It’s hard to believe, but I’ve never attended a professional golf tournament until a few days ago.  On Friday I attended the Boeing Classic golf tournament at Snoqualmie Ridge, a golf course located east of Seattle.  It was a Professional Golf Association (PGA) Senior Tour event for professional golfers age 50 and older.  These are golfers my age, players I’ve watched on television for many years.  I was a little star-struck on the course, finally seeing Bob Tway, Colin Montgomerie, Mark Calcavecchia, Larry Mize, Hal Sutton, and Bernhard Langer in person. 

Also playing was Bob Gilder (pictured above).  Bob is from my hometown of Corvallis and I used to play golf with him at the Corvallis Country Club when I was growing up.  Bob became a professional golfer in 1976 and went on to win 6 PGA tournaments and 10 Senior PGA tournaments.  I briefly spoke with Bob on the 11th fairway as he was walking to the green.  Yes, it had been a few years since we last chatted.  I also spoke with his wife Peggy who was walking the course watching Bob play.  It was fun talking with them both, something I would not have been able to do on a Saturday or Sunday.  The earlier rounds are attended by fewer people and the best days for talking to the pros, getting autographs and photos, and getting close to the professionals while they are on the course.

A neighbor up the street, Bill, was invited by Emirates Airline (a tournament sponsor) to play in the Pro-Am event at the tournament held earlier in the week.  Bill gave Jim (another neighbor) and me his tickets for Friday and we were able to attend the tournament for free, including having lunch in the Emirates Skybox Suite located above the 18th green.  This is how the other half live. 

Attending a Major golf tournament in person is a step up from watching a live tournament on TV.  Simply, it is significantly more exciting.  The first thing I noticed was the extra buzz in the air.  I sensed it in the crowds, and felt it when watching the players practice and warm up.  Everywhere from the parking lot to the grandstands there was distinct feeling that shouted “this is something special.”

Seeing a tournament in person also gave me a much better feel for the course and how the players approach their shots on each hole.  The biggest disadvantage to seeing a Major in person is sometimes feeling “out of the loop.”  Whereas TV broadcasts can jump around to different pairings and show someone charging up a leaderboard, you really miss out on this when seeing it live.  In fact, when you hear a roar of the crowd somewhere across the course, you feel disappointed that you didn't see it in person.

The 10 acre parcel, with the tear down house, Lisa and I were looking at purchasing in Freeland (on Whidbey Island) did not work out.  There were simply too many problems with the property.  On Saturday we looked at a home in a beach community in Clinton, located near the ferry terminal to Mukilteo (see above photos).  The home is also a tear down, but has more possibilities.  We will let you know what transpires with this property.