Posted: July 11, 2015 9:44 pm
Fan experience is an integral part of any golf tournament. A positive fan experience will mean a better opportunity to return to the tournament venue in the future.
So far there have been few complaints about Lancaster Country Club.
“I think it’s been great,” said Kevin Barth of Lancaster. “The weather has been fantastic and all the accommodations look wonderful.”
All of those things have added up to a successful tournament so far, with near-record crowds expected once the total attendance is added up. The all-time record — 131,298 total fans — was set in 2005 at Cherry Hill in Denver.
The USGA expects more than 25,000 people on both Saturday and Sunday.
With the world’s best female golfers playing, many hardcore golf and sports fans jumped at the chance to come out.
“I would definitely say I’m a big golf fan,” Barth said. “Obviously it’s really cool to go follow the bigger names like Paula Creamer and Michelle Wie.”
The enjoyable experience and relatively cheap ticket prices — tickets were $45 a day, $70 for a two-day pass — allowed many fans to stay multiple days.
Kathleen Yellets of Lititz attended Friday and Saturday, and said she was considering coming back for Sunday’s final round as well.
“I’m not a golfer, but I just thought that because it was in Lancaster it made for an interesting opportunity,” Yellets said. “It’s been really good for the county as well. Everyone I know has been pleased with it and it has not disappointed.”
The course itself has gotten great reviews, especially after the men’s U.S. Open outing at Chambers Bay drew fire. Lancaster Country Club has been a refreshing sight for American golf traditionalists.
“The course is in great shape, and the sights alone are incredible,” Barth said.
“It’s been incredible to watch and walk through,” said Erin Battaglia, also from Lititz.
She, too, is enjoying the bigger names playing in the tournament.
“I was following Lexi Thompson earlier and just saw Laura Davies come through,” Battaglia said. “Seeing both of them is really cool.”