Spectator Guide

July 2009 Special Advertising Section

Catch your mandatory, up-close-and-personal-if-you’re-really-lucky glimpse of Tiger Woods, but also appreciate the other beehives of activity at the 2009 PGA Championship.

Photo-Ops & Autographs

Fans may bring cameras and pursue autographs during practice rounds only (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday). Your odds of landing Tiger Woods’ John Hancock are roughly akin to your odds of acing Hazeltine’s 248-yard 13th hole with a shovel and a Nerf ball, given the throngs of fans that follow his every move. Tiger will sign a few items, though, so go for it if you wish. Autographs for all players are best secured on walkways from a green to the next tee, or near the clubhouse after a player has finished his round.
Photo by Montana Pritchard/The PGAof America

Course Landmark

Near the 16th tee, check out the Payne Stewart bridge, named for the popular golfer who won the 1991 U.S. Open at Hazeltine and later died in a 1999 air accident. Fans can’t access the bridge, but they can watch players cross it.
Photo by Matt Seefeldt

What’s In All Those Tents?

For starters, there’s the Wanamaker Club Pavilion near the first fairway where the amenities include air conditioning, televisions, and themed food and beverages. A $425 Wanamaker ticket package gets you access. The vast majority of the tent real estate is for corporate hospitality. An entry level $20,000 package buys five people seven days, with food and beverages (including alcohol). The top-tier is $375,000 for a 150-person chalet with 150 tickets each day for all seven days. This private area comes with client-specified décor, large-screen TVs, bars, comfy seating, Internet access, live scoring, and air conditioning.

Volunteer Corps

The buzz on and around the course includes a platoon 3,600 volunteers on marshal detail, transportation duty, scoring assistance, and more. “Standard bearers and walking scorers are always the most popular jobs and quickest to fill,” says Melissa Brady, the tournament’s manager of administration. If you haven’t already signed up to volunteer, you’ve likely missed your chance. By February, all volunteer positions had been filled, with a hopeful 250 more on a waiting list.
Photo by Montana Pritchard/The PGAof America