A dozen ways to catch the action at CP Women’s Open: Your best options to see tourney up close

By Brock Weir

There are a dozen ways to see the on-green action at this month's CP Women's Open at the Magna Golf Club – and a $20 donation to a good cause can drive you towards a great fan experience.

Work is well underway at the Magna Golf Club ahead of the August 25 event. The grandstands are going up, the course is being marked, and the fine details are being put in place for ticketholders.

With general admission tickets ranging from $20 - $60 for single day passes, and $120 to gain access to the grounds for the entire week, tournament manager Ryan Paul says your best bet is to consider an additional $20 charitable donation to be a part of the CP Fan Zone experience.

“It is a big thing for Golf Canada and CP bringing the LPGA to the public and giving residents of York Region a chance to see these players up close and personal,” says Mr. Paul. “An important step with Magna is to build the infrastructure that allows for that to happen, accommodate the crowds we're expecting, and give them the opportunity to watch these players up close.

“We have a lot of spots to watch. The 18^th Green is always a favourite, the final hole where the champion is crowned, so we'll have a public bleacher right on the green side that can accommodate 300 people. What's really special about our event is at the 15^th and 17^th hole, we'll have the CP Fan Zone, an upgraded area for spectators. You get covered seating, you get your bleachers, and we give them upgraded bathrooms, which is always a plus – then there are concessions with heart-healthy options. To get into those structures, it is a $20 donation to Sick Kids and that donation gets you in there all week.”

While this is a good option to brave the elements and contribute to a good cause at the same time, Mr. Paul says one of the beauties of the Magna Golf Course is that there really isn't a bad place to watch the game.

Some spectators, he says, like to get a head-start on the game play, setting themselves up on the driving range to watch professional golfers, including defending champion Brooke Henderson, warm up, but others like to get in their steps.

“If you want to follow a group and walk the 18 holes, you have great vistas and sight lines at each hole as you go along,” says Mr. Paul. “If you want to follow Brooke Henderson or any other Canadians, or if you want to sit at a green and watch the players come in, Seventeen is a really popular one, just being a Par 3 over the water. Fifteen will be a reachable Par 4 on some days, so it is exciting to watch the players go in for the green in one. Every hole here is great and the back Nine is just so compact you can bounce from hole to hole quite easily. It really adds to the experience.”

In his 14 years organizing these tournaments, Mr. Paul estimates he has probably managed to see “about half a dozen shots” in that time, but that doesn't lessen his excitement and enthusiasm. For those who have picked up tickets so far, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with many looking forward to seeing Henderson defend her crown.

“That has elevated the excitement just a little bit more,” he says with a smile.

If you're considering going online to cpwomensopen.com to secure your tickets, Mr. Paul offers a few pro tips for those heading over to Magna.

“The CP Fan Zones are the way to go with their covered structures. That will give you a chance to get out of the elements. You can still come and go as you please. If you're really wanting to watch that final putt and the final group has come in and Eighteen is your thing, I would say come here early and bring a chair that you can park down. That still allows you to get up and walk. The thing about golf fans is they are incredibly respectful, so if you show up at 7 a.m. and put your lawn chair on the Eighteenth green and go for a three-hour walk to the range and catch some other golf, that chair is right there and nobody has sat in front of you or moved you out of the way.”