The golf may have been world class but for most people yesterday the game was secondary.

It's fair to say that many of the people who attended the 25th PGA Grand Slam, at the Mid Ocean Club, had never set foot on a golf course before.

In fact many of them admitted as much.

More than 6,500 people turned up at the Mid Ocean Club in St. George's yesterday — despite international golf star Tiger Woods' absence.

Mr. Woods opted to miss out on the tournament to spend family time with his newborn daughter.

But the corporate-lot, pried away from their Hamilton desks, didn't seem to mind. They still clapped enthusiastically each time Angel Cabrera, Padraig Harrington, Zach Johnson and Jim Furyk teed off.

Some could even be heard saying "This sure beats a day in the office" as they strolled along the picturesque greens with beverages in hand.

And others arrived at particularly 'good' holes, such as the seventh, an hour in advance to stake out their spot and wait for the golf stars to show up.

While patiently waiting (also known as lounging) people caught up with old friends and met new people, chatting in the afternoon sun about politics, gossip and sometimes golf.

Various shades of pastel appeared to be the unofficial dress code, while preppy was the style of choice.

And someone from the Department of Tourism must have told Masters champion Johnson about its 'Feel the Love' campaign because he wore his most shockingly pink polo shirt.

A lot of the time, it seemed golf was an after thought. The Grand Slam was really about stretching your legs in the glorious sun, looking good and getting caught up in the thrill of a new event.

That's not to say the event was overrun by rookies or that the professionals were undervalued. Avid golfers simply mingled with the new kids, taught them a thing or two and yelled duck if a ball was coming perilously close to spectators.

And though Bermudians are known for their boisterous ways composure was the key word in St. George's. People walked from hole to hole in large packs happily joking with one another, but as soon as they got close to the golfers all was silent.

For no one wanted to receive the icy glare of Cabrera's caddy, Eddie Gardino, maybe he learned his look from his favourite film, The Godfather.

Though one brave soul did yell 'get in the hole' when one of the pros was having difficulty on the sixth hole.