Whistling Straits

It seems as though the record breaking 2004 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits was good enough to persuade the club professionals of the PGA of America to award the Kohler Golf Course three more major events. The three events will be the return of the PGA Championship in 2010 and 2015; as well as one event which Kohler Co. CEO, Herbert V. Kohler Jr. has been saying he would love to have Whistling Straits host, the 2020 Ryder Cup (a biennial match play event which pits American and European golfers against each other). This is quite a commitment by the PGA, and if the 2004 PGA Championship is any indication, these three events will be outstanding successes.

The 2004 PGA Championship held August 12-15 and broke records for attendance, tickets sold, and economic impact by the Major Championship event. Over 300,000 people attended the tournament and $76.9 million was brought into the area because of it, shattering the previous record of $50.4 million set in 2002.

While I am quite excited Wisconsin is having the best golfers in the world back in the state at least 3 more times in the next 15 years, there are some things which need to happen to make the events all the more enjoyable for those who are lucky enough to go the tournaments. I was lucky enough to have received a free ticket for Sunday's final round of the PGA and was absolutely thrilled to be there. I saw Tiger, Phil, Vijay, and Ernie up close, saw each of them play at least one hole, but ended up watching the final holes and the playoff on a giant television screen.

Before I start making suggestions on how to improve a tournament which broke the records I have already spoken of, just let me state that I really enjoyed being there, however, a few improvements could be made. First of all, I will mention a few things which can't really be changed just because of how the course is designed. I mention these items just so people who will attend the future events know what to expect.

The rolling terrain which makes Whistling Straits such an outstanding and scenic course also hinders the ability to watch the players golf. It is almost impossible to walk along with any group of golfers during the event. When spectators get to the course, they spy out a spot in which they can see more than one hole (hopefully) and stay there all day. When the more popular golfers start their respective rounds, the crowds swell and those trying to walk along with a certain group are standing 5 or 6 people deep on the hole as the early arrivals stay at one hole all day. There is nothing wrong with people staying at a hole all day, or trying to walk along with a group, I'm just warning people about the traffic. The best spot to watch the tournament from was a hill on the front nine in between holes 2, 3, 4, and 5. You were able to see shots on all 4 of these holes from the top of this hill, so obviously it was one of the first spots filled. One more thing about the terrain is that when standing, you will rarely be on even ground. Obviosuly the course isn't going to be flattened for the next events, so beware. The final item which the terrain hindered was the grandstand seating. Grandstands cannot be all over the course because they are not supposed to interfere with the integrity of the course, so I understand why there was not that much seating. The 9th and 18th holes had the biggest grandstands, as well they should. For those who are looking forward to sitting in grandstands in the next events, get there early. Those two grandstands were full at 8:30am.

Onto the items which could be changed; more concession areas on the course, more bathrooms on the course, more scoreboards, and more names on the leaderboard. The concessions and bathrooms were littered around the course, but the problem with the huge crowds was that it was up to a half hour wait to use the bathroom or get to the front of the concession line. This is too much time to not know what's going on in the tournament.

I was disappointed by how few scoreboards there were on the course and by the lack of names on the leaderboard. I really feel there should be a scoreboard the fans can see at every hole. These scoreboards really only need to have 4 or 5 names on them, but would be a huge help to the fans who are sitting at one hole and can't see a scoreboard. There should also be scoreboards by the concessions stands and bathrooms. If we are going to have to wait in line for a period of time longer than 5 minutes; we should be able to see how the tournament is going.

The final item which needs improvement is the leaderboard at the 18th hole. Usually the leaderboard on the 18th has as many names on it as possible, especially on a Sunday. At the 86th PGA Championship, by the time the leaders had made the turn; two name were on the board. TWO NAMES! The only golfers who were on the board were leaders Vijay Singh and Justin Leonard. It was not until the gallery at the 18th started chanting, "MORE SCORES! MORE SCORES!" that the people standing at the leaderboard obliged and put up more scores. I don't care if someone is winning by 12 strokes in the final round (Tiger in the US Open at Pebble Beach in 2000), the leaderboard at 18 should be full of names, if for no other reason than it just looks better. Plus, the people who got to the tournament early enough to be able to enjoy the winner's moment on the 18th want to know where everyone stands in the tournament.

There is one item which will undoubtedly be taken care of. The Ryder Cup matches will only be held at Whistling Straits if "a sufficient number of guaranteed quality hotel rooms" are available. Does anyone really think Mr. Kohler won't simply build another first class hotel in the area like the American Club? If this is what stands between him and hosting a Ryder Cup, it will be done.

With all of this said, I have no doubt the next events will be as successful as the 2004 Championship. Improvements will be made and even if not, the event was a moment I will never forget. My dad and I spent the final two hours of the tournament watching it on a huge television screen on the Wanamaker Club Deck. We were there with about 500 of our closest friends, watching the final holes play out, having a few drinks, and smoking cigars. If I have a chance to go back, I will in a heart beat, and even with the improvements, may still watch the ending on a television. It was a great way to end the day.

At any rate, I wish the Kohler Company and Whistling Straits congratulations and good luck for the next events. I only hope Vijay Singh doesn't win again (more on my feelings toward Singh in my Master's preview in April).

(Whistling Straits will also host the 2007 Senior US Open, and the new PGA Championships will most likely take Straits out of the running for the US Open in 2012.)

-Some information in this column was taken from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

-Until next time...