US Senior Open - Free tix for best posts!

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Permalink Reply by Jason Williams on July 10, 2009 at 8:18am

Wow, what a great opportunity for a "get out of work for the day" pass. My boss is an avid golf fan and if I scored some tix to the Senior Open, I'm sure he would have no problem letting me enjoy a nice Indiana summer day while watching these guys. Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Steven Lemaster on July 10, 2009 at 8:24am

I wouldn't go myself. I'd give them to my in-laws. Now before you say anything about me being the biggest brown nose suck up in Indy, know you'd only be partly right. See, I think it'd actually be good for them. The story:

In June of last year my mother-in-law fell down some stairs in her house and acquired a compound fracture in her ankle. She had to crawl through two rooms (with her foot dangling) to call 911. She was in the hospital for 4 weeks and had 3 surgeries. Then she spent the next 4 months in bed and 2 in rehab (foot not booze). She's had to take early retirement. This entire time my father-in-law took over all the household responsibilities she normally did (while keeping up his normal responsibilities) and adjusting to becoming the sole money earner in the house. She has made a great recovery and now you can't even notice a limp unless she's on her feet for a long period of time.

Fast forward to April of this year when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It was back into the hospital for surgery. She's since had radiation treatments and this week began chemo. She's in good spirits and the docs expect a full recovery. He's been there taking care of her and shouldering the extra work the entire time without a single complaint.

He loves golf and hasn't been able to play these last two summers because of everything. While she doesn't play herself, she appreciates the game and loves spending time in the sunshine. This would be a great gift to give them.
Plus if I'd love to see my sister-in-law's husband's face when I finally take the #1 son-in-law spot from him.

Great idea BTW.

Steven

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Permalink Reply by Jim Lefevere on July 10, 2009 at 8:34am

I would take my father-in-law who is aan avid and life long golfer and would love the opportunity to go and watch some of his favorites. He has watched and played gold all over, but has never been to an Open Championship.

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Permalink Reply by Charlene Burke on July 10, 2009 at 8:46am

My family is filled with golf stories. My maternal grandparents volunteered at PGA tournaments just to rub shoulders with the greats and get tips and tricks to improve their game (their closet was filled with visors and caps signed by many of the Pros); my mother's brother was asked to go Pro a few years back; my two brothers compete for the number of Hole in Ones and Birdies they can get each year; my paternal grandfather was well known at the Golf Club in Detroit for his excellent skills; and my 67 yr old mother loves to play on a regular basis. I grew up listening to her commentary on someone's game every Sunday. She watches both women's and men's tournaments, providing sound effects as necessary. I wouldn't say she is obsessed, but passionate is a good description.

She's currently in town until October, when she will leave us to go south in her RV for the winter. She travels the warm states, in her RV, then returns to Indy in April. She would like to play golf while traveling, but the fees are out of her reach now. During the economic crisis she informed we kids that she will probably outlive her investments and that each of us should prepare a concrete pad for her RV - this way we could share her every 4 months and she would still have access to satellite TV and be able to watch golf.

I would use these tickets to surprise her with an outing she would appreciate and thoroughly enjoy. Because this would be such a special occasion for her, I would get a small video cam to record the events for her to enjoy in her RV this winter. Oh, and of course she would take her trusty camera and snap photos like crazy - probably asking some of the players to pose with her (she does things like that) and then be thrilled to show them to friends, family and pretty much anyone she meets. Oh what fun we would have!

Afterward, I would post the photos and video for all to view, and write highlights of our experience for everyone to enjoy.

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Permalink Reply by Christian Elden on July 10, 2009 at 8:47am

If I won the tickets, I'd take my older brother Matt. My dad taught us to appreciate the game of golf at a young age, and it's something we loved to do together when we were all home at the same time. Dad loved these pro tourneys -- he was a manager for a plastics company and would get tickets from vendors from time to time, but he also loved to go with friends & family (I went to the '96 Masters with him)... he loved every minute of it. His basement was a testament to this: One wall still features framed photos, vintage tourney posters, souvenir flags autographed by some of the greats (Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Phil Mickelson), and a plaque he was awarded when he got a hole-in-one at one of his favorite courses.

Dad died two summers ago at age 56, but whenever I see a PGA tournament on TV on a Sunday afternoon, I imagine him watching & rooting on his favorite players. If I won those tickets, I think my brother and I would feel like we got a little piece of Dad back, even though he wouldn't be there to join us.

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Permalink Reply by Julie Schrader on July 10, 2009 at 9:02am

...A Poem about US Senior Open Tickets...

My goal in our office is to make connections
With those in the recruiter pool.
Winning the tickets and offering them up
Would make us seem oh so cool.

With the big names in golf, the carts and the buzz
It would all be of interest to someone.
So that’s why I think I would like to have tickets
to an experience second to none.

Although I wouldn’t personally use them,
I’d share the wealth and would ask that they proceed
With blogging their experience and sharing their pics
And telling Smoosiers it was awesome indeed.

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Permalink Reply by Joyce Walters on July 10, 2009 at 9:10am

My husband is an avid golfer and spends much of his non-work time coordinating a golf league and 2 golf outings for 60-80 people each year for what it seems like is forever! And the golf channel is on at our home whenever he is there - even when he is doing his golf paperwork! need I say more? He needs a break from golf paperwork and golf channel to be a "part" of the real thing.....it also gives me a chance to give the tv's a break from golf, golf, golf! Our youngest son has just begun golfing in his dad's league and will be participating in his dad's golf outing for the first time this fall (just turning 21). I know that this opportunity to win 2 tix would tighten their bond - and - it would give me peace from golf for a day! I personally do not golf and have not grown to like it in the last 24 years of marriage, but I am an avid supporter of my husband playing as much and as often as he likes so that I have peace and quiet in my home while he is enjoying his sport!

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Permalink Reply by Matt Seward on July 10, 2009 at 10:12am

I am not a hoosier, I live in Missouri. I'm not even from Missouri - I'm a native Californian. I ended up in the Midwest 10 years ago because my girlfriend at the time, was pregnant with my first child. I am retired from the USN and work for the Job Corps program.. in KCMO.
I have a fiance' in Indianapolis.. we originally met back in 1982 at a party in California.. my little sister worked with her - told her about the party. We dated and saw each other in 82/83, but unfortunately she ended moving back to Indiana and I wanted to stay in California.. after being gone in the Navy for 4 1/2 years - overseas. We ended up growing apart, and both ended up marrying other people (turned out bad in both cases).
In 2007, she looked me up via "Classmates" and we've been talking/together pretty much every since then. We will be getting married next year :-)
Since my fiance' is all the way in Indianapolis.. I have been driving that 'round trip' for quite some time now; she's done it a few times too.. plus flying once in awhile when we can afford it. I am eventually going to move to Indiana & I even have an IU t-shirt :-) although that doesn't mitigate my life-long affinity for the UCLA Bruins!! ;-)
At any rate, I love golf and though I don't always hit-em-straight, it is definitely my game. At age 48, the Champion's Tour guys are very familiar to me.. I would LOVE to take my fiance' to the tournament and watch the event with her; it would be alot of fun for us both.
Mileage from Independence MO. to (westside) Indianapolis: 465 miles
Round trip mileage: 930
Gas tanks filled: 3 (roundtrip)
Stops enroute: McDonalds - Odessa (12minutes); Marathon Gas Station - Effingham (8minutes) + once in awhile a pee break at a rest stop in Indiana (4minutes).
Romantic Idea stops enroute: Wagon Wheel Antiques (exit 155) in Missouri; also - Antique shop in Pocohontas, Illinois
for great fiance' gifts such as a butter dish; bathroom sign; sunburst 1960's dish; laquered Chinese jewelry box, etc.
Phone calls enroute: Average = 7
Number of times waking up fiance' upon arrival: 6
Consentual events taking place "after arrival" with my fiance' - CLASSIFIED
Miles on my car, purchased in November, 2008: 16,597.1

It would be great to win two tickets and take my girl to see the guys play..!

Thanks,
Matt

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Permalink Reply by Amelia Miller on July 10, 2009 at 10:50am

My husband and I recently spent the weekend at the West Baden Springs Hotel in French Lick, a nice opportunity for us to get away together and for him to do what he "freakishly can't seem to get enough of" - golf. I had some money set aside and wanted to surprise him with a tee time at the Pete Dye PGA golf course. But when I called ahead to find out how much it would cost me the voice on the phone came back with - gasp - $350 (plus the charge for the caddy)! Apparently they're serious about keeping out the riff-raff (and I'm not ballin' like that).

So he had to settle for the Donald Ross course, also nice, but something of a let-down after cooing over the pictures online of the golf course fit-for-a-king-atop-the-majestic-rolling-hills-of-southern-Indiana. He was even more let down to find out they wouldn't even let you through the gates to see the course without a tee time. Boo.

While waiting for the shuttle to take him back to the hotel after his consolation game on Saturday afternoon, a woman in a service truck stopped and told him to hop in - she was heading that way. As soon as he was buckled in he began his 20 Questions about the forbidden course. What's it like? Who plays there? Why's it so expensive? Have you ever played it? When he finally stopped to breathe she said to him, "Well, do you want to see it? I need to stop by anyway and I'll show it to you if you promise not to tell ANOTHER LIVING SOUL". He hasn't stopped talking about it since (oops).

So I just thought it might be nice for this hopeless lover of golf to rub elbows with some PGA folks with an actual invitation...

-Amelia

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Permalink Reply by David A Wachtel on July 12, 2009 at 6:38am

Amelia:
One who knows golf never ever "settles" for playing a Donald Ross course. Pete Dye learned from and copies a lot of Ross' ideas. Dye knew Ross.
There are only two Ross courses in Indiana. The other is Broadmoor CC in Indianapolis.
The Ross course was put back to it's original design (redid all the greens to their original size, put back 35 bunkers) with the assistance of the Donald Ross Society. I could go on, but it's like spending the night in a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. And there is not a flat lie on the course.
Ross is the master.
Walter Hagen won the 1924 PGA on that course. Mickey Wright won the LPGA on that course. I chuckle watching people trying to putt on that course. I played behind a couple last week that took 10 minutes trying to putt on #8 (there is a seven foot elevation change from the back to the front of the green). And Ross did all his courses without benefit of hydraulic equipment that Dye has at his disposal. And used optical illusions that were even better before GPS and laser devices to measure distances. Next time you are there, look at how the fairway bunkers match up to the front of greens that are a hundred or more yards away giving the illusion that they are further out than they are.
BTW...it's cheaper to play during the week.
Dye's a great architect. But he's not Ross.
BTWII...the 2010 PGA Professionals Championship (this is the title for the club pros, which is the tournament that can qualify players for the PGA) is going to be at French Lick next year. The first two rounds will be split between the Dye and Ross courses. Then the last two rounds go to the Dye Course. They are looking for volunteers to work the event.

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Permalink Reply by Amelia Miller on July 13, 2009 at 4:08pm

No disrespect to Donald Ross! I guess I've shown my age... We did read all about him while we were there and my husband thoroughly enjoyed playing it, even though it was the hardest course he's ever played. And the woman who took him back to see the Dye course told him about the 2010 PGA Professionals Championship - she says the rate to play will go down SIGNIFICANTLY afterwards, but for now they are trying to allow only the most serious of golfers to play. But she didn't mention that it would be split between the Ross and Dye courses. Thanks for checking me!

-Amelia

p.s. We would still like the Senior Open tickets...

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Permalink Reply by Dan Franke on July 10, 2009 at 11:22am

Lets see, love golf, plant closed, no job so-- got time. Trying to become a sales type. Not going so well. Maybe this will be my first completed sales pitch and help me become a bonifide rainmaker. So far it's just been raining on my parade. Oh, cancer survivor as well, just crashed my Harley and I am still looking forward to every day. Good things on the way...

I can smoose with te best of em...

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