Pinehurst #2
It's probably not very nice of me to rub in the fact that I was at Pinehurst last Sunday for the US Open, but I just haven't been able to help myself at work. It's just been so damn long since I've gotten anything more than lunch at Chili's from a vendor that I've forgotten how to take stuff like that for granted.It really was cool as hell. I caught the vendor's shuttle down to Pinehurst from the Sheraton in Raleigh with three of my customers that I'd set up with tickets. We got to the course a little before 10am and immediately headed for "Carolina Village", the fenced-off area for corporate hospitality "tents". Lemme tell you, these were tents unlike any tent I'd every been in and there were dozens and dozens of them. Walking across the front porch past the rocking chairs and through the glass doors you first saw the receptionists with everything from programs to SPF 30 sunscreen. Then there was the bar to the right (complete with flatscreen TV), the lounging area to the left (with another flatscreen TV) and the buffet at the back, where we proceeded to fuel up on scrambled eggs, grits, hashbrowns and (for the other guys) piles of bacon and sausage. That sort of established the pattern for the day - wander over to the nearby holes (mostly 12-14), watch John Daly blast his drive into the woods, then wander back to the hospitality tent for more food and (unfortunately not until after noon) beer, then wander back and catch a few more holes. We did actually get over to the grandstands at the first hole to catch some of the leaders tee off, but that got kinda boring after a few pairs (and there was no free beer there). Oh, and did I mention the restrooms? While all the poor schmucks that had shelled out $85 for a ticket were waiting in line at the Port-a-John to relieve themselves of their $8 hot dogs and $6 beers, we headed back to the Carolina Village for the restroom trailers, replete with paneled walls, air conditioning and real sinks with actual non-potable water (said so right on the label). Let the commoners have the stinky holes, by golly - we were living like kings!
Oh, yeah, in between the eating and the drinking and the relieving ourselves, we did catch a little golf. We even managed to catch a glimpse of Tiger approaching the green at 17, but that was about as close as we got. But we caught quite a few holes in between the beer runs. Or beer stumbles.
Around 4, we figured we'd better hit the souvenir tents to make up for not spending Father's Day with our families and that's when it stopped being all free. The rumors of $82 polo shirts were not unfounded. Somehow the guy with no kids (me) ended up spending the most money - Dad, I'll get your present in the mail sometime soon.
It probably wasn't the best way to watch golf - you don't really see very much and we left before it was over. But it was a hell of a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon in June!
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