Post by cannlinny on Jul 11, 2017 19:50:09 GMT
Just a few notes about the Thornberry Creek Classic: The golf course is really a split personality. Holes 1,2,3 and 17,18 are very narrow and wooded. (1,2,& 18 also quite hilly). Holes 4 thru 16 are wide open and quite spread out. Also, the course doesn't come back to the clubhouse at the turn, so by the time you get to holes 9-15 you are really far out there. I was quite impressed by the size of the groups trekking the whole course with the lead groups. We stayed on the closer par 3 holes-2 & 17.
Re the crowds- Thursday was brutally hot, and by the time the broadcast started I'm guessing anyone who had gone to the tournament had packed it in. We were there Friday and Sunday, great weather, and big crowds. Unfortunately #18 isn't a great hole for spectators. Other than the grandstands there wasn't any place for spectators to line the fairway and be able to see the green due to hill and dogleg. There was a huge crowd following the last group in, and it would have been nice to be able go up the fairway (ala British Open?), but I guess they didn't want that in case of the need for a playoff.
Saw a real mix of shots. Some of the more memorable: Moriya rattling the flagstick on #2-but then missing about a 4 foot putt. Christina Kim probably rolled in the longest, maybe 20 feet, for birdie. Suzann had the most dramatic. Left about a 10 foot putt on the lip- slowly walked up-and it dropped in. On Friday the InGee, Ariya, Creamer group had a big crowd, but after they all butchered #2 I don't know how many followed them out to the far reaches of the course. It was nice to see a lot of the players that almost never get airtime.
One highlight: On Sunday we walked past Mike Wahn as he sat in golf cart talking to someone. I gave him a 👍 and he responded "Thanks for coming". A couple minutes later as we approached a sizable uphill climb to #2 tee, a cart came up behind us and the commissioner asked if we'd like a ride! So husband and I hopped in and had a ride down #1 to #2 green. He spoke very positively (of course) about the course, crowds and area. Said he was getting grief from friends in Chicago for pictures by the Packer statues, etc around town, and my husband said the same (both from Chicago).
Re the crowds- Thursday was brutally hot, and by the time the broadcast started I'm guessing anyone who had gone to the tournament had packed it in. We were there Friday and Sunday, great weather, and big crowds. Unfortunately #18 isn't a great hole for spectators. Other than the grandstands there wasn't any place for spectators to line the fairway and be able to see the green due to hill and dogleg. There was a huge crowd following the last group in, and it would have been nice to be able go up the fairway (ala British Open?), but I guess they didn't want that in case of the need for a playoff.
Saw a real mix of shots. Some of the more memorable: Moriya rattling the flagstick on #2-but then missing about a 4 foot putt. Christina Kim probably rolled in the longest, maybe 20 feet, for birdie. Suzann had the most dramatic. Left about a 10 foot putt on the lip- slowly walked up-and it dropped in. On Friday the InGee, Ariya, Creamer group had a big crowd, but after they all butchered #2 I don't know how many followed them out to the far reaches of the course. It was nice to see a lot of the players that almost never get airtime.
One highlight: On Sunday we walked past Mike Wahn as he sat in golf cart talking to someone. I gave him a 👍 and he responded "Thanks for coming". A couple minutes later as we approached a sizable uphill climb to #2 tee, a cart came up behind us and the commissioner asked if we'd like a ride! So husband and I hopped in and had a ride down #1 to #2 green. He spoke very positively (of course) about the course, crowds and area. Said he was getting grief from friends in Chicago for pictures by the Packer statues, etc around town, and my husband said the same (both from Chicago).
