Alright so I got all pumped about catching the Houston Open tennis tournament this year, but man I almost messed up big time before even stepping in. Here’s exactly what went down when I tried figuring out the schedule and location.
The Initial Confusion Phase
First off I just googled “Houston Open 2024 dates” like a regular person, right? Big mistake. Got flooded with like fifty different sites showing last year’s dates or fake ticket sellers. Got so frustrated I almost slammed my laptop shut.
Finally stumbled on this page that looked legit, but turned out the tournament dates changed compared to last year. Would’ve shown up a week early if I hadn’t double-checked.
Map Disaster Avoidance
Next I needed to figure out how to get to the tennis center. Pulled up Google Maps but it kept directing me to some random parking lot two miles away. Learned the hard way to type in “Houston River Oaks Country Club” EXACTLY or you’re screwed.
- Key discovery: Entrance is ONLY through Westheimer Road side
- Parking tip: Street parking vanishes by 8am unless you wanna walk 20 mins
- Weird fact: Uber drops you at this sketchy back alley if you don’t specify “main gate”
The Schedule Nightmare
Thought I’d just roll up whenever and catch some tennis. NOPE. Printed out the session times but didn’t realize…
- Morning sessions start crazy early (like 10am)
- Afternoon ones get postponed if it’s too hot (happened twice last week)
- Night matches actually begin at 5:30pm not 7 like I assumed
Ended up sitting courtside with my printed schedule like an idiot circling and crossing out times as they announced changes. Should’ve just downloaded their mobile app which updates real-time.
Last-Minute Hacks That Saved Me
On the actual tournament day I almost melted into a puddle before even seeing a tennis ball. Packed sunscreen but forgot how brutal Houston sun is. Ended up buying this ugly bucket hat at the pro shop for like $40.
Other survival tricks:
- Froze two water bottles overnight – lasted till noon
- Wore tennis shoes instead of flip flops (thank god)
- Brought portable phone charger – saved my life when Google Maps ate my battery
Overall lesson? Houston Open’s awesome but requires military-level planning. Double-check everything three times unless you wanna end up watching matches from the parking lot like some poor souls I saw.
