Five things on No. 16 at TPC Scottsdale: The details, the party and more

No. 16 is, of course, much more than a golf hole during tournament week. Think of it as a medium-length par 3, a corporate outing, the loudest spectacle in golf and a raging kegger all in one.

The party atmosphere is legendary. Booze, cheers, long lines for the plastic outhouses, players goading on fans and vice-versa: There’s nothing else like it in golf, more concert than staid golf event. As a matter of fact, there was an actual concert on the fairway last week.

Some fans have made it an annual reunion, gathering to cheer and taunt. If a player hits the green, he is applauded. If he misses the green, expect the boos. Stick one close or, even better, in the hole, and the crowd goes nuts. Really nuts.

The golfers also play it up for the fans, often throwing out souvenirs or donning sports jerseys – especially those of Arizona teams. Players with local ties are frequently cheered the loudest. But with all that energy, so rare in golf, comes a price: Players have to be ready to swing when their turn comes.

Tony Finau wears a Kobe Bryant jersey on the 16th hole during the first round of the 2020 Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale. (Rob Schumacher/Arizona Republic)

Tournament organizers cap the crowd around No. 16 to 17,000 fans, and that’s plenty. Many are in corporate skyboxes built into the three-tier arena that surrounds the hole, and there are 3,750 general-admission bleacher seats. Fans rush to No. 16 as soon as the gates open each morning, and the general admission lines to enter No. 16 can stretch to four hours later in the day, as one fan must leave the arena for another to enter.

Jesse Hale from Canada wears a Big Bird outfit on the 16th hole with his friends dressed in Sesame Street costumes during third-round action at the 2019 Waste Management Phoenix Open. (Rob Schumacher/Arizona Republic)

The corporate skyboxes offer a different experience with guaranteed entry for those with the right badges, but admission isn’t exactly cheap. The Skybox 16 Package, for example, costs $55,000 and includes 34 credentials per day, breakfast and lunch each day plus an open bar, 20 general admission tickets per day and an assortment of valet parking passes. All of those skyboxes were sold out for 2022.