There's Only One Way For Fans To Get To The Ryder Cup
CHASKA, Minn. (WCCO) -- You can't drive a car to the Ryder Cup and you can't get dropped off.
The only way for the expected 80,000 daily spectators to get to Hazeltine National Golf Club is to board free shuttles.
And don't be surprised if the process takes you a couple of hours to get through the gate.
The trip to Hazeltine requires parking at Canterbury Park, the general public's park and ride.
"It was about two hours, we are about 40 minutes away, so when we put it all together it was over three hours," said Claudio Videtto, a golf fan visiting from Argentina, about his trip to Hazeltine on Wednesday.
At the park and ride, fans must line up in queues and pass through metal detectors. After that, it's all aboard the 50 passenger coaches for the 20 minute ride over to the golf course in Chaska.
The WCCO-TV crew took the trip at high noon on Wednesday, and from gate to gate, it was exactly one hour.
You should plan on double that if your trip is in the early morning or late afternoon.
"I would recommend that, when leaving, be patient; there's a lot of people coming to this event," said golf fan Connor Brandt, of Woodbury. "It's a huge event, so you can't get too angry or upset."
Volunteers will help you board the right coaches back to where you parked.
Briana Olson and her husband gladly put up with long lines and a long day to see golf's best.
"First golf tournament ever," Olson, of Rochester, said. "Didn't expect so many people, but it was a good experience."
Friday will be more critical as competition tees off at 7:30 a.m.
To get to Hazeltine National on time, the first shuttles will begin pulling out of Canterbury at 6 a.m.
