Avid tennis fans and Country Club of Asheville members Joe and Kathryn Scott traveled to New York last year to experience the US Open - in particular, the men’s double final and women’s single final. While Serena Williams was the one Kathryn hoped to see (she didn’t make the finals) the experience of being there in person was irreplaceable.
“You don’t get a good sense of the power or speed of the game when you’re watching from home,” says Kathryn, who plays tennis with her family. “The ball is there before you even see them hit. It’s across the court and being returned so fast. That athleticism is hard to capture on TV.”
The Scotts offer some good advice for planning a trip to a national tennis tournament besides the obvious, drink plenty of water and bring sunscreen. “Give yourself plenty of time to get out to the stadium. Go early, because there’s a lot to do on the grounds.”
While it's hard to match the excitement of traveling afar to watch the pros play, the Winston-Salem Open is a great event to catch big talent locally. Again this year, McConnell Golf will organize a group trip to the event, which is the final tournament in a series of nine leading up to the US Open. It's a great chance to socialize with members from sister properties and the group enjoys tailgating before the match as much as their group seats in the stadium.