Practice Round vs. Tournament

I have been to a few tournaments but only to the event on Friday and Saturday. How many of you have been to a practice round? What do you prefer practice round or tournament? Also, what day of the tournament do you like to attend?

It depends on what you are looking for. If it is to be close to the players and possibly have interaction, practice days are better. If it is to watch tour players at their best, tournament rounds are better.

What he said. Practice rounds are fun and more laid back with small(er) crowds. But the Tourney days are what counts and that's where history can be made.

Like JB said depends on what you are looking for.

I like attending practice rounds at the smaller events (Hartford, John Deere, St Judes) because guys, even the big names, are more relaxed and some darn right chatty. Charity events like CVS Caremark are great ways to see guys and gals in a relaxed, out to have fun mode.

I also like Thursday/Friday at tourneys because if you are like me and go for whole day, you can pick a great spot on the course & watch the whole field go through. Hartford has a spot where you can see green of 15 (drivable par 4), all of 16 (risk/reward par 3), all of 17 (risk/reward par 4 w rowdy crowd), and tee box of 18. You can sit under these oak trees near main concession area (easy access to food/drink/portapotties) and there are days it's like watching a train wreck, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and a bar brawl all at the same time.

Finally for the big events (majors, last event that can get you in the majors, Players, Jack's & Arnie's tourneys, playoffs) you can't beat Sunday for drama unless it is a runaway like this year's Open Championship.

Another fun & inexpensive time is to go to a Champions, Nationwide or Future's event. Never huge crowds, great golf for most part (unless you're playing to single digit or scratch even the old guys skills are mad), affordable ($10 for most Futures & Nationwide events w free parking & $2 beers), and really accessable players (Nationwide guys get a little intense towards end of season).

I'm going to throw another option into the mix, I love watching practice. Putting green or driving range. Crowds are non-existent, the players are loose, lots of interaction between the players, their coaches, etc.

yes .. it is very interesting to see exactly how the pros practice and warm up for a round --- telling.

I've been to Masters 11 times (5 tourney & 6 practice rounds), The Heritage ( 1 tourney & 3 practice rounds), The Players Championship (2 tourney), Tour Championship (4 tourn), and BellSouth Classics (2 tourn). 1 LPGA practice round.

I would prefer to go to a practice round. I like to take photos and get autographs from players. It is alot more laid back and not so uptight from players and officials. Plus I have several friends that are tour reps and they would be already gone if I didn't go on practice round days. I usually go with friends who can't take off as easy as I can and they can usually get off during first of the week more than they can on the weekend.

Watching practice rounds are alot more boring than tourney rounds but I like to see the players hit different shots. Expecially at Augusta I enjoy them skipping balls across #16 and just putting from spots you would never think the ball would break or move from there. I remember probably back in '02 or '03 when I went with my cousins to the Masters. David Duval was chipping to #10 green and they would hit and roll out 10 feet and then back up. We were amazed because I'd never seen anyone do that before.

I prefer the practice rounds. That gives me a chance to walk around without trying to fight thru the crowd. And, with less crowd, I can move a little faster and see more golf. On Thurs-Fri rounds I look at who I like that's going off early, but may not be a Phil, Tiger that way I can get a good spot and beat a lot of the folks who like to hit the snooze button, or can't get to the course until the afternoon rounds.

I've also been to a few N'Wide events. For those, I pick one player and follow that group all day. N'Wide is great for watching some good golf without a lot of folks around, especially around the putting green, short game area and driving range.

I was fortunate enough to attend the '08 USOpen, including the Tiger/Rocco playoff. That was absolutely amazing. The energy in the crowd was off the charts. I followed TW/RM for about 7 holes, then the crowds just got too thick and it was nearly impossible to actually see a shot. You had to find the highest hill near that hole, even it it meant you were 200 yards away from the players. It was more about feeding off the energy of all the fans and just being there. Absolutely unforgettable.

Agreed, practice rounds are great. To me the point of going in person is to see things you can't see on TV such as the players talking and walking between shots. The tournament drama is much better on TV where the cameras can zip around telling the whole story. You miss most of that in person. So I say the earlier in the week you go, the better