My beautiful, lovely, amazing wife bought me tickets to the Memorial Tournament for my birthday. I am really looking forward to seeing tour players in person. I have never attended a professional golf tournament before, so can anyone give me some advice on what I need to know? Things I should take, not take, general advice, etc. Thanks!
Patience - Sounds odd, but depending on who you are following, it can get a lot more hectic than you would initially believe. TV doesn't do this a lot of justice.
Hat - Shade will potentially be at a premium
Raingear - It's the Memorial, flip a coin :) At least a golf umbrella if you rain is at all in the forecast, which I hope it isn't!
Comfortable shoes - No need for golf shoes really at all. Just a comfortable pair of gym shoes with decent traction. You will likely do a decent bit of walking until or unless you find a great spot you want to camp out at.
Definitely grab a program on the way in as it should have the course layout and the days tee times added as a separate piece of paper within.
What not to bring:
Mobile phone - They will more than likely ask you at least a half-dozen times on the way in. Just leave it in the car and enjoy the deafening silence that the lack of a mobile phone shall bring you.
Camera - Unless it is a practice round, they too are verboten.
Anything that will weigh you down or be remotely uncomfortable, extra keys, backpacks, etc.
Tournaments are amazingly laid back and the volunteers are by and large awesome. If you have a question they will be uniformly attired, and easy to spot and absolutely willing to help you locate a hole or provide an idea for a shortcut to a specific location. For the most part, just adhere to the general rules of etiquette with respect to golf that you would when playing: stay quiet when appropriate, respond when appropriate, etc.
If you have a rather popular player you wish to follow, be prepared to not necessarily see as much as you would hope, since everyone else had the same idea. This is where camping out at a fixed point around a green is advantageous, however then you will only see them once. If you just want to see solid golf played, find a "lesser" known group and follow them the full 18. I promise you will not be disappointed even if someone is having an off day. These guys are professionals for a reason and it's not because they hit every third shot well. The shear sound of a crisp iron shot, even off line by the pro's lofty standard is still one that will stick with you.
Above all, relax and have fun. The Memorial is a great tournament with an incredible field. Muirfield Village is an amazing course.
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