WARNING:

Today was the day I got to move into my new home for the next couple of weeks before we move into the dorms at Farmingdale State College. Right now two other interns and I are living luxuriously at the Homewood Suites in Bethpage, NY. We are near the golf course and will begin work tomorrow morning on the site of the US Open. I was very excited about working at Bethpage, but after today I am pumped even more then before because I actually got to see the course up close today. My parents and I walked around the clubhouse and near the courses of Bethpage to get a feel for where I'll be this summer. The courses looked amazing, though most of the courses already have hospitality and merchandise tents being set up on them for the Open. That didn't stop groups from playing the courses, though the tee boxes were moved to the fairways on some holes. We got to see a couple of groups finish up their rounds on the 18th hole of the Black course, so it was neat to see how the course played. I'll try to post some pictures of what I saw. I also got to see the first hole of the Black course and the WARNING sign that tries to scare amateur golfers away. I can't wait to test my skills on the Black course a couple of days after the Open. My goal is to break 90 from the professional tees, but that might be wishful thinking. One of the workers in the Pro Shop told us he didn't think anyone would finish under par during the Open, so it's going to be pretty tough. Tonight I got to meet my boss for the summer, Mary, and two other USGA staff members, Nikki and Nick. They were very welcoming and treated us to dinner at Houlihan's. We got to ask them about the internship and learn about the types of jobs we would be doing this week. This week we will be mostly moving stuff around and organizing the offices that are on site. But I can't wait to begin and I will be sure to keep everyone updated on what I am doing.