Reserved Seat home

    Golf

    Best spot: a par-3 grandstand or where two greens meet

    Golf has no assigned seats, so your spot on the course is the decision. Choose the day, then choose between a par-3 grandstand and the walk.

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    Abstract trophy illustration representing Arnold Palmer Invitational
    Major Event

    Arnold Palmer Invitational

    Grounds or hospitality, practice day or Sunday, and which Bay Hill holes to stake out: a viewing-first guide to Arnold Palmer's March event.

    Orlando, FL
    City

    Atlanta

    Seat-by-seat advice for Atlanta's arenas, stadiums, theaters and comedy clubs, with the season calendar and how to reach each venue.

    Atlanta, GA
    City

    Augusta

    Which Masters day to buy, where to sit for shows while the new arena is built, GreenJackets baseball and the logistics of an Augusta trip.

    Augusta, GA
    City

    Chicago

    Seat advice for Chicago's ballparks, arena, concert halls, comedy clubs and Loop theaters, plus the season calendar and the trains to each.

    Chicago, IL
    Abstract trophy illustration representing PGA Tour
    Major Event

    PGA Tour

    How to choose a day, a hole and a ticket type at a PGA Tour tournament, plus the season's biggest stops and the rules to check first.

    Tournaments across the United States
    City

    Philadelphia

    Philadelphia seat advice: the South Philly sports complex, arena and stadium concerts, the Mann, the Avenue of the Arts, Helium and Punch Line.

    Philadelphia, PA
    Abstract trophy illustration representing Ryder Cup
    Major Event

    Ryder Cup

    How to spend a Ryder Cup day on the course, which days to buy, how the ballots work, and why the 2027 resale rules need reading first.

    Rotating host (2027: County Limerick, Ireland)
    Abstract trophy illustration representing The Masters
    Major Event

    The Masters

    Which day to target, where to plant your chair and what the lottery, badge and resale rules mean before you try to attend the Masters.

    Augusta, GA
    Abstract trophy illustration representing U.S. Open Golf Championship
    Major Event

    U.S. Open Golf Championship

    Where to stand at a U.S. Open, which day to buy, how grounds admission works, and the rotating host courses from Pebble Beach to Riviera.

    Rotating host course (2027: Pebble Beach, CA)
    By the Reserved Seat editorial teamUpdated How we research

    No Seat Number, So Pick a Spot

    Most tournament admission is a grounds pass, which lets you roam the entire course and watch from anywhere along the ropes, with no assigned seat. So the seat decision becomes a positioning decision. The two best plays are a par-3 grandstand, where every group in the field hits a full shot and finishes the hole in front of you, and a green that sits beside another hole's green or tee, which doubles the golf you see without moving.

    If you want a guaranteed place to sit, that is what hospitality is for. Hospitality packages bundle a reserved chair or table with catering, usually overlooking one marquee hole. The majors and team events layer their own systems on top, such as Augusta National's lottery and the Ryder Cup's ballot.

    Camping at a Hole vs. Following a Group

    Stay in one place

    The most famous fixed spots are built for it. At TPC Scottsdale, the Phoenix Open encloses its par-3 16th inside temporary stands holding roughly 20,000 fans. At TPC Sawgrass, the Players Championship's 17th plays just 137 yards to a green surrounded by water. Public grandstands at most events are first come, first served, so claim a seat between groups and plan to stay a while.

    Walk with a pairing

    Following one group for 18 holes shows how a round develops, but a star's gallery is deep, and from the back you see mostly hats. A better method is to walk a hole or two ahead of the group and wait at the green, rather than trailing behind it.

    Use the schedule

    • Opening rounds: tee times split into an early wave and a late wave, so a single Thursday or Friday ticket shows you two complete sets of players.
    • Saturday and Sunday: the leaders go out last. Arrive early, walk the quiet course, and settle near the closing holes by mid-afternoon.
    • Before play: the range and the putting area are where you can stand a few feet from the biggest names.

    How Golf Tickets Are Sold

    • Single-day grounds tickets. Early-week practice rounds cost least and draw the thinnest galleries. The opening two rounds feature everyone in the field. After the cut, the weekend narrows to the contenders and pulls the biggest crowds.
    • Weekly badges. Good for every day of the week, and the natural pick for locals who will drop in more than once.
    • Hospitality. Options run from shared venues on one hole to all-inclusive clubs. Bay Hill's 2027 menu for the Arnold Palmer Invitational includes a patio overlooking No. 14, a venue on the water between Nos. 16 and 17, and an all-inclusive option that comes with clubhouse privileges; at Sawgrass, one club sits between Nos. 12 and 13.
    • Kids. Both Florida events let young fans in at no charge for 2027: at the Players, each paying adult may bring as many as two kids aged 15 or younger, and Bay Hill extends the same free entry to accompanied children in that age range.

    Dynamic pricing is common, which means each day's price floats; a star near the top after Saturday can push Sunday sharply higher. Majors have their own systems. Augusta National distributes Masters access through a random drawing plus a long-closed patron list for series badges, and it polices resale itself, so read the guide to The Masters before buying anything for Augusta.

    The Season From January to September

    Men's professional golf in the US runs on two overlapping tracks.

    • The PGA Tour stages an event nearly every week from January through late August. The year starts in Hawaii, heads to California, Arizona and Florida as winter wears on, and settles into northern courses for the summer; a fall series follows once the FedEx Cup points race wraps up. That race ends with the Tour Championship, which has called Atlanta's East Lake home since 2004 and is scheduled to start moving among venues in 2028.
    • The men's majors arrive one per month from April to July: Augusta in spring, then the PGA Championship, the U.S. Open and finally The Open Championship across the Atlantic. Three of them move between courses; the Masters never leaves Augusta National.

    Late September belongs to team golf, alternating by year. Odd years bring the Ryder Cup (American players versus European players); even years bring the Presidents Cup, where the Americans face a squad drawn from the rest of the world outside Europe, and Medinah Country Club in suburban Chicago received the 2026 edition. For deeper coverage, see the pages on the PGA Tour, the Ryder Cup, The Masters and the U.S. Open Golf Championship.

    Seven Tournaments Worth the Trip

    • The Masters. Georgia's April major began in 1934 and is held during the first full week of the month. With wins in 2025 and 2026, Rory McIlroy joined Nicklaus, Faldo and Woods as the only players to defend the green jacket.
    • PGA Championship. Run by the PGA of America each May, it saves 20 spots in a 156-player field for teaching and club pros. The 2026 title went to Aaron Rai outside Philadelphia at Aronimink; the next two hosts are PGA Frisco (2027) and San Francisco's Olympic Club (2028).
    • U.S. Open Golf Championship. The USGA has staged its open championship since 1895, now in the middle of June. Wyndham Clark took the 2026 edition on Long Island at Shinnecock; Pebble Beach follows in 2027.
    • The Open Championship. Golf's oldest event, dating to 1860, closes the major season in July, with St Andrews' Old Course hosting in 2027.
    • The Players Championship. The tour's own showcase on the Stadium Course near Jacksonville, set for March 9 to 14, 2027.
    • Arnold Palmer Invitational. An Orlando signature event at Bay Hill, held the week after the Players (March 15 to 21 in 2027).
    • Ryder Cup. Europe won 15–13 on Long Island at Bethpage Black in 2025. The matches go to Ireland's Adare Manor in September 2027, then to Hazeltine National in Minnesota for 2029.

    Gate Rules and Course Manners

    • Phones. No sport varies more on this. Augusta forbids carrying a phone during tournament rounds, whereas Bay Hill lets fans keep one on silent and talk only in marked call zones.
    • Bags. The 2026 Players allowed two kinds: a transparent bag up to 12 x 6 x 12 inches, or a non-clear pouch no bigger than 6 inches on each side. Rules vary by event and year, so check the tournament's current policy before you leave home.
    • Parking. On-course parking is scarce, so most events bus spectators in from satellite lots. Bay Hill, for one, has sent general parking to lots at Universal Orlando with complimentary shuttles.
    • Shoes. A championship course means miles of grass and hills. Wear shoes you can walk in all day.
    • Etiquette. Once a player addresses the ball, stop moving and stay silent until the shot is struck.

    Confirm dates and each event's spectator guide on the PGA Tour schedule at pgatour.com. Reserved Seat backs every order with a 100% guarantee.

    Frequently asked questions

    Where is the best place to watch at a golf tournament?

    Par-3 grandstands let you watch every group tee off and finish the hole. Greens that border another hole are nearly as good, and the range is the place for close-up looks before play.

    Is it better to follow one player or stay at one hole?

    Staying put at a good hole shows more golf. If you follow a star, walk a hole or two ahead and wait at the green rather than trailing the crowd behind the group.

    Are practice rounds worth attending?

    They are the budget and low-crowd choice. The early-week sessions put you close to the players, though nothing counts on the leaderboard yet.

    Can I bring my phone to the Masters?

    No. Augusta National does not allow phones during tournament play. Many PGA Tour stops, including Bay Hill, permit them on silent with calls in marked zones.

    Where are the men's majors in 2027?

    Augusta National (Masters, April), PGA Frisco in Texas (PGA Championship), Pebble Beach (U.S. Open) and St Andrews (The Open Championship).

    Sources

    Card and header photos come from Wikimedia Commons contributors under Creative Commons or public-domain terms. Artist and license for each one are listed on the photo credits page.