Day One - Practice Day
Walking into the Oak Tree Golf Club for the first time, I was quite amazed. I've been to many golf courses before, and I was prepared for a sight. But it is truly a magnificently beautiful course that makes you pause for a moment to appreciate it.Essentially, that was the last time I paused, though. Knowing absolutely nothing about the layout or where I was going, I made it my first mission to tour the grounds completely. My intention was to snap some pictures as I went and spend the morning on it.
Well, I pretty much spent the day on it. By the end, I had filled up my rather spacious camera memory card, sunburned my arms and legs to a crisp and worn myself out thoroughly.
I didn't concentrate nearly as much on the individual players, but I felt from most of them a dedication to learning the course, just as I was trying to do. Many would record notes of each hole, it appeared, scribbling in books the various challenges they would face. Most spent great lengths of time on each green, putting back and forth to determine how fast it played and what techniques might be needed come Championship time. It was quite a fascinating opportunity watching them study the course.
When Day One was all said and done, I put together a quick image gallery of the course and caved into the realization that I actually did need some sunblock.
Day Two - Practice Day
The second day was more of the same, though I made an effort to do a bit less walking. After all, I had purchased so many $2.50 bottles of water from the PGA that my wallet was empty. It wasn't until the next day or so that I realized I could bring my own water onto the course. As this diary will probably show you, I take far too long sometimes to figure things out.My concentration on Day Two was to take a greater look at each of the holes and what intricacies made it one of the more difficult courses in the land. From the narrow fairways of several back nine holes to the bunker-surrounded greens of 5 and 8, I began to realize what all the fuss was about. Although the players were in good spirits, I anticipated frustrations once it counted.
At the end of Day Two, I put together a Walk Through of the course with even more pictures and some of those afforementioned difficulties. Even more burnt than the previous day, I went home to read up on the players.
Day Three - Final Practice Day
And players would be my focus on the final practice day, Wednesday. I wanted to learn more about some of the bigger names and hopefully catch them interacting with the crowd. I got quite lucky that day when I realized the day seemed to have a much different tone than the first two.While the heat was still just as bad of course, there was a more relaxed atmosphere amongst the players. I saw significantly more interaction with the fans and more autographs given. I suspect it's because they devoted a significant portion of the first two days to intensive preparation.
At one point, Curtis Strange turned when a young man called his name from behind the rope. "Can I have your autograph?" the boy asked. Strange beckoned him onto the fairway of the 5th hole and signed an autograph as they walked.
As a person with little golf knowledge going into this event, I began to learn the personalities of some of the bigger names. Fuzzy Zoeller doesn't take much time on tees and often plays to the crowd. Lee Trevino never stops talking, to the other players and to the fans. And Andy Bean was one of the friendlier guys there, walking over to the ropes and carrying on conversations about OU and OSU with the fans as if he had known them all along.
This might have been my favorite day out there, but I knew as I created a player image gallery that much would change once the television cameras came on and it all counted the next day.
