Golf fans are left in a parking lot for hours as major transportation issues hit the first day of the 2024 Solheim Cup
Major transportation issues have hit the first day of the Solheim Cup here at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. As the players took to the first tee just after 7:00am (ET) this morning, they were met by a cheering fans but noticeably there were a number of seats that remained empty.
With no onsite parking, spectators are relying upon bus transportation to bring them in from the park and ride car park which is situated just over five miles away from the golf course.
There were murmurs of problems during the practice days but this was accentuated when the larger crowds tried to get to the course on Friday morning. Two issues seem to have caused waits of over two hours to get to the course - shuttles not starting early enough and not enough buses.
The organisers of the Solheim Cup last year at Finca Cortesin faced a lot of criticism and complaints about their spectator bus travel and now that has shifted to the LPGA here at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club.
The LPGA released a statement via X:
The statement read: "We recognize and deeply apologize to all fans affected by the challenges with shuttling from parking to the golf course. We’ve made significant changes to our transportation system to mitigate these issues moving forward, and we’re working on ways to express our regret to those impacted."
The full extent of the transport chaos has been shared across social media, including this from fan Jon Davidson in response to a post by Beth Ann Nichols at Golfweek:
With another X user, Lindy McKnight adding:
"2 hours and 15 minutes from the time we got in line to arriving at the course. This is ruining the Solheim experience for thousands of new fans and is unacceptable given that you knew how many tickets had been purchased ahead of time. My 4th Solheim cup—worst experience ever."
We've heard that more buses have arrived but it's too late for those who had hoped to watch the opening tee shots on Friday, plus many still face over two hour waits just to get to the course. What compensation, if any, fans will receive remains to be seen but there's no doubt this has not been the start to the 2024 Solheim Cup, the biggest women's professional golf event, that anyone would have hoped for.
*Update: Statement from the LPGA on Solheim Cup Transportation
The LPGA released a statement at 8:50pm on Friday.
We have taken significant steps to address Friday morning’s transportation challenges:
- Beginning tomorrow, gates will open at 5:30 a.m. with buses running from Jiffy Lube Live starting at 4:30 a.m. to better accommodate early arrivals.
- We have significantly increased the number of shuttle buses and have developed more efficient loading and unloading processes to expedite departures.
- In addition, volunteers will now park at a separate location, with their own dedicated shuttles, to ease congestion for spectators.
We apologise again to any fans whose enjoyment of the event was impacted by transportation delays. We appreciate the patience and understanding of our fans and look forward to a great weekend of spirited competition.
Did you have trouble getting to the course and want to share your thoughts? Email Editor Emma here.