Updated June 15 – Next week will mark the return of the PGA Tour to Bethesda’s Congressional Country Club with the Quicken Loans National hosted by the Tiger Woods Foundation.
Woods won’t be playing due to his continued recovery from back problems. The tournament has traditionally seen attendance lag when the 14-time major winner isn’t in the field.
The four-day tournament begins June 23 and fans can also watch practice rounds June 21 and 22.
Here’s what you need to know if you plan on heading to Congressional next week:
Parking
General public parking will be available in the Rock Springs Parking Lot at 6720 Rockledge Drive and cost $15 per vehicle. The spot is about six miles from Congressional, which is located at 8500 River Road. Round-trip shuttle service to and from the parking lot to the tournament’s main entrance on Persimmon Tree Lane is included in the parking fee.
Those who wish to park a little closer to the course can pay $35 for “preferred parking” at the nearby TPC Potomac at Avenel Farms golf course, located at 10000 Oaklyn Drive. But that location is still a roughly 40-minute, two-mile walk from Congressional. The tournament will provide round-trip shuttle service from this parking lot, too, but to a VIP entrance closer to the course’s clubhouse.
Homeowners immediately around Congressional, which is bracketed by River Road, Bradley Boulevard and Persimmon Tree Road, have been known to offer parking in their driveways and front yards during the week of the tournament. Those first-come, first-serve spaces typically start at $20 per vehicle.
Other transportation options
The tournament is encouraging spectators to use Uber, which will offer a free first ride costing up to $15 to new users who sign up with the promo code QUICKEN2016.
The Metrobus T2 route between Friendship Heights and Rockville includes a stop at River Road and Bradley Boulevard and service will be increased from every 30 minutes to every 15 minutes for the tournament, according to Montgomery County.
The River Road and Bradley Boulevard stop will still require a walk around the perimeter of the course to the Persimmon Tree Lane main entrance. No public walk-ins will be allowed through the club’s main River Road entrance.
Ride On’s Route 36 runs weekdays from the Bethesda Metro to a stop along Bradley Boulevard near Persimmon Tree Road, located just outside the course.
To get to the Persimmon Tree Lane main entrance, spectators can walk south on Bradley Boulevard and follow signs directing them to a shuttle pick-up spot. Or, spectators can walk to the main entrance by turning left on Persimmon Tree Road and proceeding to Persimmon Tree Lane.
Bike racks will also be available at the tournament’s main Persimmon Tree Lane entrance.
Tickets
Tickets are $15 per person per day for the Tuesday and Wednesday practice rounds and ramp up to $35 per person per day for the four days of the tournament from Thursday to Sunday. Kids aged 13-17 can get in for $10 a day with tickets purchased at the box office and kids 12 and under can get in free with a ticketed adult.
The tournament is also offering a host of special seating areas, some that include food and drink. Discounted tickets are available for college students and veterans and active duty members of the military can get complimentary tickets.
Gates open at 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and 7 a.m. Thursday-Sunday.
Things you can and can’t bring onto the golf course grounds
Fans can bring cellphones and tablets to the tournament but they must be on silent mode and adhere to the PGA Tour’s “mobile device policy,” which includes the restriction of phone calls to designated cell phone use areas only.
Fans are allowed to take photos with point-and-shoot cameras only and only during the Tuesday and Wednesday practice rounds. No cameras are allowed during the tournament and no “professional-looking cameras” with long-range lenses, tripods or other special equipment will be permitted the entire week.
Only bags that are smaller than those measuring six inches in height, length and depth will be allowed onto the grounds. Umbrellas (without sleeves) and collapsible chairs without bags will be allowed in, but no lawn chairs or seat cushions.
Who’s playing?
Woods is out and many of the world’s top players are expected to skip the event, which comes on the heels of this week’s U.S. Open in Pennsylvania.
Rickie Fowler, the fifth-ranked golfer in the world has committed to play. So has Troy Merritt, the 94th-ranked golfer who won last year’s Quicken Loans National held in Virginia.
In 2009, when Woods played in and won the event at Congressional, 194,073 people showed up throughout the week of the tournament with 43,936 on the course for Sunday’s final round. In 2013, when Woods was injured and didn’t play, the attendance dipped to 146,909 for the week and 35,565 on Sunday, according to the Tiger Woods Foundation.