Pacific Life Open - question on tickets

[Redflea]

We're going out to Palm Springs for the Pac Life Open this year, and are wondering about tickets. We'll be there opening weekend Fri/Sat and Sunday day.

My family lacks the rabid hunger for watching tennis that I have, and aren't willing to plan to do both day and night sessions each day we're there, so my usually very cooperative wife is standing firm on not buying the full weekend ticket packages. Our current planned compromise is to buy day tickets for Fri/Sat/Sun and only purchase evening tickets for Friday or Saturday if we decide we want to stick around for the evening matches. I have a feeling we probably won't catch a night session, as my wife is gung ho for some nice dinners out on the town.

Anyone done it that way before, and any obvious down-sides? I presume (this is the opening weekend) that there won't be a problem getting tickets for night sessions that we decide to stay for. I know they may end up being "way up high" in the stadium the later we buy them.

And can someone define what is "day" vs. "night?" I can't find anything that tells the start/stop times for the day sessions and night sessions.

Thanks!

 

[GRANITECHIEF]

Night session starts at 7pm-ish and is usually just the singles match and a dubs match immediately after in the main stadium. However, there are almost always other matches going on in stadiums 2 and 3, as well as other courts. You only need a night session ticket to get into the main stadium. You can usually watch matches all day (including main stadium) and outer court matches at night with just your day tickets.

 

[Redflea]

Thanks...that's very helpful! Looks like getting the day tickets will work well for our situation.

 

[borisboris]

Went down for the 1st week last yr - unusually cold and wet so matches were postponed which meant a massive amount of high quality matches night-day. Friend went to the Aussie Open months prior and noted the match-ups at the Tennis Garden were better. Safin - Moya 1st rd? Safin Davedenko 2nd rd. Haas Agassi 2nd rd etc. You never know-the nights were cold = my wife and I were not prepared for 40 degree viewing. Do the day sessions the 1st week. Unreal that I stood 8 feet from Nadal on the practice ct watching him hit flat f-hands. I could have stayed from the 1st minute until the last match point of the evening - in fact I did one day/night and my wife keeps reminding of it - but you'll find out - maybe give your wife the plastic and let her stroll P Springs. Your bill might be high but not as high as the level of tennis!

 

[Redflea]

Went down for the 1st week last yr - unusually cold and wet so matches were postponed which meant a massive amount of high quality matches night-day. Friend went to the Aussie Open months prior and noted the match-ups at the Tennis Garden were better. Safin - Moya 1st rd? Safin Davedenko 2nd rd. Haas Agassi 2nd rd etc. You never know-the nights were cold = my wife and I were not prepared for 40 degree viewing. Do the day sessions the 1st week. Unreal that I stood 8 feet from Nadal on the practice ct watching him hit flat f-hands. I could have stayed from the 1st minute until the last match point of the evening - in fact I did one day/night and my wife keeps reminding of it - but you'll find out - maybe give your wife the plastic and let her stroll P Springs. Your bill might be high but not as high as the level of tennis!

Heh, heh, heh...I should go to the tournament with you.

I have been informed by my wife that this is a family trip that includes tennis, not a tennis trip that includes family. I think she has it backwards, but since my kids agree w/her for the most part (at least they do now, before we've gotten there) for now I'm agreeing with them that staying all day and evening would be crazy. But I have hopes to win over at least one of my sons and arrange one full day/night w/him, while my wife and other less fanatic son can go off and have some quality mother-son time together.

Thanks for the reminder about the cool temps at night, and potential for rain.

 

[Fee]

First weekend tickets are usually pretty easy to just walk up and purchase at the gate. They give discounts for students, military, and USTA members, so have whatever ID you need with you. You can probably get away with a $25 grounds pass if your family really isn't that interested in tennis, no need to spend a $100 each on grandstand tickets if you are going to be on the outer courts most of the time (and there are SO MANY good matches during the first few days you may not ever see the main stadium). The seeds get first round byes, so most of the big names won't play until Sunday, but they will schedule a few on Saturday for broadcast purposes.

Have fun, I might see you down there on the first weekend. Wear sunscreen, comfortable shoes, and hats. The heat can be brutal (last year was the coldest they had had in a while, the year before that was nearly unbearable at times.)

 

[tennisphotog]

It's all about the weather, which can be drastically different from year to year, and, more importantly, from day to night. If it is really hot in the day, the night session is preferable. If it is cold at night, plan for day session only. I've seen so many people trying to brave it through those cold night sessions and their faces express misery. You really need to play it by the weather.

 

[Redflea]

OK...ski jackets gloves and umbrellas, and t-shirts and spray-mist bottles and sunglasses. Got it!

 

[LASVEGAS ACES]

Man, no kidding the "valley" weather can be brutal- there are A LOT of energy windmill fields built for a reason, the wind can be brutal as well.

Locals tips
Do bring heavy and light wear (maybe the "Big" coats in one of those vaccum packing bags)

Don't miss the DATES while in valley- cheap here, mail them home

Do expect to pay and arm and a leg to eat while in town, unless you can live on national chain food- "Treat your family like royality- Burger King and Dairy Queen" It turns out the food INSIDE the tennis facility is about the same price as outside- what does that tell you?

Cabazon is the local factory outlet- pretty large one, at that- not too much tennis gear.

Indian Gaming Casinos abound- B licence gambling only- slots/ no craps
The "29" has a huge hotel- maybe worth a look for cheaper hotel
Thanks to Indian casinos, this white boy can be considered "all paid up" for past history of stealing from the indians.

The first few days are great- players are all over the place, go just as the gates open if you are into the autographs

 

[Redflea]

Another question...should I buy parking for the tournament? They evidently sell parking on the Pac Life Open web site. Any reason to buy in advance, vs. when I am entering the parking at the site?

 

[Fee]

I don't see any reason to, but it might get you a better parking spot. I try to avoid parking there. The shuttles run to the hotels once every hour and the times I've been there I was either staying at one of the hotels or meeting someone who was, so I just took the shuttle.

 

[simi]

If you go into the parking lot with your Mercedes, you get prefered, up-front parking. That was a surprise to me last year when they pulled me out of line and headed me over to the row next to the street. Once I got there, I noticed that ALL the cars were Mercedes Benz automobiles. They are one of the title sponsors of the tour, so I guess in addition to taking two parking spots at the mall, we get close-in parking at the tour events.

I'm going first weekend this year too. Absolutely loved it last year! I purchased the cheapest ticket in the grandstand, which is basically a ground pass. You can go to all the outer courts and sit real close. When we wanted to eat lunch, we went into the grandstand and sat at the top and ate our lunch while we watched a 'small-as-an-ant from as high up as we were' Roddick beat up on somebody down on the center court.

After eating, we left and went back to the outer courts to watch some quality matches. Don't pass up the practice courts either. Get 'up close and persona' with your favorite player in an informal setting.

 

[Redflea]

Thanks...is there a way to confirm whether the tournament shuttle runs to my hotel? We're staying at the Marriot Shadow Ridge in Palm Desert...that's pretty close, right?

And I'm a BMW man, so I won't get preferred parking. Hmm...maybe if I paste a new hood ornament on my car....

 

[Fee]

The shuttle only runs to the hotels along Hwy 111, there are about 6 of them I think. It's the ones on the tournament website.

 

[West Coast Ace]

And I'm a BMW man, so I won't get preferred parking. Hmm...maybe if I paste a new hood ornament on my car....

Porsche for me - I was thinking the same thing. Maybe Fee can get us a hookup with an ACLU lawyer - this reeks of discrimination...

 

[Fee]

I don't know any ACLU lawyers. Try the yellow pages.

 

[Redflea]

Porsche for me - I was thinking the same thing. Maybe Fee can get us a hookup with an ACLU lawyer - this reeks of discrimination...

Agreed.