Watching an Open at the TOC

[Anthony Gholz]

To Veteran Open Spectators on TOC:
I've followed the "major" tournaments at Oakland Hills in Detroit since the 1964 Carling Open.  The South course is an old fashioned open field entity where all is visible and you can follow the spectator flow across the property while sitting in one of several "perches" on the rolling property.  Great place to watch golf with the notable exception of the Ryder Cup which was jammed.  Pick a spot a sit, see the "field" play through on one hole, and then go home.

Now move across the pond to TOC.  I've been to St Andrews multiple times both playing golf on the Old and New and once staying with the family at Rusacks for the Christmas holidays.  One year we played TOC on Christmas Day in 55 degrees and blue sky sun.  I highly recommend it.  During that occasion, on Boxing Day, Mom and I  finished on the New and walked around to the 17th green on TOC and watched my son & father finish their round on TOC, playing up to the green and then following them down 18.  Took pictures the whole time.

Many of us I'm sure have dreamed of seeing an Open on TOC and, having been on property, I thought it would be a simple matter to walk along the right side OB line and follow my favorite player.  However, during an Open the stands along the right side immediately put that dream in jeopardy.  No problem, I just walk around the stands and the putting course, oh and the second tee which is OB for the rest of the year, and pick my group up at the first green.  Then follow my plan around (with maybe a bottleneck around the back of the 7&11 green) and down the inward nine along 12 thru 16. 

The we walk around behind 17 tee, another OB tee, and then ... what?   Even if we get around the Old Course hotel we're stuck.  Can't walk down The Road  of the Road Hole can we?  And of course the crowds along 18 are too big to allow "following" much less "watching" my favorite group. 

For you veterans of an Open at St Andrews what do you say about my "plan?"  Can at least parts of it be followed?  Or are there just too many people and I should just find a place in the stands and watch from one spot all day?  It doesn't seem that you can watch one group play all 18 holes during an Open.
Thanks for commenting on my dream and giving me a few tips for watching.
Anthony

[Michael Felton]

TOC is probably the worst course on the Open rota from the perspective of spectating. The holes all sit side by side with each other and so you only have one side that you can see from at any given moment. You can generally follow along the right hand side until the 7th tee, but then 7 disappears into that area that you can't get to. You can go around to 8 and follow 8, 9, 10, but then you're stuffed once they play 11. You kind of have to walk all the way around 10, 9, 8 and get round to 12 tee that way. Then you can follow along the right side until 17. They do open walkways to cross the fairways, but they have to wait for an opening on two holes at once to do it, so you could easily sit there for 20 minutes waiting for a crossing to open. It's also pretty flat, so if it's more than three people deep, then good luck seeing much unless you're blessed with being tall.

[Adam Lawrence]

The other problem with spectating in St Andrews is that, as Michael says, the property is rather flat but that the greens are _mostly_ slightly raised. Therefore you are, unless you are in a grandstand, trying to watch from below the level of the putting surface.


There is a great spot for viewing on a small dune close to the tenth green which gives a decent view of most of the Loop. But generally from a spectating pov I’d say it is really a TV course…

[Niall C]

I've always thought the best way to walk the course and follow a group during the Open is to go on the practice day. During the actual comp it is near impossible to follow a particular group unless they are out late in the day and there isn't a big name in the group. Far better to pick a stand to sit in for a couple of hours and watch the groups go by. Generally the big names will be bunched together in the first couple of days.


That's the practicalities but really for me going to the Open is about the vibe and meeting friends both by accident and design.


Niall

[Kalen Braley]

At the risk of the purists like Melvynn blowing a gasket...

Seems like they could place a grand stand configuration on the west side of the course (OB if it can be arranged) near the 6-12, 5-13, 4-14, 3-15, and 2-16 greens.  This would greatly enhance viewing and perhaps provide some epic views of that entire corridor. And its not like they don't have the stomach for it, it already exists in large form on the 18th hole at most Opens.

As a bonus even one to the east side of 1 green.

[Niall C]

Kalen


What is noticeable at more recent Opens is that there are more and more grandstands with the expectation that fans will do what I suggested above, and staying the one place and watch groups pass through. At the last Open at TOC I recall the stands being larger but then they were covering a double green and two sets of tees.


Niall

[mike_beene]

The US Open at Merion had similar challenges.