced on the 4th or 5th.

Crowded is typically dependent on the day, event, and group. Even the super-crowded events have hot dog pairings (as in, "Well, let's go get a hot dog before the next group gets here."). If you're lucky, a player you really like won't have a big crowd. If you want to watch the Tiger-Phil-Scott pairing (this existed the last time I went to a tournament), good luck seeing anything.

My only other advice involves some terminology: PGA TOUR, not PGA. If you were to go to, say, the Transitions Championship, you probably won't find too many people who care. But this is the TOUR's big stop, and really came around the time of the PGA / PGA TOUR split. People know what you mean, but the slight difference in terminology might be a big deal to someone at the TOUR's biggest event at the TOUR's headquarters.


If you have any other questions, or want to hear more about my past viewing experiences (NWT event, L.A. Open, Tiger Challenge, and a U.S. Open), or something else that will aid in you having a great experience on that day, let me know. I'm jealous of your opportunity and I'd be happy to help.

[kpaulhus]

Ill be there but Im going to brave heading out on Saturday.

[The Dark Lefty]

Drink plenty of water and try to leave your cell phone in the car. If the marshalls find any electronic devices when they pat you down, they will make you go back to your car to leave it. Which brings me to Parking. Unless you are staying at The Mariott at TPC Sawgrass you will have a hard time finding a parking place close to the golf course. You will probably have to take a shuttle to your car. Unless you want to follow someone, i would go to the 16th green and set up shop there. You can see 16 and 17 island hole and probably see everybody. Hope you have fun.

[Dub]

Awesome tournament !!!

This is one I've never been to but would love it.

I've only been to one tournament, The Masters, but I've been several times & mainly to the practice rounds. I like to arrive as early in the
morning as they allow. It's damp and
slippery so I always wear my golf shoes.

I like to start at the putting green to see who is about to tee off. I may walk back to the range to see who is warming up. From there I'll wait and watch groups of interest tee off at one and come back on two.

Like the guys above mentioned, I drink lots of water in the morning when I'm working my way around.
A Pimento cheese and a chicken sandwich hits the spot and then sit for a while and enjoy some beer at 12, 13, 15 green-16 tee. It's fun to sit near 16 green, too.

Basically water up & walk in the morning and sit & sip in the afternoon.