U.S. OPEN: Reviews on U.S. Open shuttle mostly positive

Some fans get creative on ways to get to course

By BRIAN HIRO - Staff Writer | Wednesday, June 11, 2008 9:58 PM PDT ∞

U.S. Open spectators leaving through the main gate at Torrey Pines Golf Course and heading to buses to take them to Qualcomm Stadium on Wednesday.

LA JOLLA ---- When Bill FitzMaurice heard about the plan to use Qualcomm Stadium as the chief parking area for the U.S. Open, one word popped into his mind:

"Nightmare."

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FitzMaurice, a San Clemente resident, didn't relish the thought of fighting rush-hour traffic down Interstate 5, only to drive by Torrey Pines Golf Course en route to Mission Valley, and get stuck in more gridlock on the free shuttle bus back to the course. Then he'd have to go through the same headache in reverse each afternoon.

So FitzMaurice came up with an alternate route Wednesday. He drove down to Solana Beach, parked on a side street, and hopped on an MTS bus, which dropped him off at the north entrance to the course, near the Lodge at Torrey Pines.

"It worked great," FitzMaurice said. "It looked like a lot of people were doing that today."

The Qualcomm site might not make much sense for people from North County, or points even farther north, but it's mostly proven to be a hit for San Diegans and out-of-town visitors. Julie Dillon, who works in the will-call office at the main entrance gate, said she hasn't heard a single complaint about parking or transportation during the first three days of the tournament (all practice rounds).

"The 'Q' is running great, according to the people we've talked to," Dillon said. "There are plenty of buses lined up, and people can hop out of their car, jump in a bus and come right here.

"The tournament has been incredibly smoothly run. I'm involved in the Buick (Invitational) every year (at Torrey Pines), and we are learning a lot."

A joint partnership between Coach America and the United States Golf Association, U.S. Open transportation involves up to 200 buses running continuously between Qualcomm and the entrance gate at the southern end of Torrey Pines from 5 a.m. until 10 p.m. Shane Khajavi, the operations manager for Coach America, said the majority of the buses are from his company, and some are on loan from as far away as Sacramento.

"We've never done anything this big before," Khajavi said. "Everything was planned very nicely, but it's a challenge getting 200 buses every day."

Unlike the Buick Invitational every January, on-site parking for the U.S. Open ---- which is expected to draw as many as 250,000 people over seven days ---- is limited to players, USGA officials and other select tournament personnel. Spectators can be dropped off at the course, a rule some have taken advantage of by taking taxis or even renting limos.

After parking and stepping right onto a shuttle early Wednesday morning, John Henige of El Cajon said he planned to splurge for a limo with three of his friends on Saturday and Sunday, the days of the highly attended third and fourth rounds.

"It's just starting to get busy," said Henige, who watched Wednesday's practice round with his 16-year-old son, Alex. "I didn't want to be waiting in line this weekend."

Henige said the 13-mile ride from the stadium to Torrey Pines took about 30 minutes, but some complained that their ride took nearly 40 minutes ---- and almost an hour between when they parked at Qualcomm and when they disembarked at the golf course.

"They have a lot of buses, but for some reason it took a long time to get here," said Rick Beltran of San Diego, who arrived at Qualcomm at 9 a.m. "They should have been able to get us here faster. I'm not taking the shuttle on Saturday. I'm going to get someone to drop me off."

Mack McCloskey of Carlsbad braved the long commute down to San Diego, saying it took him 30 minutes in the car and 30 more minutes on the bus. He called his experience "very positive," with no wait for a shuttle other than a quick baggage check at the site.

"It would be nice if there were an intermediary way for folks from North County," McCloskey said. "But I felt the service was quite good for me."

The process of going to and from the course is likely to become more dicey starting Thursday, with the combination of increased commuter traffic and crowds anticipated at more than 40,000 for the official rounds. Complicating matters this weekend will be the opening of the San Diego County Fair on Saturday.

"My initial reaction when I heard about the 'Q' was, 'Oh, wow, that doesn't sound good,' " said Lynn Ziegenfuss of El Cajon. "But not having to spend money on gas, not having to find a parking space, it's really been great."

No doubt speaking for many, Ziegenfuss added, "Now, we'll see tomorrow when there's 42,000 people on the course."

Contact staff writer Brian Hiro at b_hiro@hotmail.com.