"Walking to the tee is kind of like seeing a police car in your rearview mirror, and you don't know if they're after you or not. If you're lucky and the police car roars by, you can take a deep breath."

I'm off to Scottsdale to see what the Waste Management Open is all about and to write a story for Golf World. I'm excited to attend a golf tournament where people show up (35,000 Tuesday according to a Jason Sobel Tweet??). Not so wild about dealing with drunk frat boys, but that's why we have the media center.

Steve DiMeglio looks at the spectacle that has become the 16th hole.

"There are obviously some players who probably don't like all the noise that's basically on every hole," Anthony Kim says. "But look, if you can't play in that kind of atmosphere, don't go to the tournament.

"It's a one-time-a-year deal. It's a great event."

It's the one week of the year where golfers pack a healthy portion of patience — and a good sense of humor — into their travel bags as they head to TPC Scottsdale. The tournament has earned its well-deserved reputation for attracting throngs of partiers who know or care little about golf etiquette.

And we're talking throngs. In one day the tournament attracts as many people as other tournaments attract all week. In the last two years, more than 525,000 people have attended the tournament — each year.

In the Valley of the Sun, a colossal gathering of fans of all stripes, shapes and sizes cranks up the volume with earsplitting enthusiasm, often lubricated by libations served at scores of concession stands. While the drivable par-17th can get downright ridiculous with its massive tee-to-green gallery, and the par-4 finishing hole can turn into a sea of people, the hot spot of the seven-day bash is the par-3, 162-yard 16th, the most untamed hole in golf.

And I loved this, even though I'm not entirely sure what he's talking about...but I think he's referring to the walk and eventual relief reaching 17 tee:

"That can be a very scary hole," PGA Tour veteran Joe Durant says. "Walking to the tee is kind of like seeing a police car in your rearview mirror, and you don't know if they're after you or not. If you're lucky and the police car roars by, you can take a deep breath."

I'm also curious about this element of the hole, as reported on by Jason Sobel:

There's more to it than simply reacting to golf shots, though. There's an element of creativity that helps set the scene.

"Somehow," said Jonathan Kaye, who won here in 2003, "they know more than everybody. Literally. They know your birthday. They know your kids. They know your dog's name. I don't know how they find out all that stuff, but they do."

It's all in the name of fun -- and there's no hole all season that provides as much entertainment as this one.