Some of my friends and I recently had the opportunity to attend the Waste Management Phoenix Open golf tournament. Attending this tournament was a bucket list item for me, and I was not disappointed. Click here to learn find out what to expect when planning a trip to the WM phoenix open.Â
The experience of being in the stadium course was amazing. If you are looking to get into this hole, I have some tips and tricks for you.
Disclaimer: we went on Friday and not Saturday. Many people say Saturday is double the number of people attending, so these tactics may not work on Saturday.
My buddies and I only paid for the general admission tickets. We stayed across the street at an Air BnB from the talking stick casino and Wolf Lodge. Any area around here is great. We were within walking distance from a free shuttle to the tournament.
We decided not to take the shuttle because we thought Uber would be faster. However, it turns out Uber drops you off at a location where you have to wait in line for another shuttle. The line was about another 30 minutes long.
We quickly regretted this decision and finally arrived at the park around 10 am.
Take the shuttle from around the wolf lodge resort (or another designated shuttle spot) for easier transportation when you go.
We arrived later than we wanted to. We went straight in and walked toward the stadium hole at 16. There were many people, but it was very easy getting into the park and navigating our way to the famous hole.
There are two general admission areas where you can get into the stadium course with a wait. One is the back-right behind the green; the other is halfway between the green and the tee box on ground level. Both have great views.
We ended up walking by the first general admission entrance; the line looked about an hour long.
We then walked around the left-hand side of the stadium, and there was no line. We honestly thought they closed that entrance, and it was no longer available.
One of the workers overheard that comment and pointed to the entrance. There were only 8 people in line. We stood in line for about 5 minutes and made it in. Bucket list complete!
There were many people, but we still got a good spot and could see everything.
It was awesome, as you see on TV. Pretty much every golfer gets an applaud or boo. People also have their chants from years past. The fans are not very forgiving or forgetful from years past.
If you want beer, there is no beer tent in this section. However, this section does have a vendor walking around selling beer. One of the biggest problems is that they have no beer max limit of 2 (like the rest of the course does).
I witnessed someone buy 13 beers in front of me. They run out quickly and get bombarded when they walk up the stairs!
However, we went back out by the entrance, talked to the usher, and gave him $40 to let us go out and get beer and let us back in with no questions asked—best money spent of the day.
They have bathrooms inside these areas; you do not have to lose your spot to go to the bathroom.
We spent about 4 hours here chanting and yelling and heckling the golfers. NO matter who it was, it was a blast. This atmosphere is what the golf game needs more of.
Now, I don’t necessarily agree with throwing beer cans on the course, except for a hole in 1.
We then had the rest of the day to walk around and get close to other golfers. Everyone pretty much stays around 16-18 and the hole 10 areas on the hill.
You can get great views and close-ups of plenty of golfers if you walk the entire course. The front 9 is like normal golf; the back 9 is all the noise!
I still recommend going on a Friday if you want to watch a lot of golf. It is before the cut, so more golfers and fewer people on Friday. The last golfers teed off almost at dark, where you could not even see the ball.
The Waste Management Phoenix Open is a bucket list event that you must attend at least once. It was an amazing day, and I would recommend it to anyone. I hope these tips help you on your next trip out! We might see you there next year!
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How I got on hole 16 (The Stadium hole) at the Waste Management Phoenix Open with little to no wait!! I also have tips and tricks on what to do once you are inside the gate and inside the stadium hole. Check this out if you ever plan to make a trip out! If you ever have the chance, it is definitely worth the trip.
