2015 U.S. Women's Open tickets selling quickly

LANCASTER, Pa. -- If you've been considering attending this summer's biggest sports event in Central Pa. -- the 70th U.S. Women's Open at Lancaster Country Club -- and you haven't purchased your tickets yet, now is the time to act.

Ticket sales last fall were brisk for the tournament, and the window to get daily tickets just opened again on Friday. There are a limited number of tickets still available thanks to a heavy demand.

For ticket information, visit the website (2015uswomensopen.com/tickets). The Open runs from July 6-12, with practice rounds the first three days.

"Our plan was to release a number of daily tickets for people throughout the region who are interested in only daily tickets because they want to make a day trip to the championship," said Barry Deach, championship director of the 2015 U.S. Women's Open.

"Many of them even plan to take public transportation because of the convenience. Due to demand, we'll monitor the number of daily tickets sold very closely and we will adjust inventory as needed to ensure our commitment to a major championship experience is consistent."

In other words, there are tickets left, but the USGA, which runs the tournament, does not want to sell too many and create a situation in which the course is too crowded. It is expected that roughly 75-100,000 spectators will view the action for the week.

Tickets for daily championship rounds cost $45 per person and are good Thursday through Sunday. Practice round tickets, for Monday through Wednesday, cost $20. Tickets must be purchased for a specific day.

Deach said, "Many people have been waiting for our daily tickets to be released. Once they are available, it will make this landmark event even more accessible for day trippers from around the region, especially with other modes of transportation like Amtrak -- Lancaster has one of the busiest Amtrak lines in the nation."

For the spectators, free shuttles will run from the public parking areas to the main gate.

This is the first USGA event hosted by the venerable Lancaster C.C. course, but it's the 83rd time a USGA championship event has been held in Pennsylvania. One reason for that is that the state has one of the highest numbers of USGA members in the country.

Deach has been on site for over a year and has been impressed with how things have gone smoothly so far.

"I didn't know how this would work out here (because it's the first time), but it will be a nice product for Central PA that I think will work very well," Deach said. "We found a lot of local leaders who really stepped up to help ... and did so quickly. Everyone has been extraordinary. They all have said, 'What can we do to help?'

"Here's another way you can tell: An event like this takes about 2,500 volunteers to make it happen and it took only five weeks to fill all of those spots. We've got a waiting list of over 500. That's remarkable."

While extensive planning has been going for many months behind the scenes, the actual work on setting up the course for the event begins in May. That includes building the bleachers, tents and concession areas, as well as the media center and hospitality areas.

Deach believes club members will still be able to play until sometime in June, depending on the weather.

The goal is to get all the facilities in place and have the course be in tip-top shape for the big show.

"The hardest job is the superintendent's (LCC's director of golf course operations is Todd Bidelspacher), because his job is on display all week, both for the people coming and the people watching on TV," Deach said. "They'll get a lot of direction from the USGA, but the guys that work here know the course best."

Deach said that the Lancaster area has a chance to shine with a national spotlight on it, and the club members will be able to show off their course.

"I told the members back in 2013 that they will have to put up with some inconveniences because it's like a carnival coming to town," Deach said. "But that Sunday night before a major, when everything has come together and the course is so pristine, you will feel so much pride.

"You'll get to see your club on TV that week and when you see the tournament wrap up on the 18th hole on the last day, it will be special."

This article was written by Ed Gotwals from Public Opinion, Chambersburg, Pa. and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network.