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Where are the best views at Quicken Loans National?

Noah Frank | nfrank@wtop.com

June 22, 2016, 1:08 AM

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The Quicken Loans National begins Thursday at Congressional Country Club. Click through the slides to see some of the food featured at this year's event, as well as a hole-by-hole preview and the best spots for spectators.
The Quicken Loans National begins Thursday at Congressional Country Club. Click through the slides to see some of the food featured at this year’s event, as well as a hole-by-hole preview and the best spots for spectators. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
New food options this year include (clockwise from top left) a banh mi sandwich, a BBQ brisket sandwich, a turkey burger and shrimp tacos. The new items were showcased at Tuesday’s Taste of Summer event. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
The Boardwalk is a feature along the right side of the 11th fairway that offers a number of different food options as well as games to keep families entertained. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
This year’s “shot for heroes” is a 60-yard chip set up high above and to the left of the 18th hole. Anyone can step up and take two shots, and if they sink one will win $10,000 and Quicken Loans will make a matching $10,000 donation to the Tiger Woods Foundation. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Perhaps the most scenic spot on the whole course, the grove beyond the 18th green offers views back to the finishing hole as well as over to the 10th green, where any hole in one by a player this weekend will win a lucky fan $1,000,000. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
See the course layout above, then continue to see each individual hole and the best vantage point for spectators.
Hole #1 Par 4, 402 yards Right at the entrance, you’ll find yourself nearly on top of the #1 tee. It’s a pretty straightforward par 4, but with bunkers lining each side of the fairway, the views are best back up top at the tee itself. This area tends to get quite crowded, though, as a squeeze point for traffic arriving at and leaving the venue. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #2 Par 3, 233 yards This long par 3 goes up to an elevated green. There’s a spot above the green to the right, near the TV tower, which offers a great view back to the tee and an unobstructed look at the whole green. Just beware the sun, which can beat down pretty hard at that spot. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #3 Par 4, 466 yards This long par 4 moves slightly right to left and doesn’t offer any particularly clear-cut vantage points until you hit the green. From above, you can see both the approach from the fairway and the tee shot at No. 4. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #4 Par 4, 470 yards Another similarly long par 4, this hole moves slightly to the right, parallel to its predecessor. Once off the tee, your best bet may be just past the final fairway bunker along the right side of the No. 3, where you can find shade and a view of both the No. 3 and No. 4 fairways. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #5 Par 4, 413 yards A downhill par 4 with a late dogleg left, players will hit 3-wood (!) to a landing area just outside of 100 yards from the hole. Hang out left of the green over the bunker for the most dramatic approach angle. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #6 Par 5, 555 yards A downhill par 5 along the edge of the course, there’s no reason to try to fight your way back to the tee box. This is the first water hole, and parking out on the opposite side of the pond, past the right edge of the green, will give you the best chance to see who makes it over the hazard and who comes up wet. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #7 Par 3, 173 yards This tight, uphill par 3 is tough to see from the tee box. But there’s a hill on the right side with shade about 60 yards shy of the pin that offers an unobstructed view of the full hole and the entire landing surface. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #8 Par 4, 354 yards The spiritual counterpart to hole No. 5, this short par 4 also features a downhill tee shot and a late twist, this time to the right. Like the hole before, there is a shaded spot after the traps off the right side of the fairway from which you can watch the approach shots and still have a clear view of the ninth tee. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #9 Par 5, 636 yards With the tee box stuck well back and a steep ravine separating the final 100 yards from the green, this is a true, three-shot par 5. That makes the hill above and just before the ravine a prime spot to see both how players layup and how they attack the green on their third shots. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #10 Par 3, 218 yards The signature hole at Congressional, the shot over the water at 10 justifiably draws huge crowds. Sitting on the slopes behind the green is a popular option, and worth the journey, but try to judge the sun angle and find some shade from the grandstand, if you can. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #11 Par 4, 489 yards Near the end of the long, uphill par 4 11th there are a couple spectator areas off to the right of the fairway. The Boardwalk offers food and games for families, while cabanas provide shade and show the action on television. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #12 Par 4, 471 yards You can see the 14th green from the tee box area at 12, and there is shade along the right of the fairway. But the green slopes quickly away, making it very tough to see unless you are against the rope. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #13 Par 3, 193 yards With the tee pushed back along the boundary, your best bet is to head straight behind the green at this par 3. The higher up the hill, the better your vantage point of the putting surface and back to the tee. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #14 Par 4, 467 yards This narrow par 4 runs above the gallery on the hill, restricting views from the fairway. A prime spot to set up shop is under the final tree along the right side, about 40 yards from the green, where you can see approach shots and putts from the shade. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #15 Par 4, 490 yards This long, downhill par 4 is tight at the tee box and is the beginning of the final four-hole stretch where you will encounter pedestrian crossings for the first time. if you want to park out along the fairway, cross to the high side, where a hill in the middle gives you a decent vantage point. The best spot, though, is just short and left of the green, right before the electronic scoreboard. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #16 Par 5, 579 yards This downhill par 5 provides good views along the right side, where it’s better to be than up by the green. Like No. 12, unless you can get a front row spot, it’ll be hard to see anyone putt. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #17 Par 4, 437 yards If you’re looking for a spot to set up shop for the day that isn’t too crowded, provides good shade, and still offers great views, you could do worse than the end of the fairway on the left side of 17. Trees provide cover, from which you can see drives land and players take their approach shots over the valley into the sand-protected green. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
Hole #18 Par 4, 523 yards This monster of a finishing hole has the tees backed all the way up to the fence, but there’s no need to go see them. The views kick in halfway down the fairway, where the players will hit their approach down to the water surrounded green, the clubhouse looming in the background. Plenty of folks will hang out along the fairway, but if you can get you way up onto the hill above and behind the green to the left, there is a great view of both the 10th and 18th greens through the trees. (WTOP/Noah Frank)
WTOP/Noah Frank
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The Quicken Loans National begins Thursday at Congressional Country Club. Click through the slides to see some of the food featured at this year's event, as well as a hole-by-hole preview and the best spots for spectators.

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