The Waste Management Phoenix Open is in full swing in north Scottsdale. The field will get cut after Friday's round, in advance of Sunday’s final round.
The tournament, known as "The People's Open," has for years been recognized as having a different atmosphere than other golf tournaments, but last year the party vibe turned into a problem. Rain led to mud, which, when combined with big crowds and alcohol, became a situation where entry had to be stopped and alcohol sales were cut off.
Organizers have made changes for this year’s version, including adding a new entrance and getting rid of tickets that could be used for any day.
Scottsdale fire Capt. Dave Folio says a new code of conduct has been implemented this year.
"So about a month after, we all got in a room and we made some changes. We identified a lot of choke points on our course that we changed, we added another entrance and, and we're really pushing this year to see something, say something, and there's a code of conduct: respect the fan, respect the player, and respect the game," Folio said.
Allison Sempsis, with the Scottsdale Police Department, says added officers have been a huge asset so far.
"We have officers everywhere and it's not just from Scottsdale officers. It's from all over the Valley. So just like you said, you're going to see Rangers out here," Sempsis said. "You're going to see Chandler and Mesa. We have tons of bike officers out here, and those are a huge asset for us to get in and out of crowds and to just, you know, make sure people are being safe, having a good time, and see something, say something.”
Other new additions include an electronic ticket system, a DUI task force and a breathalyzer for fans to test their alcohol consumption prior to driving.
Scottsdale police also added an alert system for the tournament, in which fans can receive public safety updates via text message.
Todd Kelly, assistant managing editor at Golf Week, joined The Show to talk through how things are going so far this year.
Full conversation
MARK BRODIE: Good morning, Todd.
TODD KELLY: Good morning.
BRODIE: What was the conversation after last year's Phoenix Open, sort of within the golf community about what was going on and maybe what needed to happen?
KELLY: Well, it was driven by the weather and it was all that exacerbated everything and it became like, all right, are we at a point where some changes need to be made and it was obvious to everyone there and it didn't take long for the tournament organizers and the Thunderbirds to get right to work on it.
It was a while before they kind of revealed how they wanted to attack this year, but they had to put a lot of thought into it, you know, they, they, they stopped reporting attendance figures after the 2018 season. So we have to sort of guess, guesstimate what the numbers are, but they're large, and you have to always take into account the large number of people that need to be moved in, in and out.
But yeah, I went to check out the new entrance. It looked crowded as they're coming through security, but I stopped one fan and I said, how long did that take? And he said, only about 5 minutes. And it was a great secondary. It's a kind of this long ramp that goes up that hill and, and you come in right behind 18 and, and it really was a, I think it's doing what they intended. It's a good relief point for the main entrance.
BRODIE: So obviously the biggest crowds tend to be over the weekend, Saturday and Sunday, but I guess like based on your experience having been there so far this week, does it seem as though the changes are having the desired effect?
KELLY: Yeah, and, you know, it's such a big property and there's so many things happening. You, you could, I could certainly give you a bunch of anecdotes, but it's hard to know exactly, you know, the tournament started technically Monday and Tuesday with practice rounds, but yesterday was the first day of competition. So anecdotally, I could probably tell you about some things, but I think what it needs to, we probably need to see like the full scope of the week.
But, you know, I think the, the sunny skies and the, and the dry air is, is definitely helping people with, you know, bringing out the smiles and people are, are relaxing and having fun and it's, it's a 180 from last year, not just the weather, but everything else.
BRODIE: But I'm sure no rain forecasts.
KELLY: Yes, for sure. And just to your point on the attendance. The attendance, the best number of the week is Saturday, which seems counterintuitive to what people might think with Sunday being the final round, but historically, Saturday's been the biggest crowd and Friday's been the second biggest crowd.
Sunday is a good day for golf fans because by the time you get to Sunday, the partiers are sort of worn out. A lot of people stay home because they don't, you know what, they don't want to try to risk missing the Super Bowl. Sunday is a great day for golf fans, but yeah, Saturday is the high point for attendance.
BRODIE: So what, like, how has the reputation of the Phoenix Open evolved over the last number of years in the greater golf community? I mean, everybody here knows that it's a giant outdoor party, but like we heard last year some of the golfers saying, OK, it's maybe gone a little bit too far. Things need to be scaled back, reined in a little bit. I'm curious what the reputation of this tournament is beyond the Phoenix area.
KELLY: You mean for the player …
BRODIE: In terms of I guess for the players, yeah.
KELLY: Yeah. Well, I guess I could answer that a couple of ways. But yeah, in terms of the players, we've heard before and again this year, when you talk to them, what the common refrain is, we love this, we know what we're getting into, we know what this is about, but we wouldn't want this every week. So it does, yeah, so it does stand out for all the obvious reasons, and the players do love it when, when you see them get to 16 and some of them, Rickie Fowler is a popular golfer and he's famous for kind of raising his arms and getting the crowd cheering, which is, you never see a loud crowd noise when a golfer is about to hit a ball.
But, so again, they know what they're getting into. They love the atmosphere. They talk about how much fun it is, but yeah, they don't want this every week. They come and go and they want to get back to quote unquote regular golf. But as far as the perception nationally, the media, they all know what it is. A lot of media like to come here for the spectacle and, and report on it. There's different angles, there's different stories to tell because of the atmosphere. But same thing, you know, when this ends and they go on to next week in San Diego Torrey Pines, it'll, it'll get back to that quote unquote regular golf.
BRODIE: Yeah, I think the vibe at Torrey Pines is a little bit different than the vibe of the TPC of Scottsdale.
KELLY: And totally different than say the Masters or a US Open or something like, well, yeah.
BRODIE: Absolutely.
