Do you miss golf yet?
It’s November, old pal. You’ve lovingly stowed your clubs, and the annual Arizona golf weekend at Danny and Margaux’s winter condo in Scottsdale is still six weeks away.
Your palms are sweaty. You itch to hit the links, you need a golf fix . . . right now!
Steady. Relax. Go refill your coffee cup and imagine it’s the week of Aug. 9, 1999, and you’re blissfully tromping along Course No. 3 at Medinah Country Club near Itasca, watching Tiger Woods crush a 310-yard screamer off the tee. It’s the PGA Championship, a gorgeous 85 degrees under baby blue skies and life is sooooo good.
Credit PGA event planners and the Medinah membership with pulling off another gem if the above scenario plays out. Because the Professional Golfers’ Association and Medinah have been planning this Big Daddy of pro shootouts for nearly three years, paying meticulous attention to every niggling detail and problem that might arise. Consider the daunting prospect of securing hotel accommodations for tens of thousands of out-of-town guests. Then go ahead and wrestle with the logistics of creating off-site parking and shuttle bus plans flexible enough to handle 45,000 daily spectators. (If you know that section of Medinah Road just north of Lake Street, you understand the importance of a workable traffic grid.)
No hassles there, not a hairy deal.
The club has it knocked.
Don Larson, general chairman for the event and a lifelong member of Medinah Country Club, has been through the wars before, having worked the staging of two U.S. Opens held in this lovely corner of DuPage County.
“Will people be inconvenienced by the PGA?” he asks. “Yes, but we do our best to minimize inconveniences. The Illinois Department of Transportation has guaranteed us no roadwork in the area that week. And as with the 1975 and 1990 U.S. Opens, we intend to keep our neighbors and the surrounding communities informed about what’s in store.
“Our members understand that Medinah’s involvement is a payback to golf. The PGA is such a prestigious tournament, it’s an honor for us to be chosen as the site. Not only for 1999 but for 2006 as well. Medinah certainly derives recognition by hosting the PGA. But I have to add that we enjoy our role as hosts, because it’s such a tremendous party atmosphere and celebration of golf. This is a wonderful opportunity for everyone to come out and enjoy the world’s finest golfers competing on one of golf’s most challenging courses.”
Larson makes an interesting point, as Medinah No. 3 currently ranks 15th on Golf Digest’s listing of the top 100 courses in the world. The 1999 PGA Championship field will shoot from the back tees along this 7,400-yard heartbreaker, with a 4 1/2-inch rough to navigate and precious little room for error.
Chip Kramer, a third generation Medinah member with an 8 handicap, has played No. 3 for “close to 30 years, I figure. I’m 43, and you have to be about 15 before they let you play No. 3. We play the back tees, which are marked by gold plates set into the ground. To play No. 3 well you have to hit long, because there are only three or four holes under 400 yards, and a pair of the par-5’s are 599 and 588 yards. I don’t think the pros can reach the par-5 greens in 2.
“There’s nothing terribly tricky about No. 3. No blind shots, no islands. I think there’s only water on three holes. What the pros will come up against are some of the most mature trees they’ll ever see. There’s one on the 7th hole with a germination date thought to have been in 1664.
“I tell people No. 3 is relentless but fair. Keep your ball in play and you have a chance at a decent score. Get hung up in the trees and you have a long day.”
Given the brisk pace of early ticket sales, a sellout crowd is expected at Medinah the week of Aug. 9-15. Sales of corporate hospitality tents and chalets already are creeping toward the 60-65 maximum, as company coordinators learned during a recent orientation session, A Taste of the PGA. About 200 representatives of such firms as Comark and Arthur Andersen milled about one of Medinah’s grand reception halls, all power-suit types, inspecting a tasteful display of merchandise sanctioned by the PGA for dual logo use.
Would your guest perhaps appreciate a memento of the event? A golf cap or sweater bearing the PGA brand and your own corporate identifier?
Not a problem.
Brian Diamond, the PGA’s merchandising guru, was on hand with staffers to explain the nuts and bolts of linking your firm to the PGA. (A particularly snappy promotional package includes a tote bag that turns into raincoat and a nifty little periscope for people who can’t see over the rest of the gallery.)
PGA event planners walked corporate sponsors through a preparation timeline from 10 months out, with caterers and interior designers outlining available services and package upgrades, before attendees sampled lunch in a typical pair of hospitality tents set up just off the front entrance.
But forget any conventional definition you may have of the word “tent.” Because the climate-controlled luxury suites in question stretch your concept. Sized at 30 by 60 feet with a 15-foot patio and priced from $65,000 to $100,000 for the week, these stylish cabanas include full catering and an open bar from noon to 6 p.m. daily (but as with everything else, those hours are negotiable). Get this: The top of the line “chalet” features hardwood floors, fine artwork, computer and fax terminals and seating for 100.
What’s the rationale behind corporate sponsorship?
“Arthur Andersen’s business is built on relationships,” said Karen Hansen, coordinator of special events for Arthur Andersen, “and spending quality time with clients in a relaxed setting such as the PGA enhances those relationships. We’re happy to host our clients, and from the calls I’ve had so far I know they’re eager to attend.”
Much is made of the financial impact a tournament like the PGA has on local municipalities. Skip Strittmatter, executive director of the DuPage Convention and Visitors Bureau, projects a $90 million bump for the DuPage economy from the PGA when all is said and done. Said Strittmatter: “Working with the PGA has been a pleasure for us. They’re such professionals, such a well-oiled machine. We’ve been on this project for three years now, securing accommodations at 35 to 40 area hotels for PGA officials, media representatives, vendors, corporate sponsors and, of course, the golfers and their families. As of today we have 4,000 rooms reserved representing 23,000 room nights. And that doesn’t count high-profile individuals looking for accommodations. For example, we’ve heard from Andre Agassi’s entourage. He’s a big golf enthusiast and plans on coming.
“Finding a hotel room in DuPage may be a little harder than normal the week of the PGA. We have 82 hotels in the county that account for 12,000 rooms, and at any given time they’re 75 percent booked. Add an event like the PGA and it’s bound to have an impact.”
There you have it.
Now get out your putter and practice a few 10-footers in the living room. Close your eyes; imagine the crowds at Medinah. Duck into your chalet for a martini . . .. and darned if there isn’t a Cuban Cohiba cigar waiting in your goodie bag.
It’s nine months . . . and counting.
