‘The only hole busier than the 17th is the 19th!’ – My hour at the Open Arms

I took on the noble task of visiting the Open Arms during the third round at Hoylake. Please – I don’t want your sympathy.

I visited two of them in fact. The first was to the side of the 5^th fairway, one I’d recommend with a big screen showing the action close by.

We’ve already spoken about the price of beer this week at The Open, but as one pint-loving fan told me, the price is part and parcel of attending such a big sporting spectacle.

“When in Rome,” he drolly put it. “They can charge what they want can’t they? People are still going to pay it!”

That they are. Another punter who’d navigated the train strikes this morning from Wigan told me it was even a struggle to make out the beer prices on the microscopic menus, let alone afford one.

“I can’t even read the prices, I just point!” An issue I imagine was shared by many. A strongly zoomed camera was required to fully comprehend each digit.

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I’d left the ludicrously crowded 17^th hole to get to my first Open Arms stop, but as one spectator remarked, “the 19th hole was the only one busier than 17.”

The bleak weather, nor the early hour of midday, didn’t stop the masses sipping their pints of Singha lager and Whitstable Bay Pale Ale – I even saw one fan with a glass of whisky perched on the flattened grass.

“I don’t mind a pale ale, but…” one wrapped-up spectator said to me with my pint in hand. I know what you’re thinking Mr. Lager Loyalist, but I’ll drink my drink and you drink yours.

Admittedly, one barman I chatted with at the Open Arms tent by the 4^th hole revealed lager was undoubtedly the most popular drink.

The pale ale was a distant second, while the stout has been hard to shift. And don’t even mention the champagne, of which this Merseyside local had only sold one bottle all week.

He told me a story of one lady who’d been dragged to the golf by her partner, so she made him buy her the most expensive beverage possible.

A tough price to pay when a glass of bubbly stuff is £14.

The bar staff receives the odd comment here and there about the price of beer, but “they’re at an event” he said.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a cheaper alcoholic drink than £7.50 at other major sports events this summer. It’s essentially part of the terms and conditions when purchasing your ticket.

I was surprised at how late the Open Arms shut. I could comprehend an 8.30 pm closure on Saturday, but this extends until 30 minutes after the prizegiving on Sunday.

No doubt the benches and tables will be full at this time as some fans will wait for the brunt of the pedestrian traffic to pass before starting the arduous journey home.

I’d compare an hour at the Open Arms to a festival/picnic experience. Alcohol aplenty, empty plastic cups smattered everywhere, but also the odd coffee flask and sandwich bags being brandished from backpacks.

One group was dishing out bourbon biscuits to soak up the liquid – a short-term remedy before inevitably forking out on a burger or fish and chips.

All in all, the standout feature of the Open Arms was how easy it was to get a drink. The queues were short, and the service was quick.

NOW READ: Find out how much a pint of beer costs here!

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