You may not be able to make a lot of noise in Tempe without incurring the wrath of Councilwoman Barbara Carter and a hefty fine, but you can take that partying fervor to the most unlikely place -- the golf course.
This Thursday marked the beginning of the FBR Open, formerly the Phoenix Open. Held in Scottsdale, (big surprise) it draws as many as 100,000 people daily -- more than the Super Bowl.
And this is not the kind of golf your dad watches on television, where they clap lightly, wave a lot and talk so softly it's hard to stay awake.
The FBR Open pulls in people who would rather cheer than clap -- people who would rather have a few cocktails than a mochaccino while watching sports. There will still be plenty of people just trying to enjoy a nice golf game -- drooling over the new PING line or making mental notes on how to improve their swing -- but it's the perfect opportunity for college students to get out of Tempe and do something fun.
You may remember the classic Adam Sandler movie "Happy Gilmore," where Sandler breathes life into a seemingly elitist sport that has nothing to do with the average sports fan. That might have been filmed in Hollywood, but it might as well have been the FBR Open.
If you haven't been to the FBR Open before, let us give you a couple of pointers: the 16th hole is where it's at. Sit back. Watch the golfers play through. Have a few drinks and make a little noise to help them concentrate. (Surprisingly, loud cheering notoriously seems to help a lot of golfers -- go figure why they keep it so quiet everywhere else).
In 1997, a certain golfer you might have heard of named Tiger Woods aced the hole with a nine iron and was doused in beer cups and applause. Former ASU golfers such as Phil Mickelson and Billy Mayfair are showered with cheers from the Maroon and Gold, and Wildcats like Ted Purdy are also "kindly" greeted.
Besides, this year's FBR Open defending champion Jonathon Kaye is a Phoenix resident, so give a shout for the home team.
The FBR Open ends Sunday, offering ample time for us to leave the confines of our dry (not from water, from alcohol) dungeon, malinger around the beer garden and watch some golf.
As you may have guessed, parking is about as bad as parking at ASU, so check out some alternative routes and carpool with friends (someone underage, so he'll have to drive everyone home).
And before you go around asking everyone what FBR stands for, it's after the famous American president, Franklin Belanore Roosevelt, who invented the light bulb.
All right, you got us: We're already at the 16th-hole beer garden and sending this in via wireless communication. God bless the Internet. See ya there.
