Reflections On The 2008 U.S. Open: Fan Experience

I forgot to mention in the post on the "Championship Vision" TV that over the next few days I'll reflect on the 2008 U.S. Open and would love to read comments from others who attended. The Open will return to Torrey Pines, so why not start making our wish list for making a successful venue even better (and I know Rees, you just can't wait for the design critique post!).

So, the fan experience, as observed by someone who had an armbadge (for what it's worth)...

- While I never took the shuttle from Qualcom Stadium, I heard excellent reports about the experience. Wish they could find a closer place to park like Del Mar, but with the fair I understand why that was impossible.

- The grandstands were excellent and plentiful, though I'm still mystified by the huge gap between the 18th green and The Lodge while the scoreboard was buried under a tree that made reading it tricky for older fans in the stands. Yes, The Lodge is a beautiful piece of Greene and Greene style architecture and a great place for the Executive Committee to test the limits of a two-drink maximum (wait, that's the staff rule, sorry), but the priorities seemed a bit skewed here.
The 18th green setting and scoreboard (click to enlarge)

-  So much for uninspired SoCal sports fans. The buzz around the marquee pairings and playoff was incredible. I'm still astounded at Rocco's ability to walk from green to tee through a deafening roar and settle down enough to put a good swing on the ball. Tiger is used to it, but I doubt Rocco had ever experienced a rush like some of those walks.

Dick Rugge in the AmEx Tent (click to enlarge)- The corporate sponsors. As you know, I've been a strong supporter of...banishing the corporate involvement. It pains me to admit that the American Express Experience was one of the real highlights of the week. The opportunity to see USGA testing equipment and chat it up with USGA equipment gurus about how the ball rollback will work (just kidding!) was quite unique, as were the history related exhibits. The Lexus tent was much less classy, but for reasons I'll never understand, the fans loved waiting in line to pose with the trophy and hit a closest to the pin shot. 

- The merchandise tent. Reasonable pricing on nearly all items, an incredible array of choices for all taste buds and an efficient operation (at least the times I visited, though I did hear about some long waits to pay).  Whatever they are paying Mary Lopuszynski, it's probably not enough.

- Armband madness. The USGA's Craig Smith and Pete Kowalski are saints, walking 36-holes a day doing a masterful job corralling the massive media and guest entourage (Reggie Jackson?) who were awarded armbadges for inside the rope access. It's not a new problem I'm sure, but there were one too many go-fers belonging to producers for international TV as significant writers had to borrow armbadges. The USGA needs to reevaluate the access here because fans were growing weary of sitting in a spot all day and having their views blocked. And I grew tired of hearing the same old bad jokes.

Tiger's 18th hole eagle Saturday and the media inside the ropes (click to enlarge)- The volunteers. They seemed well trained and I never heard about a lost ball, which was incredible considering the grey skies and how far down some balls would nestle. I spoke to many marshals during the week to hear observations on how holes were playing, and their energy and passion was wonderful. Of course, when there is a waiting list to volunteer, you better behave because you could always be replaced!