US Open, Merion Golf Course, Ardmore, PA

I would be remiss if I didn't do a little blog on our time at the US Open at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, PA, just west of Philadelphia.  Here I am working hard at keeping the water coolers full of USGA water.  I worked mid-day shifts Tues-Thurs and Sunday from 5:30 to 11:00,  Nancy worked same shifts, except on Thurs she worked from 10 to 8.  Whew!  A 10 hour shift.  She is so dedicated to her duties.

Here she is on Monday morning after the tourney was finished.  It was won by Englishman, Justin Rose.  Congratulations Justin!  In the background is the tough 17th hole, a par 3 that had many of the pros scratching their heads.  There was a hole-in-one here during the tourney, I believe by a Stefani (last name).

Brandt Snedeker walking to the next tee box.

Brandt preparing to hit.

Not sure what holes these two shots are from.

Looking down the 18th fairway.

This is where we wanted to go on Monday morning.  Unfortunately, it was closed so we didn't get any souvenirs from the Open 2013.  :-( 

Lord willing, this is where we will be next year, for both the men & the women.  Both Opens will be here, back to back, in two weeks.

A couple more pics from the course.  The course was in good shape, in spite of several inches of rain on the Friday before the tourney, and on Monday of the tourney.  What was amazing, was the fact that the course is an old established community near Villanova U and the logistics of getting folks in & out of the venue was a real challenge for the USGA and the city officials.  I realize a lot of planning & hard long hours of work went into overcoming that, it just didn't work in my opinion.  It had been 32 years since the last Major here, and I hope it's at least another 32.  The course is way too small to hold 35-40 thousand folks.  They limited tickets to 25K each day.  By contrast, Pinehurst will hold 50-60 thousand each day, and can pack in 75K on the final day. 

Well, we did have fun, in spite of the school bus rides to & fro.  They weren't too bad, averaging about 30m each way.  The parking lots just happened to be on our side of town where we parked the MH.  So we didn't have but about a 10m drive each morning.  Anyway, on to Idaho.  I am writing this blog from Lincoln, NE at a Walmart RV Resort.  It's Sunday, and we are headed for our round-up in Coer d' Alene, ID and the Calgary Stampede our first event.  Calgary has just been flooded.  Hope it's over before we get there in a couple of weeks.  Till the next blog, RVing Beach Bums saying so long.