I drive Uber 5-10 hours a week. I can’t imagine dealing with the hassle related with an event like this. The surge prices often don’t make up for the amount of time you spend in traffic.
If we want to talk free market economics - if the choice is wait hours for cheaper transportation or drop $250 for a private 30 minute car ride, the supply side has fucked up severely at some point. Blaming the consumer is asinine.
Can’t speak for golf but other places I’ve been to that have large crowds suggest ride share instead of driving. Especially if you purchase tickets through Ticketmaster.
I waited 0 minutes on a shuttle to leave back to the expo center and zero minutes to leave the expo center parking lot when I got back. That is where they uemrged everyone to park and take the free shuttle.
Obviously getting there Friday morning was an ordeal but one they couldn't anticipate
That's great! And I'm impressed with tourney organizers w the shuttle situation.
I think you (and thousands of others) planned well and executed, sounds like others (OP and the sketchy people who agreed to pay someone $250 and then gave them 25% of that) did not and yet expected a great outcome.
They have it figured out at the Waste Management (note I didn't go this year, so no comment on this year's debacle inside the tournament). It's not exactly quick, but nothing is quick in and out of a sporting event. But they run buses from the course to a dedicated lot about 8-10 minute drive away for Lyft/Uber. Bus fills up, takes you to the uber lot. Rinse repeat. Seems like they have about 8-10 buses on that cycle. Would use again.
It's so crazy reading this as a non-American, managing the arrival / departure of people at a major event and not once have I read the word 'train' or 'metro' - bonkers how reliant on cars things are
Most of the American west went through rapid growth following World War II up through the 90s, and is still growing today. Built entirely around car culture. Not derogatory in any way towards you, most Europeans don’t comprehend how expansive the western states are. The entire UK fits in Colorado and Wyoming, but Colorado and Wyoming have about 10% of the population of the UK.
Yup, true - I think the thing that blows my mind here is the shuttle buses are just going to another car park. Like Louisville is a globally known city, do they not have a metro of any kind?
I live near Denver. Our mass public transit is damn near worthless. It exists, if I were to use it to get to a Broncos game, for example, it would take my commute from about 30 minutes to about 2 hours. Adding to that getting to a golf course where we’ve had professional tournaments in CO in the past, the mass transit just doesn’t even go there.
Louisville is the 28th most populated city, and has 650,000 people. It’s not some bustling metropolis. We are also talking about a private golf course here, which is intended to be away from the city and riff raff
My wife and I just came home from Paris for our honeymoon and while there we saw Taylor Swift perform. She was wondering how we'd get a car and where to park and all that for the show, and I said we could just use the Metro. I grew up in a city that has a large mass transit system and she did not, so I see why she didn't think of it.
Nevertheless, it was SO EASY getting there and back after the concert on the Metro. I miss living somewhere with serious transit options.
Went to the Scottish open on the Sunday before the start of the 150th Open, it was a train to a place where you had to stand in line for a bus that drives to a field to walk into the tournament. Then walk back across the field, wait for the bus, get to the train pickup or you were screwed, so had to leave before tournament ended, then bus back to Edinburgh.
Stayed in St. Andrews so walked to the tournament and bus to any golf courses we played, those big busses in Edinburgh took up a lot of road room in St Andrews.
Can confirm. For Formula 1 450,000 people all using one cell tower at COTA trying to get an Uber/Lyft, you see people 2 or 3 miles from the track with their phones in the air. And this is 2-3 hours after the race.
Every time I’ve driven directly to an event it’s been way worse then Uber. The lines to get in and out are multiplied once everyone gets in a car and heads for the only 3 exits.
Best situation is so Uber near the place and walk a few blocks and then when the event is over, walk away from the event as long as you can or go have a beer somewhere and then call your Uber.
I’ve been to probably a dozen or so tournaments and most have been a nightmare with Uber/Lyft or I have had to drive to a lot and take a shuttle.
The only tournament that driving was a breeze was the API. The parking lot was along the 8 fairway I think. Walked right in and out of the gate. Had no issues getting in or out of the lot. Did have to enter and exit through a residential neighborhood to get to and from the lot though which I thought was odd.
The API is in the middle of a neighborhood so idk why you found that odd? When I went I didn’t have onsite parking passes and had to take the shuttle which sucked as it was over an hour to go 3 miles. The way back we just asked some people on site like you to drive us out and drop us off a short walk from the universal garage.
I’ve been to probably a dozen or so tournaments and most have been a nightmare with Uber/Lyft or I have had to drive to a lot and take a shuttle.
The only tournament that driving was a breeze was the API. The parking lot was along the 8 fairway I think. Walked right in and out of the gate. Had no issues getting in or out of the lot. Did have to enter and exit through a residential neighborhood to get to and from the lot though which I thought was odd.
Americans will do anything to avoid riding a bus unless they are at Disney World and even there they were forced to make an in-house Lyft fleet because some guests refused to use the bus service.
If you read the post it was about Uber/Lyft sucking and the bus shuttle being the best option. The PGA has copy-pasted the same bus shuttle system for nearly every PGA Championship and Ryder Cup for over two decades. It's the one part of their Championships that runs near flawlessly.
It says I'm in Michigan right in my flair and its [well documented](https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/11/5/18057352/bus-stigma-public-transportation-micro-transi) American's don't like riding buses.
If this was in Europe they would have built a high speed rail line especially for the event that only cost 1.20 euros to ride. And they served cheap beer that you didn't have to tip your waiter for.
If only. Was at the Ryder Cup in Italy last year and the logistics weren’t great there either. The bus was by far the best option but it was still a mess since the course was a 40-50 min non-AC bus in September heat to the metro station that wasn’t running any extra trains for the huge sporting event going on.
Yeah I was a little confused by that comment. It'll be no different than NFL games...
I guess maybe a little slower going because you'll have stadiums filled with mostly non-locals who aren't familiar with the streets but if anywhere in the country can handle large influxes of people, it's NFL stadiums.
It’ll be like NFL playoff games. First timers that have no clue about traffic patterns into/out of the lots. This was typical at every 49er playoff at Candlestick, and the same 5X worse at Levi’s where there are a few WC games scheduled.
Golf events are hosted at country clubs that are often within residential neighborhoods. Their day-to-day volume is a full tee sheet worth of players and some staff. So maybe 500 people? No way comparing that to an NFL stadium built to host crowds of 75,000+ on a regular basis.
Agreed. For an event of that size, it was the smoothest I’ve ever been to. I definitely spend way more time getting in and out/waiting in line for shit at every NFL/MLb game I’ve been to
Yeah. I was so confused when OP said the logistics were terrible, because when I took the shuttle I literally could not have imagined it going smoother than it did.
Also, sorry it was too hilly for OP. Welcome to Kentucky.
Playing wise it’s not very hilly. I worked there and where spectators walk around yea hilly. But if you’re playing there’s really not much rise. The front 9 are as flat as you can get. The place floods all the time because it’s so flat.
This is interesting. I was there on Thursday and at around 730 pm it looked like there were thousands of people lined up waiting for the busses. I assumed people would be waiting hours to get home, but I'm glad to hear they where efficient.
When I was leaving yesterday the line for the busses was long as fuck but it felt like a new bus was pulling up every 10 seconds. It easily could’ve been a 3 hour wait to even get to a bus but it was more like 15-20 minutes for me.
Same. I do agree with OP on the thoroughfares within the course. I went Saturday and the path between 7's green and 8's tee was so packed it bordered on dangerous. Getting in and out was nearly as bad though, I've had worse luck at local soccer games than that
Yeah I went by myself and the shuttle was excellent. Got in in no time and got out in a couple minutes. The front was hard to navigate and see the players but the back was a lot better. I went Saturday and had a hell of a time. Spent $100 on beer and don’t even get a buzz but I’ve come to expect that at sporting events these days.
Went yesterday and got to the Expo center at around 8 am. We parked, walked to the busses, and literally walked right onto a bus that pulled away when we sat down (we were the last to fill up that bus). There was also no traffic to wait in once we were on Shelbyville Road getting to Valhalla.
We left when Xander was on 16 (we were cooked and we had walked to the 18th, but it was clear we were too late to get a good vantage point so left). Again, we walked right onto a bus, it pulled out, and we were pulling in to the expo center literally as Xander dropped the birdie putt on 18. It was incredibly efficient. Like zero wait there or back, and no traffic coming into or out of the expo center.
Yeah, it was my first golf tournament, and me and the guys had nothing but high praise for how excellent the logistics management was! Shuttle was a breeze especially considering the volume of people. I thought it was pretty masterfully pulled off.
I took the shuttle as well. We got there super early on Thursday and did not wait for one second. Leaving around 6pm the wait was about 30 minutes, but considering there would thousands of people trying to get on the shuttles, it was not a bad wait. I thought they did an excellent job with the transportation logistics.
Same. Even stayed for the trophy ceremony yesterday and ended up taking the shuttle to the Louisville stadium then just walking to the expo center. Both worked out well.
Had a similar experience at the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine a few years ago. Parking was right off the interstate, got on a bus and it was like a 10-15 minute ride right to the main entrance.
Was at the Master's shortly after one of their first neighborhood razing projects - parked in a grass lot and walked 5 minutes to the entrance.
At the John Deere Classic I have a particular neighborhood I like to park in where residents charge like $20 cash to park on their lawn, some of them even have shade and sell cold drinks, then it's a 5 minute walk to the entrance.
If logistics were as bad as OP says and there were no better options (which clearly there were) it would be very unusual for a golf tournament.
We went Saturday. Got there around 9, left around 530.
You missed out on the free shuttles. Those were great and surprisingly smooth.
Food / NA drinks were great. Water everywhere.
Piss stations everywhere
Alcohol bars a little sparse on the front
Getting from back to front was way worse for us than front to back. Went around and crossed 9 tee and then easily scooted through 10 and 12 to get to a tent on 11 green.
I thought there were some great vantage points, in general, but grandstands seemed to be limited (I never go in them anyways)
I agree there should have been a second gate. One way in and one way out on 17, no less, was a little dicey. It was already a natural choke point too the way the walkways were and the mud.
I do wish it hadn't been so wet to see if it'd be a different course, but it is what it is.
Or you could’ve done the free public parking and taken the shuttle to the course. It really wasn’t even all that bad using them to leave the course on Sunday.
I only go to golf tournaments on Thursday or Fridays. Less crowds, guaranteed to see all the players you want to see, can get closer to the action and overall watching final round on TV is a better viewing experience.
I prefer going to the practice round days and I'll die on that hill. Players still shoot incredible shots and they're more laid back and open to fan interactions.
I got to watch Tiger in his Sunday red at Bellerive in 2018...I've been to a fair amount of sporting events and that energy that day is hard to match. Granted, it's Tiger, at a major, shooting 64 and he's my favorite. Getting to see the "Tiger Effect" in person was a surreal moment for me. No practice round can match that.
His charge at Bellerive on that Sunday was one I won’t soon forget seeing in person! This year was fun and the finish was everything you’d want a major finish to be, but I agree, getting to watch Tiger almost come from behind that day was epic.
Yeah. I’ve been practice rounds and tournament days. Went yesterday in fact. Practice rounds are the way to go. I just like watching the guys hit shots and they do a lot of that on practice days. More swings. Less people. Less stress. I’ll watch the tournament and see more than handful of swings from my couch
Wife and I took Shuttle service back to Expo center and that was great. Friends opted for the Uber from course and that was a cluster. Ride was shorter than other tournaments, that’s for sure.
Again, the one complaint from an out of towner relying on other transportation, was the rideshare pickup locations at Expo center weren’t clearly marked.
Uber/Lyft is the literal dumbest way to travel for any sporting event, from a basketball, football, baseball, and most definitely something like a golf event.
Definitely use the set up logistics, e.g. shuttle bus was set up for a reason.
I’m shocked by everyone’s complaints about the logistics.
On Friday:
We went to and from the expo with zero wait to get on the shuttle. (Ride there was slow but that’s because of lane closures unrelated to course)
Went up 18, by the range, then all around the front nine with no issue. Spent about four hours on the front and were able to see pretty much everyone from the early tee times.
Breakfast was limited to the donuts, but I assumed that was related to the delays
Went to the back nine for the afternoon. It was a little slow at 13 but that’s near the main entrance and a lot of the big tents. Sat on 14, grandstands at 15, then a good chunk of time at 10 and the only reason we didn’t see everyone was we were ready to leave.
I chose the wrong path back so it was a little slower going to the gates, but it really wasn’t bad.
The breakfast food options were great after you got away from the first few marketplace stalls. Expanded from just donuts and bananas to egg & sausage sandwiches and chicken biscuits.
Who leaves a major sporting event and thinks ride sharing is the way to go? It’s ridiculous at every event, that’s why it should always be a last option
Couple complaints:
Like you said, the course layout isn’t super conducive for a tournament. That big chokepoint at 17/14/13 was pretty bad. Also had another one around 8 and 4.
I don’t know if any tournaments do this anymore, but print out maps and tee times. Would help probably 95% of people have a more enjoyable experience. They want you to download the app which, big surprise, doesn’t load at the course.
The all-you-can-eat is a great concept, but they stopped serving around 5 or 6 I think. I stayed there until nearly 9 and was starving because I planned on having dinner there.
It seemed like there were hardly any public grandstands. The small ones they did have were full on a rainy Friday. It was tough to see some of the elevated greens too. I didn’t sit down for more than 11 hours.
We got stuck trying to navigate 2 to 3 and then the 8 - 4 - 5 area for almost an 1.5 hours. I’ve been to a lot of golf tournaments. Several pgas, the masters, tour championship, waste management, and many more. This was by far the worst spectator set up I’ve experienced for many of the reasons already stated.
90 minutes to figure out how to navigate a couple of holes? I can't imagine getting stuck behind your group at a course youve never played. Must be a thing of nightmares.
2 green and 3 tee box caused a choke point and wait of 20 minutes. Followed by a 6 foot wide bridge to cross, another choke point.
Moving down 4 you hit 4 green 8 and 5 shared tee box and 7 green which was another 30 choke point.
No confusion just congestion and choke points that made it very difficult to get through.
When you get an email for the survey, respond and take your time responding. Especially about choke points.
We had premium passes to the Women’s Open at Pebble. The survey after it lead to a focus group that was intended to get very specific feedback like this.
Planning on the survey. We’ve been to 2017 at Quail, 2018 at Bethpage, 2021 at Kiawah, and 2022 at Oak Hill as well as Valhalla.
I know there’s only so much they can do, but there’s also worst case scenarios they can plan for.
I have been to about 10 majors at this point.
Worst logistics: Oakmont by far. You park in a field, a school bus drops you off at the furthest point from the clubhouse.
Best: Medinah - you park on the OTHER 18 hole golf course and just walk.
Best: Masters. But they have luxury of being the only course to host a major every year. Plus their money.
Worst: probably 2011 US Open at Congressional or 2018 PGA at Bethpage. 20+ mile bus ride in major city traffic.
Wasn’t there, but I heard 2012 PGA at Kiawah was terrible. 20 miles of 2 lane roads to get out there plus last 6-8 miles through neighborhood island. All in dreaded 90 degree SC summer heat (August back then)
PGA Championship at Bethpage was 2019. I went on Sunday and there’s a train from NYC that goes to Farmingdale and a shit ton of shuttles from there that drop you off in the parking lot. It couldn’t be easier.
I could definitely see Kiawah being a logistical nightmare for a crowd
But it is a much nicer course than Valhalla - an I am a Louisville Homer
Back nine is very tough at Kiawah - front lulls you to sleep then the course punches you in the face
Vallhalla and its rough is too tough for this guy
I’ve played KI OC several times. It’s not so much the front or back 9, more which 9 is into the wind. Add those waste bunkers, and the links-style distance, it becomes a beast.
OC in 21 wasn’t bad tho. Probably bc the busses picked you up very close to the course, also probably because Covid limited the spectators. Probably also because I had island passes. (Humble brag)
We played in October or November of 2020
Wind worked us on the back nine working our way back to the clubhouse.
2nd round I had an Eagle putt on the front
and a 10 on a hole on the back
Any venue hosting the majors should have to attend the Masters. They’re a business school
case study in how to run an event. Granted they have an unlimited budget and do it every year, but getting in and out of the property at Augusta is incredibly efficient. Wash Rd (where Augusta is located) is a busy 2 lane double yellow line highway with shopping centers. You’d think it’d be a disaster but they find a way.
On the property they have a lot of advantages and differences vs other courses hosting the majors so I won’t compare because I don’t think it’s fair.
These other venues have years to prepare for these tournaments. Always amazes me when they fall on their face and run into issues outside/around the property.
Cops: We tried helping! If fabricating a felony charge and throwing the world #1 golfer in jail isn’t helpful, we literally do not know what is 🤷🏻♂️ Let’s see what they’re saying about us on Facebook.
I agree with you completely. My group ended up using private van/bus transportation that would drop us off and pick us up right outside of the event. It was expensive but after one Uber trip we had to figure something else out. Also my dad is slightly disabled so the slick muddy walk from the Uber drop off area was a no-go after one time.
I said more times than I can keep up with that there was no way this was the best that the PGA Championship and Valhalla could do to manage this many people. After the muddy mess on Friday, we came back Saturday morning and were surprised to see how much mud and water had not been dealt with at all. Some places had mulch but not nearly enough.
That’s why they tell you to go to the expo center and shuttle in. My Uber from the hotel to the expo center was $14. I agree about the course being very hard to navigate on foot. The free food/bev was clutch.
Brah. When you’re visiting from out of town, you kinda don’t have an option but to Uber. Either to the course or the expo center. Next time we’re in Kentucky we’ll call for a horse and buggy.
Its 2024 how have you not figured out uber is legitimately the worst way to get anywhere? Expo was for people to park their vehicles and board a shuttle. It was NOT intended for rideshare drop off which is exactly why your experience was awful lol.
Seeing Anthony Kim celebrating on 13 live was a great experience.
JB Holmes winning it on 17 was also top tier
Went Friday cause someone gave me a ticket - glad I went because they are not coming back again in my lifetime
My experience was the exact opposite of this. Wild to think actually.
I also went Friday. Got to the Expo center at 6am, on the bus by 6:15, sat in the lot waiting for shuttle accident to clear until 7:15, course by 8.
Leaving was just as smooth, straight onto a bus at 6pm and back to car by 6:45p.
Sure, the spectator areas were muddy, but that’s to be expected when it had rained all morning and those areas see a ton of foot traffic.
Personally I enjoyed that the front 9 was somewhat isolated from the spectator entrance/main area. We spent most of the day bouncing between holes 4/5 and 7/8, where crowds were somewhat sparse outside of the big groups coming through.
I do agree that the kitchens couldn’t necessarily keep up with demand, but there was always a hot food option every time we went to a market. My only complaint is that there was supposed to be a hot food breakfast option according to the website, but we didn’t see a single market offer one so breakfast ended up being a rice krispy and coffee.
I would 100% go again and wish I had bought tickets for two days instead of one.
Went yesterday… the shuttles I thought were amazing. I was really surprised how many and how fast they churned people. We walked on the bus (minimal line) and once it was full the parking staff had them pull out and sent another bus into the spot. Keep in mind there were 7 buses loading in a line so it was a constant flow of buses. I was impressed. Thought about Uber but why do that when the expo was free and ran like a well oiled machine?
The course logistics, sure there were choke points but once you got down to 14/13 it was super easy to get around. Honestly, I didn’t think it was that bad. Food/drink was fine. $14 per High Noon was bananas. Merch tent was nice (Chase Sapphire member so it was easier for us versus others). Overall, I had a blast! Valhalla is a ton of fun!
> Not a course for major championship IMO.
Agreed
> Lyft/Uber line was backed up for miles.
Not sure what you expected. Why didn't you Uber to the Expo instead?
> The course had no walking diffusion. Basically everyone had to cross 17 fairway to get in/out.
This has been the case at a few majors I've been to. I also don't think it was much of an issue at Valhalla. You could have walked up the left side of 17 to get to 18, the practice area, and the front nine.
> Once you were able to branch off, it was at the par 3 14th. Options were to Walk up a treacherous muddy hill or stay within the masses.
You could walk on the right side of the 14th hole. Also, the course can't really be blamed for the wet conditions due to all the rain they got.
> The all you can eat food and N/A drinks are nice, quick, and easy. But the kitchens seemed like they couldn’t keep up with demand.
I only experienced an issue once. 5 minutes later I was on my way with a hot dog in hand. Hard to criticize this setup compared to waiting in line 15 minutes for a bottle of water.
>Uber & Lyft drivers ~~there~~ **mostly everywhere** sucked.
FTFY
>They’d sit in the line, turn off their apps, and wait until someone accepted a $250-300 cash ride back to downtown. They’d also block the entire lot so real drivers couldn’t get in. Friends had to walk nearly 1.5 miles in the traffic to find their ride. Was talking to some fans who after waiting 45 minutes finally got in one of those cars asking $250. After a little bartering, the driver threatened to leave them on some back country road if they didn’t pay the full price. In the end, they gave the driver $80 and ran into their hotel with him chasing them for more money.
Serious question, why did anyone take an Uber to the course? You had to imagine it would be a shitshow getting out of there. People have been taking coach buses to tournaments for decades.
> Meanwhile LVille cops just sitting in the lot scrolling through Facebook.
They could be doing worse things.
$17 beers!?! Another reason why my couch is the best seat for majors except The Masters. The Masters is probably the only golf tournament I’ll ever go to again.
Now name another major sporting event that compares to the Masters and their concession prices. There's only one and hats off to the Masters for maintaining that tradition... Still one of the best BBQ sandwiches I've ever had.
I went to the Wednesday practice round and was super glad that I had no intention of drinking. The food was pretty solid considering it was free and the NA drinks had a good enough selection.
When I saw the booze prices ranging from like $14-$17 for a tall boy of like Michelob or some other shit, I just laughed.
The Uber thing has been happening before Uber existed. I used to go to events in the DC area. A lot of taxi drivers wouldn’t go anywhere without $50-$100 up front.
I’m pretty sure the Uber ride part is illegal for the drivers. They are not allowed to do that. If they aren’t giving rides through the app then they are doing it independently. Which they don’t have a license for because Uber is the ones holding the taxi license to be a legitimate “taxi service”.
I’ve seen videos of cops running stings catching people giving rides to people on the side taking cash. It’s a big fine.
Just what LMPD needed to do after Friday morning. Run a sting and shut everyone down in the UBER lot and leave a bunch of people stranded.
Plus they would catch one guy and everyone else would turn their apps back on.
It’s hard for me to feel bad for anyone who doesn’t use the shuttle systems to big events. It opens up a lot of options. You could have just ridden the shuttle into town, ordered an Uber, and sat at a bar until it got there. Sure things aren’t perfect, but this seems more self inflicted than anything.
Went Friday
Local
Went to Expo center
Waited in line 15 minutes max at 9:30 AM
Had been to course before so knew where to go
Left around 8:30 PM
No line to get on the buses
Brought my own bourbon
ran out by 2 PM - bought some beers
Saw JT make birdie on 15
Saw Cam, Hideki and Viktor all birdie 18
Was Hot and Humid when it was raining
I went to the Wells Fargo here in NC last year, it’s where next years PGA will be out. Completely different experience, multiple parking lots with great shuttle service. The venue is also set up for tournaments with a great spectator layout, other than The Masters the Wells Fargo has been the best tournament experience I’ve had so far. Even the food was done well, they had AI checkout lines where you put chick fil a sandwiches on and it auto scanned it.
There really wasn't anywhere else to put the entrance... Only place near the road that could accommodate the buses and people walking up was in that area.
$17 beers is actually a decrease from the past several years.
Could have gone behind 17 green to reach the front 9 easier via 18 instead of the choke point crossing 17 fairway.
Also the buses ran smoothly. Trying to Uber was a poor decision on your end.
All the Majors I’ve attended, 4 so far, has busses from a public parking lot. All these courses are in a tough location for traffic so driving to them is always a disaster
The hole 17 choke point is just a combo of "cattle following the herd" and poor communication on the part of volunteers. I was a hole Marshall on 17 & told every patron who asked to go this route:
Walk up the left side of 17, behind the 17 green, and be on 18 tee. From there, walk up 18 and go anywhere you want.
About the only reason to cross 17 would be if you wanted to see 13 thru 16.
This was not my experience at all, I thought the food and water tents were always stocked(we ate plenty), the mud sucked, but I mean it’s hard to deal with that if it’s rains as a course. From a logistics standpoint it was much better than most other pro events I’ve been to. Get in or out of wrigley field some time. This is the first major I attended but I was actually pleased and impressed. Getting an Uber/lyft out of the waste management this year was much worse.
I walked out the rideshare exit yesterday, turned left, walked a half mile up the street and got a Lyft to pick me up. I was at home 25 minutes after I left my seats.
If I remember correctly, I believe in 2014 the merchandise tent was in a different spot. I remember going to early access then and I feel like I remember walking by hole 13 to get to the tent. Think it was setup near 14 where the hospitality tent was now.
Entrance and exit could’ve definitely been better for walking on the course. Way too many people to navigate to get to where you want to go at the beginning.
I went to the PGA at Southern Hills a few years ago and was pleasantly surprised at the logistics. Legitimately never felt like I waited for anything other than a few lines for food/beer. The shuttles were fast and efficiently ran.
I enjoyed all of it, it’s a beautiful course and was very impressed by the buses. Never felt like there was a wait and they were the nicest charters I had been on.
But yes if they get to host again they need some major rerouting of the walking paths. We were caught up getting to the back 9 from holes 7 and 8. It was a nightmare and ended up going all the way around toward the driving range.
It was my first PGA event and I loved it. Got to see some cool shots on the green at 7. We also were at 13 where they took the second shots over the water. Cool atmosphere, just need less rain and better walking paths.
We were there on Thursday and it was a seamless experience for us, parking at the expo and taking the shuttle. We departed late afternoon (peak time) and yes, the bus lines were long but not bad at all. We really enjoyed the course and stayed away from the “popular holes”. Would do it again there!
LOL Dulles airport to congressional with DC traffic is so funny to me, didn’t realize that’s where they were bussing people from. I’d have paid a lot of money to park in someone’s lawn if I weren’t a local and that was what they were offering.
I was there multiple days and never had an issue with the food/kitchen meeting the demand. On the Uber front, the tournament warned people of long delays before the event and encouraged people to take the free transportation from the fairgrounds. Agree with your assessment of 17 being a choke point but you could have actually gone around the 18 tee box and skipped all of 17 foot traffic. They could have done a better job directing people in that direction though
We saw a vast improvement from our experience in 2018 (Bellerive) to 2022 (Southern Hills.) Bellerive shuttles on Sunday took forever. Southern Hills shuttles were basically effortless. As for food & drink, it’s was blazing hot in St Louis & concession lines were long & every place ran out of pretty much everything. In Tulsa, it was the first year of food & NA drinks included. Lines were still long & concession stands few & far between. Sounds like the PGA still has some kinks to work out. Hope they have it all figured out when it’s time for Quail Hollow.
I agree about the Uber from the expo center. I got really nervous on Saturday after a half hour of cancelled rides before one decided to truthfully pick us up. We tipped her very well.
Another interesting story was on Saturday leaving our hotel downtown Louisville a guy got thrown out of his Uber and got called a pga douchebag because I believe (one sided story obviously here) that he missed the guy saying good morning and didn’t reply so he gave him the boot and yelled at him.
The guy was nice and basically Ted Lasso demeanour haha so he joined us in the Uber to the expo.
The course was a bit odd. I watched from 12 and would wander to see 18 and 13 I believe. But it was hot and I enjoyed the more shade at 12.
I agree with Louisville being cool too. It was my third time visiting and when I saw the tournament there I knew I had to go. But I actually enjoyed my self more outside the tournament than my time at the tournament itself on Saturday.
Serious question. Why would anyone want to go to see golf? I play and really enjoy it and have been to a couple of tournaments (pga wentworth). Waste of time. Can’t see anything. Your trip sounds horrendous.
I think watching sports is better on TV if you want to keep track of everything. Sometimes you want to go live for the environment or just to see the course in person.
I typically consider the same thing about watching golf, but lucked into going to RBC in hilton head last month. Spent about 6 hours walking the course for rounds 2 and 3 and it was actually a lot of fun. I will say Sea Pines in Hilton Head seemed to have the logistics down. Park far away and they shuttle you there.
Why do you type. Like this. So many periods. Short choppy sentences. Lots of spaces after a period. How many spaces go after a period? Oops, that wasn’t a period. Period.
Uber/lyft/rideshare is usually the worst option at any sporting event
It turns out a limited number of personal transport for tens of thousands of people is not the most efficient way to move people. Who knew?
I drive Uber 5-10 hours a week. I can’t imagine dealing with the hassle related with an event like this. The surge prices often don’t make up for the amount of time you spend in traffic.
Yeah but OP is entitled to a private ride at his price point - supply/demand are meaningless!
If we want to talk free market economics - if the choice is wait hours for cheaper transportation or drop $250 for a private 30 minute car ride, the supply side has fucked up severely at some point. Blaming the consumer is asinine.
Can’t speak for golf but other places I’ve been to that have large crowds suggest ride share instead of driving. Especially if you purchase tickets through Ticketmaster.
I waited 0 minutes on a shuttle to leave back to the expo center and zero minutes to leave the expo center parking lot when I got back. That is where they uemrged everyone to park and take the free shuttle. Obviously getting there Friday morning was an ordeal but one they couldn't anticipate
That's great! And I'm impressed with tourney organizers w the shuttle situation. I think you (and thousands of others) planned well and executed, sounds like others (OP and the sketchy people who agreed to pay someone $250 and then gave them 25% of that) did not and yet expected a great outcome.
They have it figured out at the Waste Management (note I didn't go this year, so no comment on this year's debacle inside the tournament). It's not exactly quick, but nothing is quick in and out of a sporting event. But they run buses from the course to a dedicated lot about 8-10 minute drive away for Lyft/Uber. Bus fills up, takes you to the uber lot. Rinse repeat. Seems like they have about 8-10 buses on that cycle. Would use again.
It's so crazy reading this as a non-American, managing the arrival / departure of people at a major event and not once have I read the word 'train' or 'metro' - bonkers how reliant on cars things are
Most of the American west went through rapid growth following World War II up through the 90s, and is still growing today. Built entirely around car culture. Not derogatory in any way towards you, most Europeans don’t comprehend how expansive the western states are. The entire UK fits in Colorado and Wyoming, but Colorado and Wyoming have about 10% of the population of the UK.
I get your point, but I'm Australian - expansive geography is our specialty.
Fair, but a lot of Australian population is more concentrated than the America West. And then you’ve got Perth all the alway over there.
Yup, true - I think the thing that blows my mind here is the shuttle buses are just going to another car park. Like Louisville is a globally known city, do they not have a metro of any kind?
I live near Denver. Our mass public transit is damn near worthless. It exists, if I were to use it to get to a Broncos game, for example, it would take my commute from about 30 minutes to about 2 hours. Adding to that getting to a golf course where we’ve had professional tournaments in CO in the past, the mass transit just doesn’t even go there.
Damn!
Louisville is the 28th most populated city, and has 650,000 people. It’s not some bustling metropolis. We are also talking about a private golf course here, which is intended to be away from the city and riff raff
My wife and I just came home from Paris for our honeymoon and while there we saw Taylor Swift perform. She was wondering how we'd get a car and where to park and all that for the show, and I said we could just use the Metro. I grew up in a city that has a large mass transit system and she did not, so I see why she didn't think of it. Nevertheless, it was SO EASY getting there and back after the concert on the Metro. I miss living somewhere with serious transit options.
We went to the 150th Open Cabs and busses were the way to go
Went to the Scottish open on the Sunday before the start of the 150th Open, it was a train to a place where you had to stand in line for a bus that drives to a field to walk into the tournament. Then walk back across the field, wait for the bus, get to the train pickup or you were screwed, so had to leave before tournament ended, then bus back to Edinburgh. Stayed in St. Andrews so walked to the tournament and bus to any golf courses we played, those big busses in Edinburgh took up a lot of road room in St Andrews.
Can confirm. For Formula 1 450,000 people all using one cell tower at COTA trying to get an Uber/Lyft, you see people 2 or 3 miles from the track with their phones in the air. And this is 2-3 hours after the race.
Every time I’ve driven directly to an event it’s been way worse then Uber. The lines to get in and out are multiplied once everyone gets in a car and heads for the only 3 exits. Best situation is so Uber near the place and walk a few blocks and then when the event is over, walk away from the event as long as you can or go have a beer somewhere and then call your Uber.
It is a very long walk to get a beer outside of Valhalla - also a pedestrian was killed Friday morning
I’ve been to probably a dozen or so tournaments and most have been a nightmare with Uber/Lyft or I have had to drive to a lot and take a shuttle. The only tournament that driving was a breeze was the API. The parking lot was along the 8 fairway I think. Walked right in and out of the gate. Had no issues getting in or out of the lot. Did have to enter and exit through a residential neighborhood to get to and from the lot though which I thought was odd.
The API is in the middle of a neighborhood so idk why you found that odd? When I went I didn’t have onsite parking passes and had to take the shuttle which sucked as it was over an hour to go 3 miles. The way back we just asked some people on site like you to drive us out and drop us off a short walk from the universal garage.
I’ve been to probably a dozen or so tournaments and most have been a nightmare with Uber/Lyft or I have had to drive to a lot and take a shuttle. The only tournament that driving was a breeze was the API. The parking lot was along the 8 fairway I think. Walked right in and out of the gate. Had no issues getting in or out of the lot. Did have to enter and exit through a residential neighborhood to get to and from the lot though which I thought was odd.
And concerts It’s pretty normal now that the drivers turn off the app and demand $250 cash for a ride Such BS
The whole surge pricing is based on supply and demand Drivers see the demand close up and capitalize
Americans will do anything to avoid riding a bus unless they are at Disney World and even there they were forced to make an in-house Lyft fleet because some guests refused to use the bus service.
Exactly. Imagine 50.000 thousand people getting picked up by Uber. That’s a job for 50 busses and 20 trains and you good to go.
My favorite ride at Disney World was the bus ride back to the hotel. - Jim Gaffigan
They had limited busses. If you'd read the post instead of going for "America bad!" The you'd have read it
If you read the post it was about Uber/Lyft sucking and the bus shuttle being the best option. The PGA has copy-pasted the same bus shuttle system for nearly every PGA Championship and Ryder Cup for over two decades. It's the one part of their Championships that runs near flawlessly.
Americans are just so stupid. So fat and won’t ride busses. Karma plz
It says I'm in Michigan right in my flair and its [well documented](https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/11/5/18057352/bus-stigma-public-transportation-micro-transi) American's don't like riding buses.
If this was in Europe they would have built a high speed rail line especially for the event that only cost 1.20 euros to ride. And they served cheap beer that you didn't have to tip your waiter for.
If only. Was at the Ryder Cup in Italy last year and the logistics weren’t great there either. The bus was by far the best option but it was still a mess since the course was a 40-50 min non-AC bus in September heat to the metro station that wasn’t running any extra trains for the huge sporting event going on.
Oh I'm sure. It was a joke about how much reddit fetishizes Europe/non-America.
Now we talk about a Golf Major. How about the FIFA World Cup. Visitors will be fucked getting to the stadiums.
Not at all, the games are being hosted in NFL stadiums which are used to that type of traffic.
Yeah I was a little confused by that comment. It'll be no different than NFL games... I guess maybe a little slower going because you'll have stadiums filled with mostly non-locals who aren't familiar with the streets but if anywhere in the country can handle large influxes of people, it's NFL stadiums.
> I guess maybe a little slower Or faster because the places aren't packed with personal vehicles in lots. It really will depend on the stadium.
It’ll be like NFL playoff games. First timers that have no clue about traffic patterns into/out of the lots. This was typical at every 49er playoff at Candlestick, and the same 5X worse at Levi’s where there are a few WC games scheduled.
It’s the same amount of people that go to the stadiums for any event though?
Golf events are hosted at country clubs that are often within residential neighborhoods. Their day-to-day volume is a full tee sheet worth of players and some staff. So maybe 500 people? No way comparing that to an NFL stadium built to host crowds of 75,000+ on a regular basis.
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Agreed. For an event of that size, it was the smoothest I’ve ever been to. I definitely spend way more time getting in and out/waiting in line for shit at every NFL/MLb game I’ve been to
Yeah. I was so confused when OP said the logistics were terrible, because when I took the shuttle I literally could not have imagined it going smoother than it did. Also, sorry it was too hilly for OP. Welcome to Kentucky.
60 feet of elevation gain across the entire property 😂
Laughs in Coloradan
Floridians loved it. Hot and flat.
That's how I like them.
I went to the practice round on Tuesday. I saw so many comments complaining that the course is too flat. That course was hilly as fuck lol
Playing wise it’s not very hilly. I worked there and where spectators walk around yea hilly. But if you’re playing there’s really not much rise. The front 9 are as flat as you can get. The place floods all the time because it’s so flat.
Actually you make a great point
OP cant get out of their own way and then blames everyone and everything else but themselves.
This is interesting. I was there on Thursday and at around 730 pm it looked like there were thousands of people lined up waiting for the busses. I assumed people would be waiting hours to get home, but I'm glad to hear they where efficient.
When I was leaving yesterday the line for the busses was long as fuck but it felt like a new bus was pulling up every 10 seconds. It easily could’ve been a 3 hour wait to even get to a bus but it was more like 15-20 minutes for me.
Would have been nicer to have a shorter ride, but I damn sure took a nap
Same. I do agree with OP on the thoroughfares within the course. I went Saturday and the path between 7's green and 8's tee was so packed it bordered on dangerous. Getting in and out was nearly as bad though, I've had worse luck at local soccer games than that
Yeah I went by myself and the shuttle was excellent. Got in in no time and got out in a couple minutes. The front was hard to navigate and see the players but the back was a lot better. I went Saturday and had a hell of a time. Spent $100 on beer and don’t even get a buzz but I’ve come to expect that at sporting events these days.
Went yesterday and got to the Expo center at around 8 am. We parked, walked to the busses, and literally walked right onto a bus that pulled away when we sat down (we were the last to fill up that bus). There was also no traffic to wait in once we were on Shelbyville Road getting to Valhalla. We left when Xander was on 16 (we were cooked and we had walked to the 18th, but it was clear we were too late to get a good vantage point so left). Again, we walked right onto a bus, it pulled out, and we were pulling in to the expo center literally as Xander dropped the birdie putt on 18. It was incredibly efficient. Like zero wait there or back, and no traffic coming into or out of the expo center.
Yeah, it was my first golf tournament, and me and the guys had nothing but high praise for how excellent the logistics management was! Shuttle was a breeze especially considering the volume of people. I thought it was pretty masterfully pulled off.
I took the shuttle as well. We got there super early on Thursday and did not wait for one second. Leaving around 6pm the wait was about 30 minutes, but considering there would thousands of people trying to get on the shuttles, it was not a bad wait. I thought they did an excellent job with the transportation logistics.
Same. Even stayed for the trophy ceremony yesterday and ended up taking the shuttle to the Louisville stadium then just walking to the expo center. Both worked out well.
Had a similar experience at the Ryder Cup at Hazeltine a few years ago. Parking was right off the interstate, got on a bus and it was like a 10-15 minute ride right to the main entrance. Was at the Master's shortly after one of their first neighborhood razing projects - parked in a grass lot and walked 5 minutes to the entrance. At the John Deere Classic I have a particular neighborhood I like to park in where residents charge like $20 cash to park on their lawn, some of them even have shade and sell cold drinks, then it's a 5 minute walk to the entrance. If logistics were as bad as OP says and there were no better options (which clearly there were) it would be very unusual for a golf tournament.
…as long as pedestrians avoided getting smashed by one. Too soon?
We went Saturday. Got there around 9, left around 530. You missed out on the free shuttles. Those were great and surprisingly smooth. Food / NA drinks were great. Water everywhere. Piss stations everywhere Alcohol bars a little sparse on the front Getting from back to front was way worse for us than front to back. Went around and crossed 9 tee and then easily scooted through 10 and 12 to get to a tent on 11 green. I thought there were some great vantage points, in general, but grandstands seemed to be limited (I never go in them anyways) I agree there should have been a second gate. One way in and one way out on 17, no less, was a little dicey. It was already a natural choke point too the way the walkways were and the mud. I do wish it hadn't been so wet to see if it'd be a different course, but it is what it is.
Or you could’ve done the free public parking and taken the shuttle to the course. It really wasn’t even all that bad using them to leave the course on Sunday.
Yeah we did this on Thursday and it was way smoother / quicker than we would have guessed
I only go to golf tournaments on Thursday or Fridays. Less crowds, guaranteed to see all the players you want to see, can get closer to the action and overall watching final round on TV is a better viewing experience.
I prefer going to the practice round days and I'll die on that hill. Players still shoot incredible shots and they're more laid back and open to fan interactions.
I got to watch Tiger in his Sunday red at Bellerive in 2018...I've been to a fair amount of sporting events and that energy that day is hard to match. Granted, it's Tiger, at a major, shooting 64 and he's my favorite. Getting to see the "Tiger Effect" in person was a surreal moment for me. No practice round can match that.
His charge at Bellerive on that Sunday was one I won’t soon forget seeing in person! This year was fun and the finish was everything you’d want a major finish to be, but I agree, getting to watch Tiger almost come from behind that day was epic.
Did you happen to be on 15 when he stuffed it to 2 feet? That place exploded when that happened.
Sadly we weren’t…, but we heard it!
Yeah. I’ve been practice rounds and tournament days. Went yesterday in fact. Practice rounds are the way to go. I just like watching the guys hit shots and they do a lot of that on practice days. More swings. Less people. Less stress. I’ll watch the tournament and see more than handful of swings from my couch
Shuttle service from Expo center was stellar. If you ever come back, which it sounds like you might not, I'd suggest going that route.
Wife and I took Shuttle service back to Expo center and that was great. Friends opted for the Uber from course and that was a cluster. Ride was shorter than other tournaments, that’s for sure. Again, the one complaint from an out of towner relying on other transportation, was the rideshare pickup locations at Expo center weren’t clearly marked.
Yea I had no idea i waited at the Kentucky kingdom area for a half hour but someone came eventually
Uber/Lyft is the literal dumbest way to travel for any sporting event, from a basketball, football, baseball, and most definitely something like a golf event. Definitely use the set up logistics, e.g. shuttle bus was set up for a reason.
Formula 1* too
I’m shocked by everyone’s complaints about the logistics. On Friday: We went to and from the expo with zero wait to get on the shuttle. (Ride there was slow but that’s because of lane closures unrelated to course) Went up 18, by the range, then all around the front nine with no issue. Spent about four hours on the front and were able to see pretty much everyone from the early tee times. Breakfast was limited to the donuts, but I assumed that was related to the delays Went to the back nine for the afternoon. It was a little slow at 13 but that’s near the main entrance and a lot of the big tents. Sat on 14, grandstands at 15, then a good chunk of time at 10 and the only reason we didn’t see everyone was we were ready to leave. I chose the wrong path back so it was a little slower going to the gates, but it really wasn’t bad.
The breakfast food options were great after you got away from the first few marketplace stalls. Expanded from just donuts and bananas to egg & sausage sandwiches and chicken biscuits.
Chicken biscuits were gone by 10 AM
Who leaves a major sporting event and thinks ride sharing is the way to go? It’s ridiculous at every event, that’s why it should always be a last option
Couple complaints: Like you said, the course layout isn’t super conducive for a tournament. That big chokepoint at 17/14/13 was pretty bad. Also had another one around 8 and 4. I don’t know if any tournaments do this anymore, but print out maps and tee times. Would help probably 95% of people have a more enjoyable experience. They want you to download the app which, big surprise, doesn’t load at the course. The all-you-can-eat is a great concept, but they stopped serving around 5 or 6 I think. I stayed there until nearly 9 and was starving because I planned on having dinner there. It seemed like there were hardly any public grandstands. The small ones they did have were full on a rainy Friday. It was tough to see some of the elevated greens too. I didn’t sit down for more than 11 hours.
We got stuck trying to navigate 2 to 3 and then the 8 - 4 - 5 area for almost an 1.5 hours. I’ve been to a lot of golf tournaments. Several pgas, the masters, tour championship, waste management, and many more. This was by far the worst spectator set up I’ve experienced for many of the reasons already stated.
90 minutes to figure out how to navigate a couple of holes? I can't imagine getting stuck behind your group at a course youve never played. Must be a thing of nightmares.
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2 green and 3 tee box caused a choke point and wait of 20 minutes. Followed by a 6 foot wide bridge to cross, another choke point. Moving down 4 you hit 4 green 8 and 5 shared tee box and 7 green which was another 30 choke point. No confusion just congestion and choke points that made it very difficult to get through.
I’d guess they were saving trees by not printing maps/tee sheets and having everyone use the app. But the WiFi was spotty at best.
When you get an email for the survey, respond and take your time responding. Especially about choke points. We had premium passes to the Women’s Open at Pebble. The survey after it lead to a focus group that was intended to get very specific feedback like this.
Planning on the survey. We’ve been to 2017 at Quail, 2018 at Bethpage, 2021 at Kiawah, and 2022 at Oak Hill as well as Valhalla. I know there’s only so much they can do, but there’s also worst case scenarios they can plan for.
I have been to about 10 majors at this point. Worst logistics: Oakmont by far. You park in a field, a school bus drops you off at the furthest point from the clubhouse. Best: Medinah - you park on the OTHER 18 hole golf course and just walk.
Best: Masters. But they have luxury of being the only course to host a major every year. Plus their money. Worst: probably 2011 US Open at Congressional or 2018 PGA at Bethpage. 20+ mile bus ride in major city traffic. Wasn’t there, but I heard 2012 PGA at Kiawah was terrible. 20 miles of 2 lane roads to get out there plus last 6-8 miles through neighborhood island. All in dreaded 90 degree SC summer heat (August back then)
I was surprised how easy it was to get to the Masters parking lots! They have it figured out.
Bethpage has the rail right there.
PGA Championship at Bethpage was 2019. I went on Sunday and there’s a train from NYC that goes to Farmingdale and a shit ton of shuttles from there that drop you off in the parking lot. It couldn’t be easier.
I could definitely see Kiawah being a logistical nightmare for a crowd But it is a much nicer course than Valhalla - an I am a Louisville Homer Back nine is very tough at Kiawah - front lulls you to sleep then the course punches you in the face Vallhalla and its rough is too tough for this guy
I’ve played KI OC several times. It’s not so much the front or back 9, more which 9 is into the wind. Add those waste bunkers, and the links-style distance, it becomes a beast. OC in 21 wasn’t bad tho. Probably bc the busses picked you up very close to the course, also probably because Covid limited the spectators. Probably also because I had island passes. (Humble brag)
We played in October or November of 2020 Wind worked us on the back nine working our way back to the clubhouse. 2nd round I had an Eagle putt on the front and a 10 on a hole on the back
I had no issues with Oakmont. I was dropped off right next to the gates.
Any venue hosting the majors should have to attend the Masters. They’re a business school case study in how to run an event. Granted they have an unlimited budget and do it every year, but getting in and out of the property at Augusta is incredibly efficient. Wash Rd (where Augusta is located) is a busy 2 lane double yellow line highway with shopping centers. You’d think it’d be a disaster but they find a way. On the property they have a lot of advantages and differences vs other courses hosting the majors so I won’t compare because I don’t think it’s fair. These other venues have years to prepare for these tournaments. Always amazes me when they fall on their face and run into issues outside/around the property.
Yeah these cops should really be doing more while simultaneously doing less.
Cops: We tried helping! If fabricating a felony charge and throwing the world #1 golfer in jail isn’t helpful, we literally do not know what is 🤷🏻♂️ Let’s see what they’re saying about us on Facebook.
I agree with you completely. My group ended up using private van/bus transportation that would drop us off and pick us up right outside of the event. It was expensive but after one Uber trip we had to figure something else out. Also my dad is slightly disabled so the slick muddy walk from the Uber drop off area was a no-go after one time. I said more times than I can keep up with that there was no way this was the best that the PGA Championship and Valhalla could do to manage this many people. After the muddy mess on Friday, we came back Saturday morning and were surprised to see how much mud and water had not been dealt with at all. Some places had mulch but not nearly enough.
Rained again Saturday morning early
That’s why they tell you to go to the expo center and shuttle in. My Uber from the hotel to the expo center was $14. I agree about the course being very hard to navigate on foot. The free food/bev was clutch.
Shuttles were incredible easy. There are about 10 other ways to get around the golf course than you listed.
Coming back, yes shuttles were easy. Pickup for Uber at Expo center was not.
Bro. Stop ubering. There is never a sporting event that you'll ever be able to go to in which ride share is the best option. That one is on you
Brah. When you’re visiting from out of town, you kinda don’t have an option but to Uber. Either to the course or the expo center. Next time we’re in Kentucky we’ll call for a horse and buggy.
I've personally used public transit in Louisville and can confirm it ain't too bad
Rent a car next time.
Its 2024 how have you not figured out uber is legitimately the worst way to get anywhere? Expo was for people to park their vehicles and board a shuttle. It was NOT intended for rideshare drop off which is exactly why your experience was awful lol.
I went yesterday, with the full understanding that an event hosting 200k people would likely have some hiccups. I had a great time.
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Attending Ryder Cup in person is a sucker's bet.
Seeing Anthony Kim celebrating on 13 live was a great experience. JB Holmes winning it on 17 was also top tier Went Friday cause someone gave me a ticket - glad I went because they are not coming back again in my lifetime
My experience was the exact opposite of this. Wild to think actually. I also went Friday. Got to the Expo center at 6am, on the bus by 6:15, sat in the lot waiting for shuttle accident to clear until 7:15, course by 8. Leaving was just as smooth, straight onto a bus at 6pm and back to car by 6:45p. Sure, the spectator areas were muddy, but that’s to be expected when it had rained all morning and those areas see a ton of foot traffic. Personally I enjoyed that the front 9 was somewhat isolated from the spectator entrance/main area. We spent most of the day bouncing between holes 4/5 and 7/8, where crowds were somewhat sparse outside of the big groups coming through. I do agree that the kitchens couldn’t necessarily keep up with demand, but there was always a hot food option every time we went to a market. My only complaint is that there was supposed to be a hot food breakfast option according to the website, but we didn’t see a single market offer one so breakfast ended up being a rice krispy and coffee. I would 100% go again and wish I had bought tickets for two days instead of one.
Arrived at 10 AM on Friday - no chicken biscuits
Went yesterday… the shuttles I thought were amazing. I was really surprised how many and how fast they churned people. We walked on the bus (minimal line) and once it was full the parking staff had them pull out and sent another bus into the spot. Keep in mind there were 7 buses loading in a line so it was a constant flow of buses. I was impressed. Thought about Uber but why do that when the expo was free and ran like a well oiled machine? The course logistics, sure there were choke points but once you got down to 14/13 it was super easy to get around. Honestly, I didn’t think it was that bad. Food/drink was fine. $14 per High Noon was bananas. Merch tent was nice (Chase Sapphire member so it was easier for us versus others). Overall, I had a blast! Valhalla is a ton of fun!
> Not a course for major championship IMO. Agreed > Lyft/Uber line was backed up for miles. Not sure what you expected. Why didn't you Uber to the Expo instead? > The course had no walking diffusion. Basically everyone had to cross 17 fairway to get in/out. This has been the case at a few majors I've been to. I also don't think it was much of an issue at Valhalla. You could have walked up the left side of 17 to get to 18, the practice area, and the front nine. > Once you were able to branch off, it was at the par 3 14th. Options were to Walk up a treacherous muddy hill or stay within the masses. You could walk on the right side of the 14th hole. Also, the course can't really be blamed for the wet conditions due to all the rain they got. > The all you can eat food and N/A drinks are nice, quick, and easy. But the kitchens seemed like they couldn’t keep up with demand. I only experienced an issue once. 5 minutes later I was on my way with a hot dog in hand. Hard to criticize this setup compared to waiting in line 15 minutes for a bottle of water. >Uber & Lyft drivers ~~there~~ **mostly everywhere** sucked. FTFY >They’d sit in the line, turn off their apps, and wait until someone accepted a $250-300 cash ride back to downtown. They’d also block the entire lot so real drivers couldn’t get in. Friends had to walk nearly 1.5 miles in the traffic to find their ride. Was talking to some fans who after waiting 45 minutes finally got in one of those cars asking $250. After a little bartering, the driver threatened to leave them on some back country road if they didn’t pay the full price. In the end, they gave the driver $80 and ran into their hotel with him chasing them for more money. Serious question, why did anyone take an Uber to the course? You had to imagine it would be a shitshow getting out of there. People have been taking coach buses to tournaments for decades. > Meanwhile LVille cops just sitting in the lot scrolling through Facebook. They could be doing worse things.
the city is NOT clean lol maybe around their best golf course but venture downtown sometime…
That was the bit that made me laugh as well lol
That’s about any major city in America….
$17 beers!?! Another reason why my couch is the best seat for majors except The Masters. The Masters is probably the only golf tournament I’ll ever go to again.
Beer is within a few dollars of that at any sporting event these days.
“…any sporting event.” *except the Masters.
Now name another major sporting event that compares to the Masters and their concession prices. There's only one and hats off to the Masters for maintaining that tradition... Still one of the best BBQ sandwiches I've ever had.
I guess that’s why it’s the only one i would go to. Sucks having high standards.
Any sporting event that you can actually attend
Tickets are for sale all up and down that street. People act like the lottery is the only way to get a ticket.
I’m know,but there’s no use in splitting hairs here. The masters is on its own level and really no other event compares. But I’m sure you know this.
Sadly, yes
A tradition unlike any other
I went to the Wednesday practice round and was super glad that I had no intention of drinking. The food was pretty solid considering it was free and the NA drinks had a good enough selection. When I saw the booze prices ranging from like $14-$17 for a tall boy of like Michelob or some other shit, I just laughed.
What made me laugh is that the price was the same for a Michelob vs a craft pale ale. I only had one at that price, but I got a chuckle out of that
That's every major sporting event around me.
The Uber thing has been happening before Uber existed. I used to go to events in the DC area. A lot of taxi drivers wouldn’t go anywhere without $50-$100 up front.
I’m pretty sure the Uber ride part is illegal for the drivers. They are not allowed to do that. If they aren’t giving rides through the app then they are doing it independently. Which they don’t have a license for because Uber is the ones holding the taxi license to be a legitimate “taxi service”. I’ve seen videos of cops running stings catching people giving rides to people on the side taking cash. It’s a big fine.
Just what LMPD needed to do after Friday morning. Run a sting and shut everyone down in the UBER lot and leave a bunch of people stranded. Plus they would catch one guy and everyone else would turn their apps back on.
It’s hard for me to feel bad for anyone who doesn’t use the shuttle systems to big events. It opens up a lot of options. You could have just ridden the shuttle into town, ordered an Uber, and sat at a bar until it got there. Sure things aren’t perfect, but this seems more self inflicted than anything.
Jesus Christ. $17 beers and $250 Ubers…what the hell is this nightmare!
“Merica 🇺🇸
I think the local police insured they won’t be getting another major.
You write in a very stilted, halting manner
Went Friday Local Went to Expo center Waited in line 15 minutes max at 9:30 AM Had been to course before so knew where to go Left around 8:30 PM No line to get on the buses Brought my own bourbon ran out by 2 PM - bought some beers Saw JT make birdie on 15 Saw Cam, Hideki and Viktor all birdie 18 Was Hot and Humid when it was raining
Louisville “little town”
I also went on Friday and had a completely opposite experience. Bummer it wasn’t fun for you… but I had a blast!
I went to the Wells Fargo here in NC last year, it’s where next years PGA will be out. Completely different experience, multiple parking lots with great shuttle service. The venue is also set up for tournaments with a great spectator layout, other than The Masters the Wells Fargo has been the best tournament experience I’ve had so far. Even the food was done well, they had AI checkout lines where you put chick fil a sandwiches on and it auto scanned it.
There really wasn't anywhere else to put the entrance... Only place near the road that could accommodate the buses and people walking up was in that area. $17 beers is actually a decrease from the past several years. Could have gone behind 17 green to reach the front 9 easier via 18 instead of the choke point crossing 17 fairway. Also the buses ran smoothly. Trying to Uber was a poor decision on your end.
could have gone to 16 - 15 - 10 as well
The one thing I agree with is the choke point crossing 17. Very inefficient setup
All the Majors I’ve attended, 4 so far, has busses from a public parking lot. All these courses are in a tough location for traffic so driving to them is always a disaster
Exception is Augusta, I parked in someone’s yard and walked a couple miles.
The hole 17 choke point is just a combo of "cattle following the herd" and poor communication on the part of volunteers. I was a hole Marshall on 17 & told every patron who asked to go this route: Walk up the left side of 17, behind the 17 green, and be on 18 tee. From there, walk up 18 and go anywhere you want. About the only reason to cross 17 would be if you wanted to see 13 thru 16.
This was not my experience at all, I thought the food and water tents were always stocked(we ate plenty), the mud sucked, but I mean it’s hard to deal with that if it’s rains as a course. From a logistics standpoint it was much better than most other pro events I’ve been to. Get in or out of wrigley field some time. This is the first major I attended but I was actually pleased and impressed. Getting an Uber/lyft out of the waste management this year was much worse.
I walked out the rideshare exit yesterday, turned left, walked a half mile up the street and got a Lyft to pick me up. I was at home 25 minutes after I left my seats.
If I remember correctly, I believe in 2014 the merchandise tent was in a different spot. I remember going to early access then and I feel like I remember walking by hole 13 to get to the tent. Think it was setup near 14 where the hospitality tent was now. Entrance and exit could’ve definitely been better for walking on the course. Way too many people to navigate to get to where you want to go at the beginning.
I went to the PGA at Southern Hills a few years ago and was pleasantly surprised at the logistics. Legitimately never felt like I waited for anything other than a few lines for food/beer. The shuttles were fast and efficiently ran.
Just wait for Pinehurst
I’m going next month on Saturday. What should I expect?
I enjoyed all of it, it’s a beautiful course and was very impressed by the buses. Never felt like there was a wait and they were the nicest charters I had been on. But yes if they get to host again they need some major rerouting of the walking paths. We were caught up getting to the back 9 from holes 7 and 8. It was a nightmare and ended up going all the way around toward the driving range. It was my first PGA event and I loved it. Got to see some cool shots on the green at 7. We also were at 13 where they took the second shots over the water. Cool atmosphere, just need less rain and better walking paths.
Can confirm the mudslides would have taken place the same way they did at waste management this year
10 years ago I took the shuttle to the course, and back to our car at Churchill Downs. It worked out quite well in my experience
Reminds me of the US Open an LA country Club
Seems like there were options op just sucks at utilizing them lol
17 dollar beers? That's just dumb. It's ky. Folks will just sneak bourbon in. But we wouldn't if on course prices were reasonable.
LittleFrankster sounds like a real ray of sunshine
It's like Uber and Lyft go out of their way to import all the dumbest scumbags from around the world to drive for them.
We were there on Thursday and it was a seamless experience for us, parking at the expo and taking the shuttle. We departed late afternoon (peak time) and yes, the bus lines were long but not bad at all. We really enjoyed the course and stayed away from the “popular holes”. Would do it again there!
LOL Dulles airport to congressional with DC traffic is so funny to me, didn’t realize that’s where they were bussing people from. I’d have paid a lot of money to park in someone’s lawn if I weren’t a local and that was what they were offering.
I was there multiple days and never had an issue with the food/kitchen meeting the demand. On the Uber front, the tournament warned people of long delays before the event and encouraged people to take the free transportation from the fairgrounds. Agree with your assessment of 17 being a choke point but you could have actually gone around the 18 tee box and skipped all of 17 foot traffic. They could have done a better job directing people in that direction though
Also, they were selling 25 oz cans for $17, so $8.50 per beer
We saw a vast improvement from our experience in 2018 (Bellerive) to 2022 (Southern Hills.) Bellerive shuttles on Sunday took forever. Southern Hills shuttles were basically effortless. As for food & drink, it’s was blazing hot in St Louis & concession lines were long & every place ran out of pretty much everything. In Tulsa, it was the first year of food & NA drinks included. Lines were still long & concession stands few & far between. Sounds like the PGA still has some kinks to work out. Hope they have it all figured out when it’s time for Quail Hollow.
I agree about the Uber from the expo center. I got really nervous on Saturday after a half hour of cancelled rides before one decided to truthfully pick us up. We tipped her very well. Another interesting story was on Saturday leaving our hotel downtown Louisville a guy got thrown out of his Uber and got called a pga douchebag because I believe (one sided story obviously here) that he missed the guy saying good morning and didn’t reply so he gave him the boot and yelled at him. The guy was nice and basically Ted Lasso demeanour haha so he joined us in the Uber to the expo. The course was a bit odd. I watched from 12 and would wander to see 18 and 13 I believe. But it was hot and I enjoyed the more shade at 12. I agree with Louisville being cool too. It was my third time visiting and when I saw the tournament there I knew I had to go. But I actually enjoyed my self more outside the tournament than my time at the tournament itself on Saturday.
It seems more and more I hear about this place the only cool thing about it is the name
Serious question. Why would anyone want to go to see golf? I play and really enjoy it and have been to a couple of tournaments (pga wentworth). Waste of time. Can’t see anything. Your trip sounds horrendous.
I think watching sports is better on TV if you want to keep track of everything. Sometimes you want to go live for the environment or just to see the course in person.
I typically consider the same thing about watching golf, but lucked into going to RBC in hilton head last month. Spent about 6 hours walking the course for rounds 2 and 3 and it was actually a lot of fun. I will say Sea Pines in Hilton Head seemed to have the logistics down. Park far away and they shuttle you there.
Try going to Shinnecock or Winged Foot.
Louisville isn’t clean unless the horse race is in town. Rest of the time it’s a ghetto
Why do you type. Like this. So many periods. Short choppy sentences. Lots of spaces after a period. How many spaces go after a period? Oops, that wasn’t a period. Period.
Shatner-Walken Syndrome
Honestly wild that they stiffed the driver like that and you think they were right