Attending a PGA Major....advice?

I have been to The Open at Carnoustie and you definitely want to walk the whole course at least once.

I preferred finding a hill so you can see multiple holes from one vantage point until a group I wanted to follow came through and then I would walk with them.

Went to the PGA Championship at Bellerive on the Final Round. We got there around 8:00 am, and walked a majority of the course before the leaders got on the course. Got to see a lot of players and course doing that. After Tiger started, we went and camped out by the #5 tee box on the ropes until he got there. Was amazing seeing everyone just descend onto that hole when he was making his way there. We then bounced ahead of him again at 11 and 17. On 17 some dude was just wasted and sunburned real bad. Fell over once.

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Went to the PGA Championship at Bellerive on the Final Round.

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What an amazing round of golf that was

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Masters on Friday.

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Get in early. Place your chair where you might like to sit and watch. Go buy a bunch of merch. Walk the course. Return to your chair at any time. Nobody will mess with it.

Rummy can probably tell you the best strategy.

Augusta National is an amazingly beautiful place. So many great spots where you can observe multiple shots.

My favorite spots now are: Any green is a good spot to watch players. I can’t see their drives anymore so I usually find myself around various greens. You can’t get to close to 11,12,13 green.

I actually like 5, 7, and 14. It seems not as many people gather there. Watching 15 and 16 from the stands is exciting.
9 green is fun to watch them practice.

It’s beyond beautiful. You will enjoy yourself.

You’ve got some good advice so far. I’ll only add that I’ve really enjoyed watching players on the range when I’ve attended. It’s unreal watching the groupings those guys have on all the warm up flags. Obviously don’t spend the whole day but taking 10-15 mins to watch a few of the really good ball strikers seems like it would be worthwhile.

1) pick one with a historic course. I’ve been to Augusta for the Wednesday practice round and went to the final round of the last Open at Oakmont. The course and everything that’s happened there is way cooler than the current event going on in my opinion.
2) get there before the gates open and don’t leave until after the final putt drops. We stayed until after the tropy presentation and basically had our run of the place with almost no one there until they threw us out. We walked on greens and stepped into the church pews. It was awesome.
3) Get your swag the very first thing. The masters and us open both have a set up where you can Fed Ex your swag home so you don’t have to carry it. The merch areas just get busier and busier as the day goes on. Knock it out early. I’d also say get stuff that will be a memory of the experience more than shirts/hats that you’ll wear out in no time. My favorite items were my pin flags and ball markers. All my shirts and hats are long gone
4) Take pictures like a Japanese tourist. Mine pop up all the time on memories. Got one my buddy took of Arnie giving me a thumbs up and smiling. I’ll never forget that.

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Depends on which one you’re going to

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Probably this. I’ve never been to Augusta, but you can damn sure bet I’d see every inch of that course I could. I’d almost consider the golf a distant probably 3rd after the course and the merch.

The only Major venue I’ve been to was Chambers Bay. Got to play there. I’d probably treat the US Open like I do the Zurich. Walk the course and find a couple of groups I’d like to follow and make my way around with them. Bounce around and see as many players as possible.

St Andrews or Carnoustie would be a see as much as possible venue for me.

Definitely the whole course. Maybe not as soon as you get there or maybe as soon as you get there, it just depends on which group you want to watch and their tee times. Follow some big names for a few holes each, but it gets old with crowds all following them and not really being able to see, so you need to map it and get ahead of them to watch them from a good spot finishing a hole and then teeing off. Usually the group the good players in clumps for TV, so if you can find a good bleacher spot ahead of them you may just stay in the same spot to watch for a while. Late in the day on Thursday and Friday the crowds die down after the TV groups are on the late part of the back nine or done, so you can really walk the course much easier and be really close to groups’ shots on almost every hole.

This all assumes you are not talking about Augusta. I’d watch it completely different. The course is really the star at Augusta to me. For first timers, I’d get there early and be in the line to enter as soon as the gates are open and walk the course backwards from 18, so you can see it all. People usually rush to the pro shop because it is close to entry gate, to get it out of the way, because not a lot of groups are on the course and to avoid them selling out. That creates massive influx of people, so to me there are better times to go and I have never seen them sell out of anything before Friday evening (they probably don’t on the weekend, but I have not been on a weekend).

I second what many are saying about Augusta. Get merchandise as early as you can as it becomes a madhouse pretty quick. Holes 1 and 2 aren't all that spectacular, but 3 is a fun green to watch, then shoot over to 6 and 7. Watch them tee off at 8, then walk up to 9 green. Hit the driving range for about 30-45 minutes, then walk the entire back nine. Every hole and green on back nine is worth seeing. Stock up on sandwiches and enjoy the day. It is truly the most amazing place.