I usually just watch golf on my television and turn it off not even five minutes into it. On Sunday, my dad got three free tickets to the last day of the Honda Classic golf tournament, which is championship day. I was actually surprised by how much fun it was.

The Honda Classic was held at the PGA National Resort & Spa with the famous intimidating trifecta of holes- 15, 16, and 17- called ‘The Bear Trap’. Usually, this three hole stretch determines the winner of the tournament.

The competition started on Thursday and ended on Sunday, eliminating players as each day went on. Sunday was the best day to go because all the best golfers were left and I got to watch the number one seed, Rickie Fowler, tee off as well play a couple of holes.

When I first got there, we walked past players practicing on the green. It was so cool seeing the players up close and hitting the ball. You don’t get the full experience when you watch it on television as compared to real life.

I didn’t realize how much walking was involved in golf, from walking to one hole to the next. The professional golfers aren’t allowed to ride in a golf cart from hole to hole, so they have to walk like the rest of us. The professionals don’t take there time walking either, they are walking at a pace that are some people’s jogging speed. Even I had trouble keeping up with them and I run on a daily basis.

There’s also a lot of rules for the spectators in golf such as: no picture taking/ having your phones out when the players are teeing off or on the green, no talking when the players are about to hit their ball, and everyone needs to stop in their tracks when they are about to hit the ball. I knew you had to be quiet when the players were hitting, but I didn’t know how extreme it actually was.

I followed around the defending champion, Adam Scott, for 6-7 holes. Around 12:30 though, I went back to the practice area to wait until Rickie Fowler came out. There was a sea of people all crowding by the gate and standing on top of picnic tables trying to get a glance at him hitting. I would have never thought that people went crazy over golfers like they did for NFL, MLB, and NBA, but once again the golf community surprised me.

It was a long and hot day, but I found it incredibility exciting to experience a new sport up close- and the free tickets were the icing on the cake. I have a new appreciation for the sport of golf and I’m looking forward to getting out to hit some golf balls myself.