Reflections from the PGA Championship

I was fortunate to see the world’s best golfers in action while attending the 2013 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsford Aug. 8-11

The major tournament was estimated to have produced a nearly $80 million economic impact on the greater Rochester region, according to the economic-development group, Greater Rochester Enterprise (GRE). The sporting event production, construction, service, and real estate industries were among the biggest beneficiaries.

As I walked the grounds of Oak Hill during the tournament — including the course, the practice areas, the media center, and the concession areas — I was struck by what a monstrously large logistical undertaking putting on an event like this is. Daily crowds of more than 30,000 spectators mobbed Oak Hill on the weekend, and surely, a good number of them made the drive in from Central New York. Add it in thousands of tournament volunteers and workers and hundreds of media members, and what you have is the population of mid-sized city occupying only about 350 acres.

As I watched the play on the eighth hole, I could hear the constant noise of shuttle bus after shuttle bus coming and going down the country club’s main road.

You could also see the effect of the crowds when Friday morning rainfall turned many of the trampled down spectator pathways on the edges of the fairways into a muddy goo. However, the tournament grounds crew was ready with wood chips to make the walk less slippery.

Another indication of what a massive effort it is to stage a tournament like this is the advance work required. Ryan Cannon, championship director, and John Handley, sales and marketing director, and others from the PGA moved to Rochester two years in advance to work on getting ready for this event. And those folks will now move onto the New York City metro area to begin preparing for the 2016 PGA Championship held at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, NJ.

The PGA Championship, which boasts a field of 156 golfers from around the world, is the fourth and final major championship in the professional golf season. It is nicknamed “Glory’s Last Shot.” And this year’s event produced glory with the winner Jason Dufner setting scoring records and wowing crowds with his super-accurate approach shots on his way to victory. I was lucky to see Dufner up close in the second round as he shot a record-best 63 for a championship round in Oak Hill history.

But I also greatly enjoyed some of the unsung moments that played out on the course with barely any people watching. For example, I was able to see some of the final players left on the course late Friday afternoon fight to make the cut. And there were maybe 20 people watching tops. Rather than crowd roars, you heard polite clapping or a sole voice saying, “good birdie.” It was still very much appreciated by the players.

What a great event.

Adam Rombel is editor-in-chief of The Central New York Business Journal. Contact him at arombel@cnybj.com