Enjoy the Ripple
For the first time since its founding in 1895, the U.S. Open national golf championship will be held in the Pacific Northwest. The United States Golf Association (USGA) selected Chambers Bay in University Place for the 72-hole tournament, catapulting Pierce County into the bright beam of the worldwide sporting spotlight. The greatest golfers on the planet will play before an expected audience of 235,000 during the week of June 15 to 21, with 150 million watching via global television. Exciting news for golf lovers and Fox Sports!
How special is it this honor? This year marks the 115th U.S. Open and only the third time a municipal course has been chosen. Kudos to course owners, Pierce County and the partners who helped pitch for the event.
What if you don't care for golf? You'll still benefit. Pierce County administrators project a $140 million regional boon. Lodging, meals, car rentals, T-shirts, sales tax and more will add up, and with over half of the spectators coming from out of town the estimated area "room nights" is 87,000! Short-term employment will spike too, with roles ranging from hospitality to shuttle drivers to trades people building USGA's "tent city."
There is more to count than the dollars trading hands during those magical days of the June championship, though. The event causes a ripple effect. "We have seen off-the-charts visitation for 2014," says Pat McCarthy, County Executive. And increased revenues will continue after all the trophy-kissing ends. U.S. Open historical trends indicate we can count on spectators re-visiting to take in additional attractions, and new tourists drawn by 32-plus hours of television coverage (don't forget about post-event Internet views).
With such a regional boost at stake, Pierce County is motivated to create a welcoming, fun vibe along with a successful event so that the USGA will want to come back, too. "We need to put our best foot forward. There are a lot of communities vying for majors because of the economic benefit," says McCarthy, with an eye to the future. "We've been in discussion for other types of Opens too, the Women's Open for example. Once they try this course using fescue grass, it is so different, they'll feel compelled to come back, especially if their experience is good. That is why we are focusing on all the particulars, to make sure it is a successful event."
Chambers Bay is stunningly beautiful, but it is also a story of Pacific Northwestern innovation and environmental rehabilitation. The 900-plus acre site was recently an unused sand and gravel quarry. At the time that course development was under discussion, USGA was already seeking to hold an event in Washington. Pierce County envisioned transforming the quarry into a world-class linksland course to attract national and international players, and that vision matched the USGA's goals. The development and design team worked with the elements to build an astoundingly ideal course: Walking-only (no pesky cart paths to disrupt the landscape) with changing elevations, unusually wide fairways, long tees, bunkers and enormous sand dunes provide a character that brings to mind courses in Scotland. Our unpredictable June weather is a plus too; the USGA's executive director Mike Davis is hoping for some rain, wind, fog, sunshine, dew, a little bit of everything to add to test both the course and the champions.
Chambers Bay is the first course in the Northwest to receive Audubon International's Silver Sanctuary certification for environmental protection. Designed to use minimal water and require minimal maintenance, the greens are planted with drought-tolerant fescue. Bioswales, natural filtration basins and sediment retaining ponds are among the sound choices that help keep groundwater clean. Pierce County calls Chambers Bay "a poster child for sustainable golf," supporting the USGA’s brown-is-the-new-green ethos.
The best-ranked player with local ties is Ryan Moore, 36th in the world according to ESPN's March 1 list. Ryan grew up in Puyallup and is a great supporter of golf in our area. His vision is "to make golf more accessible and more affordable" through RMG Club, a company he co-founded with family and friends. Ryan's father, Mike Moore, regards Chambers Bay as "A wonderful addition to golf in the Northwest, an excellent challenge, and beautiful views, of course." RMG owns and operates several local courses, including the landmark Oakbrook in Lakewood, which they opened to the public in 2012 after 46 years as a private club. Mike recalled that Ryan's golf skills and unique swing were evident as young as 4 or 5 and says Ryan is ready for the U.S. Open, adding, "We're blessed to have the Open coming to the Tacoma area. I think it will be a great event. He's looking forward to a major championship in his own back yard."
The public is excited too. There are thousands of volunteer jobs - 4,500 in fact. The USGA typically needs three months to recruit, but for this tournament it took just two days to fill the spots! Volunteers hail from all 50 states and dozens of countries, although the vast majority are locals.
From Edmonds to Gig Harbor to Joint Base Lewis–McChord the area is rolling out the red carpet. Abigail Lovell, owner of Abigail's Concierge Services in Gig Harbor, has a list of 300 homes to rent to vendors and spectators, booking at rates from $4,000 to $25,000 for the event week. She even hired an interpreter to help communicate with golf-lovers from Japan. "Having this kind of exposure is definitely going to increase tourism. But it is important for services, specifically restaurants, to understand that these are long days for spectators and vendors, so if they want to capitalize, they should consider their hours and stay open later in the evenings or offer a delivery service," said Lovell. Gig Harbor's U.S. Open Committee also is developing transportation options with shuttles from the harbor to University Place.
McCarthy offers some peace of mind about the transportation crunch: "As with all U.S. Opens, people will be bussed from remote parking locations. There won't be hundreds of thousands of people driving into University Place. The USGA has been doing this for many years, and it is unbelievable how smooth they make it happen."
Who will take the trophy home? The eyes of the world will be upon us; with our shining Pacific Northwestern nature, we'll all be winners. As McCarthy sums up, "We'll be able to showcase how wonderful it is here. We can show we're a state of innovation, technology and environmental sustainability. From the top of Mount Rainier to the beautiful shores of Puget Sound, what place could better give you that sense of the environment and of a community that is keeping it a great place to live, work and play?"
Facts about Chambers Bay:
Opened to the public in 2007
Designed by Robert Trent Jones II, world renowned golf course designer
Named #1 public golf course in Washington State by Golf Magazine
Named #1 municipal course in the Unites States by Links Magazine
Anyone can play Chambers Bay; Pierce Co residents pay $99 for 18 holes
Average weather for June 15-21 is in the 70s with a 35% chance of rain, winds 7-12 mph
Did You Know... about the U.S. Open?
The tournament always ends on Father's Day
It is the second of four annual majors held in the U.S.
Any amateur with an up-to-date men's USGA Handicap Index not exceeding 1.4 can compete to play in the U.S. Open
The first U.S. Open offered a winner's cash prize of $150.00, awarded to Horace Rawlins, a 21 year old Englishman; compare to the 2014 first place winnings of $1.62 million, secured by 30-year-old Martin Kaymer of Germany
The best tournament record aggregate score (all four rounds) was 268 by Rory McIlroy in 2011
Other West Coast U.S. Open championships include Pebble Beach Golf Links (CA), The Olympic Club (San Francisco, CA), Torrey Pines Golf Course (La Jolla, CA),
About that Trophy...
The original U.S. Open Championship Trophy from 1895 was destroyed in a fire in 1946. The current trophy dates from 1947 and is very similar to the original. Each champion receives a replica of the trophy to keep. The U.S. Open trophy is kept at the USGA Museum and Arnold Palmer Center for Golf History (New Jersey).
