A spectators guide to the U.S. Open
What to expect this week at The Country Club
Much like how the golf course has changed significantly since the U. S. Open was last held at The Country Club in 1988, so has how spectators will get to the tournament.
Gone are the days of parking on Putterham or Allendale Farm and walking over. The public is being urged to take public transportation, rideshare and be ready to rely on their own two feet.
There are VIP passes available for parking lots at Boston College (140 Commonwealth Ave., Chestnut Hill and 885 Centre St., Newton), UmassMount Ida (100 Carlson Ave., Newton), Kendrick St. Garage (140 Kendrick St., Needham) and Founders Park Garage “Lot X” (37 A St., Needham). There will be complimentary shuttles from each of those parking lots to TCC from 5:30 a.m. each day until an hour after the final putt has been holed.
The price for those lots is $150 for the week (Monday-sunday) or $20 for practice rounds and $25 for tournament days. The USGA says it expects parking passes to sell out.
The T is offering free parking at more than 100 stations during the week for spectators and volunteers. Shuttles from Forest Hills (Orange), Boston College (Green-b), Cleveland Circle (Green- C) and Reservoir (Green-d) will take spectators and volunteers to the golf course.
A limited edition Charliecard featuring the U.S. Open Trophy and The Country Club is available at mbta. com/usopen for 1- day or 7- day passes for unlimited service during the tournament. Regular Charliecards will also be accepted.
People from Brookline, Boston, Cambridge and Chestnut Hill looking to get to TCC via ride-booking services will want to be dropped off and picked up from Larz Anderson Park (Avon St. entrance), which is about a ¾ of a mile (10 minutes) walk to Gate 6. Those living along and outside Route 128 are encouraged to go
to Lot X.
There will not be a waiting area for rideshare vehicles at either location, so picking up at the end of the day will need to be coordinated.
For those pedaling to the tournament, bike racks will be available at Larz Anderson Park and Pine Manor College.
A system of road closures, checkpoints and resident and guest parking permits in neighborhoods near The Country Club will be in effect.
For more information, visit usopen.com/content/usopen/2022/fan-guide.html.
Tickets? Who needs tickets?
Demand for tickets has been high and the last remaining tickets available to the public were snatched up quickly on April 14.
To give fans who might have missed out a chance to attend while maintaining a peace of mind that they are dealing with verified tickets, the USGA is hosting a secondary market for the first time.
The USGA Resale Marketplace is not cheap, however, with sellers able to name their own price and buyers will have a 22.5% service fee added to that, while sellers are surrendering 7.5%. So that listed $374 get-in price for a gallery pass on Sunday is really $458.15 and that $2,500 pass that includes Trophy Club access — a VIP area along the 14th hole — is $3,062.50. Though some quick shopping around will find a ticket for Sunday with Trophy Club access for less than $600.
A gallery ticket for a practice round will start a little more than $70.
The secondary market suffered a significant blow on Tuesday, however, when Tiger Woods announced he would be skipping the event as he continues to rehab from a February 2021 car crash.
A pair of gallery tickets for the week from Ace Ticket is going for $9,375, a 12 percent drop since last weekend. They also have a 12-person cabana for Sunday available for a touch over 43 grand, though it was priced above $50,000 before Tiger Woods withdrew.
A pair of weekly gallery passes through Stubhub are about $2,300 including fees. The get-in price for a practice round on Monday can be had for less than $50, but more than $400 for a day during the tournament.
Checking out the golf
Get there early and take in as much of the property as possible before the crowds show up. Wear sensible sneakers as the steps pile up quickly if you don’t bunker down in a hospitality area.
Gil Hanse, who oversaw the renovation to the golf course that started in 2009, removed hundreds of trees throughout the property, opening up a number of vistas that did not exist 34 years ago when Curtis Strange prevailed. A seat at the top of the grandstand behind the fifth green will prove interesting as players attempt to drive this 310-yard par 4, while behind it one would also be able to see the action on the par-3 second. The grandstand around the eighth green should also provide the potential for views of the ninth and/or 15th tee.
The best view will be from behind the 10th green as players hit their approach to the heavily sloped green and the massive rock outcroppings that seemed to grow as the trees were removed behind them.
For something old, sit behind the 17th green to reminisce about 20-year-old amateur Francis Ouimet winning the 1913 Open, you’ll be about 800 feet from where he lived at the time in 246 Clyde St.
For something new, watch the action at the 11th hole. The par 3 measures just 131 yards and was put into the Open routing for the first time since 1913 as it was bypassed in the 1963 and 1988 editions. It will be the best chance to see a hole-in-one and could just as easily see a double bogey.
Need some threads
Those ticket prices a little too steep and prefer to watch the U.S. Open from the comfort of home while wearing a shirt or drinking out of a glass with The Country Club’s iconic squirrel logo? The general public can access the 24,000 square foot merchandise pavilion with more than 400,000 logoed items located between the first and 18th fairways from Friday through Sunday (10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Parking will be at Dexter Southfield School, where a shuttle will take you to the tent.
During the tournament, the merchandise tent will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day. There will also be a satellite tent (6,600 square feet) to the golfers left of the 14th hole near the Trophy Club.
There will be bag check and shipping tents next to the merchandise so spectators do not have to carry their purchases with them throughout the day.