Live golf vastly underrated

CARMEL, Ind. – This week, Crooked Stick Golf Club plays host to the 30th U.S. Senior Open Championship. Each year this event, consisting mainly of players from the Champions Tour, showcases some of the greatest to ever play the game along with some undiscovered talent from across the country.

Big names present this week include British Open runner-up Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Bernhard Langer, Tom Kite and Indiana native Fuzzy Zoeller.

All week, I’ve been greenside on the 18th hole working the ropes and have had the opportunity to watch one of the most underrated sporting events to attend.

This being my first PGA event I’ve seen in person, I didn’t know what to expect. There was no question I would enjoy the experience due to the fact I’ve grown up playing and watching the game, but I didn’t know what it would present in terms of the actual environment.

On Tuesday evening, it hit me. As the gallery on the 18th green grew to easily more than 1,000 heads, I looked beside me and saw Greg Norman being escorted by two Indiana State Troopers. The officers rushed him from the green, where he finished his practice round, to Crooked Stick’s castle-like clubhouse. I thought to myself, “Wow, this is what witnessing professional golf is like.”

Attending a golf tournament is about so much more than watching a tour pro hit his shot and witnessing his amazing abilities. It’s about the aesthetics and the surroundings accompanying competition. Just walking along the rough in between a player’s shot provides the opportunity for someone to look up and catch a view of the water, trees and tournament scenery.

Golf has always had a reputation for special stories and heart-touching moments. Take Phil Mickelson’s first major win at the Masters on Easter Sunday in 2004 or the companionship of Tom Watson and his late caddie Bruce Edwards, who fell victim to Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Even Crooked Stick, which was host to the 1991 PGA Championship, contains its own place in golf’s storybook.

John Daly, often more known for his power-first mentality and off-course antics, was the victor in that inaugural PGA event for the club.

Daly, listed as the alternate for the championship, was notified that Nick Price would not play in the tournament due to the expected birth of his child the night before the first round. He drove through the night and arrived in Carmel just in time to begin his title run. He took the lead on Friday morning and never looked back.

Aside from the on-course action, there’s plenty to do for everyone at an event. Just yesterday, my friend and I competed in the Lexus Performance Drive, testing one’s ability to stick a 160-shot as close to the pin as possible using an indoor simulator. Let’s just say that it is easier than it looks.

If that doesn’t catch your eye, look no further than the plethora of food stands and eateries ready to serve catered cheeseburgers or casserole.

So if you’re out and about in Indianapolis this week, head to Carmel and for just $40, experience golf at the state’s finest club and everything that goes along with the game.