This week, the golf world descends upon Winged Foot Golf Club for the 120th U.S. Open, and on the latest episode of “SBJ Unpacks: The Road Ahead,” our Andrew Levin breaks down the USGA’s health-and-safety protocol, plans for fan engagement and a second headquarters in Pinehurst, N.C., with USGA Chief Brand Officer Craig Annis.
On the USGA’s health-and-safety protocol:
Annis: We’re testing everyone that’s onsite. Anyone that's here at Winged Foot, which is around 2,000 people, are all considered essential to putting on the championship and to hosting and promoting the championship and, obviously, playing the championship. Beyond that, we don’t have any fans. We have very limited volunteers that are necessary to conduct the championship. Everyone is required to test. When I came up from New Jersey to Westchester County, I had to visit an offsite testing facility before I could come on site and even had to wait for my results before I could come on site.
On plans to engage with fans remotely:
Annis: We’ve launched a victory club, which is a free club that anyone can join if you go to USOpen.com, and through the victory club, we’re not only providing great content throughout the week, but we’re also creating some exclusive opportunities for fans to connect with the championship. For example, we’ve got a big screen on the first tee where a select number of fans through the victory club can actually watch players tee off and see the sights and sounds up close and personal. We have virtual autograph sessions for kids. We also have our app, which you can download, that provides additional content, additional opportunities for engagement and more news. We’re all working hard to figure out how we can take this experience and bring it to life for those that can’t be here but will be watching and engaging from home.
On how a second headquarters in Pinehurst helps grow golf in the U.S.:
Annis: We stepped back about a year ago and did an extensive brand project. We connected with more players than ever before, and more fans, and asked them a series of questions around the U.S. Open. One of the themes that came out is that, to a person, they wanted us to go to fewer places more frequently, and wanted us to visit those iconic courses that are synonymous with the U.S. Open, places that players want to play and want to win. Pinehurst is among a handful of those, and so the opportunity to deliver against a strategy moving forward of visiting fewer courses and more frequently to these iconic places was a huge opportunity for us to agree with Pinehurst to not only bring the 2024 U.S. Open there but four additional U.S. Open as well.
