WM Phoenix Open with Ken
After a longer than intended hiatus, I’m back to introduce you to another involved and experienced Phoenician. Let me introduce you to my dad, Ken! My dad is a very important person in my life, for obvious reasons, and I wanted to share a bit about the Phoenix Open and our storied history with the event. Though it could very easily be categorized as Entertainment, my dad and I definitely relate the golf tournament with the Outdoors.
Rather than a traditional, on-site interview, my dad and I stopped by The Main Ingredient, an amazing restaurant in Phoenix, to grab some lunch and reminisce about our experiences over the years at the Phoenix Open. Though our interview will mostly be about the Phoenix Open, I have to talk a bit about my dad’s hidden gem. The Main Ingredient is a converted house turned restaurant in the Coronado Neighborhood of Midtown Phoenix. They have an expansive menu, great food & drinks, and amazing service. The owner, Ron, is a close family friend and has made this place such a welcoming environment. As my dad said during our lunch, “It’s such a neighborhood place.” TMI has become a gathering place for friends and neighbors; a positive fixture in its community. Personally, I love sitting on the patio, but the interior is just as nice. I definitely recommend this place if you’re looking for a quick bite or a place to hang for an hour or two; it’s very versatile! I have many, but TMI is definitely one of my personal hidden gems in Phoenix, so obviously you have to go.
NOW, let’s get into some of my favorite memories with my dad! For as long as I can remember, the first or second Thursday of February was Phoenix Open day. My dad calls me out of school, and we head down to TPC Scottsdale pretty early in the morning to catch the first tee of the day. I didn’t know, but learned from my dad recently, that the Phoenix Open used to be played at Phoenix Country Club (right near The Main Ingredient)! For all the stereotypes the Phoenix Open has, you usually won’t experience much of that early in the day, especially on Thursday. My dad and I like to skip the crowds in favor of a more relaxed, mid-week experience. Putting the Phoenix Open into the Entertainment category would be such a layup, but I carry much more association with the event and the Outdoors. Over the years, my dad and I have probably experienced most of the possible weather types one could while at the Open. When I was younger, maybe elementary school, it rained multiple years in a row! Crazy considering that we don’t get much rain, even in early Winter. More recently, we’ve experienced some super cold days. I think it was my sophomore year that we got stuck with a frost delay and some pretty bad wind. This year it wasn’t so bad, it was warm but not hot, refreshing considering it had still stayed cool up until then. My dad and I don’t usually stay at one hole, we’ll follow some golfers around and make some stops to look at merch, grab food/drinks, etc. My favorite part of the day is stopping for a hot dog, specifically a Thunderdog; the Thunderbirds make a really good hot dog. We also make a stop at the 16th Hole to watch a couple groups come through and then we move on. It gets pretty busy in there, so it’s nice to have some space to spread out and walk around instead. We wrap up by about noon, but going to the Phoenix Open has always been such a fun way to spend quality time with my dad. Sometimes we stop for lunch after, but the hot dogs were enough to keep us full this year.
Ken is definitely a Phoenix native; he moved here with his mom in elementary school and still lives here today! Ken has moved around quite a bit, living in Denver, then coming back to Phoenix. He then moved to London and Redondo Beach, CA. He came back to Phoenix, then spent a year in Monterey, CA; right around the time he met my mom! He made his final move back to Phoenix, raising my sister and I in the neighborhood he has always been able to call home. Ken was a Shadow Mountain Matador, just like me, and it’s been super cool to see what’s changed and what’s stayed the same since he went to Shadow. Ken currently works at Barrio Brewing Company, managing their sales across the Valley and throughout Arizona. My dad’s favorite memories from his years in Phoenix date back to his childhood, attending Phoenix Giants games; when Arizona only had a Minor League Baseball team. His many summers spent with friends at Phoenix Muni Stadium are something he calls “uniquely Phoenix”. When talking with my dad, he told me about what professional baseball in Arizona was like pre-Diamondbacks. FUN FACT! We also had another minor league team, the Phoenix Firebirds, before the DBacks and after the Giants. My dad also mentioned his memories climbing Piestewa Peak and playing basketball at Roadrunner Park, places I also love going to now!
It was so much fun to sit down with my dad and talk about our time at the Phoenix Open! I did this interview a little differently, because I kinda forced him to do the Phoenix Open; but we still got to go down to The Main Ingredient. So, it’s kind of a double feature! Due to the nature of his career, I have been introduced to a variety of interesting restaurants, events, and experiences. My dad has always been one of my biggest supporters, and he has been so helpful in recommending places for my website! Getting to go to the Open with my dad every year is such a special thing, and I will always cherish the many memories we’ve made over the years. I can’t wait to make more!
If Ken were on a deserted island, he would bring Oasis’ discography with him.
