Mary Beth, 59, and Marc Boulden, 55, knew they'd found a gem when they moved into their house on Darby Road just behind Merion Golf Club in 2006. What they didn't know was just how lucky of a choice they'd made.
"We moved in a week before they announced that Merion Golf Club would be hosting the 2013 U.S. Open," Mary Beth said. "It doesn't get any better than that."
The Bouldens, whose house is just behind the sixth hole, are one of several families in the Ardmore neighborhood whose homes have sweeping views of the golf course from their backyards. This weekend, as the action of the U.S. Open kicked into full gear, many of the residents were found standing on step ladders, yielding binoculars and waving to their favorite golfers over their fences.
Although Mary Beth has complained a few times about loud lawn mowing at odd hours, she says having Merion Golf Club as a neighbor isn’t all that bad.
“Back in 09’ they gave extra tickets to the Walker Cup to the neighbors, so we got to go for free. We’re very fortunate, she said.
But Marc says the most common occurrences when having a golf club as a neighbor are instances of golf balls landing on their property.
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"We probably get seven to 10 golf balls a year," he said.
"We don't complain, we collect them," Mary Beth said.
Fellow neighbor Lisa Brairton says golf balls fly into her family's backyard so frequently that they've had to redo their siding.
"I have a whole bucket of golf balls that have hit the back of our house or landed in our yard," Brairton said.
Brairton says she doesn't mind. She put her golf ball collection to good use by creating a wreath made of golf balls that hangs on her front door.
Visiting neighbor and Bryn Mawr resident Maureen Fitton said Ardmore residents just might have the best seats in town.
"The tickets are really expensive so to be able to see all of this for free is just amazing. I mean just yesterday I got to take pictures of Tiger Woods standing right next to this fence," she said. "It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity. We hope they come back."
