SAS Championship

PGA Tour Champions comes to Prestonwood Country Club in Cary for tournament week, with practice rounds and pro-ams ahead of competitive play at the weekend.

Tour Champions is the over-50 circuit, which means the field is full of names that people who watched golf in the 1990s and 2000s will recognize immediately. For spectators that is an advantage rather than a novelty: the galleries are smaller than a regular tour event and the players are considerably more willing to talk to them.

How the week runs:

• Early week practice rounds, the cheapest and quietest days
• Pro-am rounds midweek
• Competitive rounds through the weekend
• Ticketing varies by day and package, starting around $40

Our read: if you have never been to a professional golf tournament, go on a practice day. Tickets are cheaper, you can walk anywhere, players are relaxed and often coaching each other, and you learn more about how the course plays than you will from the ropes on Sunday.

Practical notes:

• You will walk several miles. Footwear matters more than anything else you bring.
• Check the tournament's policy on phones, cameras and bags before you travel
• Shuttle parking is standard for events like this rather than parking at the club
• October weather here can swing from hot to wet in a day