The USGA "hopes that the hills, bumps, sand, scruff, lumpiness and general weirdness" of Chambers Bay during this week's U.S. Open "can somehow endear itself to the golfing populace," according to Bill Dwyre of the L.A. TIMES. Top USGA officials yesterday "spelled out their strategy for the future," which is "not only a strategy forced by economic implications, but also driven by a sincere desire ... to keep their game healthy." Golf is "feeling the pain all of us do, especially in California, when opening our water bill." A drought in California is only a recent occurrence, but for the rest of the country, the "excessive use of water on golf courses, and its accompanying economic fallout, is an ongoing thing." The USGA's economic crisis "is clear." In the last seven years, the U.S. "has lost 800 golf courses," and one estimate "put the annual rise in water costs for courses at 11%." Those two things "cannot be disconnected." The course at Chambers Bay this week is "brown and bumpy, sandy and nourished more from nature than a water hose." Three of the four PGA majors this year "will vary from the soft-and-green look," which is "no coincidence." USGA Exec Dir Mike Davis said, "We are hoping to change players' perception. ... For years, we have gone lush and plush. Players like that. They are used to it." Dwyre notes there are "still too many golfers in the U.S. unwilling to play at a course more natural than nurtured." The current generation of U.S. golfers "long ago fell in love with high shots to soft greens," and the USGA is "willing to take at least some of the blame for that because of its own course selection." But the organization hopes this week will be "a turning point, one that begins to change the perceptions and practices of the game itself" (L.A. TIMES, 6/17).
PITCHING A TENT: In Seattle, Jacob Demmitt noted the investment by Washington-based tax service Avalara in a tent at this week's tourney "appears to be paying off." An Avalara spokesperson said that he has seen "other local companies with tents including Microsoft, Seattle Genetics, Kidder Mathews, Washington State Wines and Puget Sound BMW Dealers." The tents are "spread out around the grounds and at the entrance, and companies pay more for certain locations and sizes." USGA tent packages "range from $130,000 up to $235,000, depending on the size." That includes the "actual tent, tickets, outdoor seating space, television coverage and air conditioning." Avalara "bought a 'platinum level' tent, meaning it could bring 400 guests and set up a central meeting place near the golf course where it could offer meals." Avalara CEO Scott McFarlane said, "For sure, [the ROI] is customer loyalty. I's an intimate way of spending time with customers. It's very laid back; it's very casual; it's just really nice" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 6/16).
A GOOD WALK SPOILED? In Seattle, Craig Smith notes author John Feinstein, who "inspired the construction" of Chambers Bay with his '03 book "Open: Inside the Ropes at Bethpage Black," got his "first look at the golf course this week and calls it 'spectacular.'" Feinstein’s book prompted then-Pierce County Exec John Ladenburg to "explore building a course capable of hosting the U.S. Open." Ladenburg has said, “I had just read the book ‘Open’ by John Feinstein, and I thought, 'Why can’t we do that here? Why can’t we be the Bethpage of the West Coast?'" (SEATTLE TIMES, 6/17).
