Sports events are designed to provide attendees with entertainment and memories that will last a lifetime. Whether it's a 90 minute football game, or a three hour tennis match, fans live and hope to be part of special moments in sporting history.
In terms of golf, it's arguably the longest sporting day event you will find, as the first players will tee off early morning, with the final groups getting underway late afternoon. At The 152nd Open Championship, for example, Justin Leonard, Todd Hamilton and Jack McDonald begin at 6.35am on Thursday, as Jeung-Hun Wang, Aguri Iwasaki and Sam Horsfield bring up the rear at 4:27pm
Roughly, we can expect a near 14 hours of coverage on day one alone and, because of this, it can be difficult to know where to start... However, I have been lucky enough to scour Royal Troon and, in this piece, I have explained why there is one particular venue you should visit when you first step onto the grounds!
Now, like everything, this is going to cause some debate and others will disagree, but hear me out. The first place you should head to, except maybe the bar, is the range, an area where players go to hone in and sharpen their games.
The reason why I think this is because it's the only real place on the whole course where you can watch all of the best players in one area and at one time. Obviously we all want to go and watch Tiger Woods tackle the links, or Rory McIlroy pummel a drive down the centre of the fairway, but as we know, the big names receive the big crowds, making it difficult to watch as onlookers scramble for the best viewing point.
If, however, you head to the range straight away, not only do you get to watch the likes of Tiger, Rory, Bryson DeChambeau etc, in one place, but you also get the buzz that surrounds a Major Championship. Having been on the range on Wednesday morning, the atmosphere is something that you won't really experience at any other sporting event, with players constantly zigging-and-zagging as they work on their routines and prepare for their tee times.
What's more, it's a great way of learning about how the world's best methodically work. Whether it's via training drills with alignment sticks and specific movements, or perhaps with a certain shot shape they are trying to master, it provides a great insight into the professional game of golf.
Also, as previously mentioned, you can still focus on one specific player... If you want to see McIlroy bomb drives, like the 346-yard one he produced on the range on Wednesday, you can!
What I'm saying is you are going to get plenty of time to view the golf course and walk it on your day there, but if you want to really gauge how good these players are, the range is the perfect place and way to do that...
