BROOKLINE, Mass. — The 2022 US Open is set to start in less than two weeks, and organizers are making plans to welcome tens of thousands of golf fans to The Country Club in Brookline.
Traffic in and around the course will be restricted and the US Open is urging fans to take advantage of off-site parking, and the MBTA.
“Over the seven days of the championship, we are expecting to see over 175,000 fans show up to this championship. It’s a big number certainly,” said Eric Steimer, Director for US Open Championships for the USGA.
“Make no mistake, this is a very large undertaking. We have been actively engaged with the Town of Brookline and the local community,” said Steimer.
There are only a limited number of parking passes for the US Open as of Monday. A parking pass will get you parking at a satellite lot, and a shuttle ride to and from an admission gate.
The lots which require passes are located at:
- Boston College, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill
- Founders Park Garage, 37 A Street, Needham
- Boston College Newton, Campus 885 Centre Street, Newton
- UMASS Mount Ida, 100 Carlson Avenue, Newton
You can visit usopen.com and navigate to the Fan Info and Parking & Transportation section to purchase the remaining parking passes. There is no general parking for fans available in the immediate vicinity of The Country Club.
The best option, however, may be the MBTA.
“We are partnering with the MBTA to be able to utilize the Orange Line to the Forest Hills Station, so anyone coming from Boston can take the Orange Line to Forest Hills Station where US Open shuttle buses will provide complimentary transportation to and from the station,” said Steimer.
Three branches of the MBTA Green Line will also have shuttle buses running to the US Open. Fans will be able to get shuttle buses at the Riverside station on the D branch, at the Cleveland Circle station on the C branch, and at the Boston College station on the B branch.
If you are interested in using a ride share from points west. organizers say you should get dropped off at the Needham lot to connect with a shuttle to the course.
Ride share riders in the Brookline, Boston, and Cambridge areas can get dropped off at Larz Anderson Park in Brookline via the Avon Street entrance. Note, you will have to walk the rest of the way to the course, which is about three-quarters of a mile from the park location.
This will be the first US Open at The Country Club since 1988. The practice rounds are June 13-15. Tournament play starts June 16 and ends on Father’s Day on June 19th.
There will be many traffic restrictions in place in busy areas like Route 9, the West Roxbury Parkway, and the VFW Parkway. Local roads will have limited access for residents. Detours will be in place, and commuters who usually drive in the area of The Country Club are urged to find alternate routes.
Only residents displaying the appropriate parking hangtag, championship vehicles, and service vehicles will be permitted through the checkpoints:
- Clyde Street – Between Warren Street, Lee Street, and Newton Street intersections
- Lee Street – Between the Warren Street rotary and Clyde Street intersection
- Newton Street – Between Grove Street and Goddard Avenue intersection
- Meadowbrook Road via Goddard Avenue
- Yarmouth Road via Heath Street
There are some 10,000 grandstand seats at 18 holes that make up the championship course, and some 3,500 volunteers will be working to help fans over the seven days of the tournament. The slots to fill volunteer positions at the championship were filled within two hours of being announced.
“This is very much a welcome reopening,” said Steimer. “The last two US Opens had to implement some COVID planning, whereas we are really returning to a normal US Open Championship.” Face masks are not required for those who are vaccinated, according to the US Open website.
”People are ready to see the world’s best golfers at The Country Club,” said Steimer who said The Country Club will test every aspect of a player’s game. “It’s going to make them swing every club that they bring in that bag. Those approach shots are going to have to be dialed in.”
“You’re going to see some of the best of the best,” said Steimer. “The young up-and-comers like Justin Thomas coming off his PGA Championship a few weeks ago and the likes of Rory McIlroy. “We’re hoping Tiger is feeling healthy and hoping he is going to commit to coming out here to play.”
Tickets for the US Open sold out months ago. There will be 156 golfers in the field. The final qualifiers are next week.
“To be able to create an atmosphere for all of the fans that are coming here, it’s not our intent to sell as many tickets as we can,” said Steimer. “We want to sell into a capacity that allows us to present that exemplary experience for our fans to be able to follow their favorite golfers all 18 holes, to sit in some of these panoramic grandstand views that we have, and to be able to experience the atmosphere during the week of the championship.”
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