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Course Layout At Chambers Bay Makes Spectating Tricky On First Day Of U.S. Open
During the first round of the U.S. Open on Thursday at Chambers Bay, the course "proved to be a beautiful and uniquely challenging layout" for the players, and "especially for the fans," according to Bill Nichols of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. The dramatic elevation changes "offer spectacular views of the Puget Sound, but the gnarly mounds are difficult to walk." Negotiating the "bumpy terrain and huge swarms of people ... was no easy task." But the "worst part of the long walk is that fans cannot really follow a group from hole to hole," as "scraggly areas are roped off, leaving very few places to walk." It can "take up to 15 minutes waiting for access to cross a fairway." By then, a certain group of players might be "putting out" and fans are left "scrambling to find them." Golfer Billy Horschel "empathized with the crowd problems." He tweeted, "Fans are having a hard time walking the course. They can barely see anything from outside the ropes. ... I would be pissed if I paid a lot of money for tickets and could barely see the top players hit golf shots" ( <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/golf/headlines/20150619-nichols-what-i-learned-walking-chambers-bay-with-jordan-spieth-...-and-why-layout-left-fans-frustrated.ece" target="_blank">DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/19</a> ). In Tacoma, John McGrath notes fans who had "planned on following a particular group soon realized the logistical obstacles that lurk from hole to hole." Lines for the grandstands at No. 9 and No. 18 "were reminiscent of Thanksgiving Eve" at Seattle-Tacoma Int'l Airport ( <a href="http://www.thenewstribune.com/2015/06/18/3847531_the-us-open-experience-at-chambers.html?rh=1" target="_blank">Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE, 6/19</a> ).
