Star Tribune's Secret Fan: Champions go for the green

Jerry Holt, Star Tribune

Pro Tom Kite talked with fans during the 3M Championship week in 2008.

The final installment in the Star Tribune's 10-part series on taking in the fan experience at Twin Cities-area sporting events.

Last update: July 3, 2009 - 12:41 AM

Editor's note: We sent various Star Tribune staff members out to different summer sporting events and asked them to write about the experience from the perspective of a fan. This is what the "Secret Fan" found:

It's an opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the all-time greats. Their skills might not be what they once were, but chances are they're still better than anyone you've seen. A lot better.

Welcome to Champions Tour golf.

The circuit for the 50-and-over crowd comes to Minnesota once a year for the 3M Championship held at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine. The event, in its 17th year here, returns beginning Monday with a series of pro-am tournaments and practice rounds. The three-day competition kicks off next Friday.

Having attended this tournament for the first time last summer, I found out two things:

1. Watching golf in person (as opposed to playing it) is not nearly as boring as it sounds because ...

2. These guys are good.

I stood atop the hill next to the 10th tee and got an intriguing bird's eye view of two-time Masters champion Bernhard Langer's grip-it-and-rip-it drive right down the fairway. Langer, who again is entered this year, can still bring the noise.

He's not alone. Twelve World Golf Hall of Fame members are playing in the 3M this year.

And did we mention Arnold Palmer makes an annual appearance as a part of the Greats of Golf event? Yes, that Arnold Palmer. Some 55 years after turning pro, you can still see that memorable swing which led to seven major championships and 94 professional victories.

For some real fun, make your way across the road behind the main clubhouse and to the driving range and practice area. Limited bleachers are set up for fans to watch the greats warm up, but there is plenty of standing room to get a glimpse of some shots. There's also a lot of good-natured banter among players (but don't think because there are fans around means players censor their feelings). If memorabilia is your thing, this is one of the best areas to seek out an autograph or two.

Walkways along the course provide ample space for spectators to watch actual competition. If staying put suits you, camp out near the 18th green. It's here you can watch players opt to lay up or go for the green when tackling the course's closing hole. The tempting par 5 has many players try and clear the large pond guarding the two-tiered green with their second shot. Watch out, though; more than one player last year overshot the green and played the ball off the bottom of the corporate tents.

If you do find yourself that close to the action, however, consider yourself lucky to be a part of history.