I had the opportunity to attend the first ever PGA golf event in Detroit. I must say it was truly top notch and recommend that if you like golf, and even you don’t but are a fan of Detroit, you need to carve out time this weekend to experience. A few highlights:
Overall experience: you can tell right away a significant amount of time spent on the fan experience. Although I didn’t have time to check out the fan zone, the whole experience is with fans at the forefront, including:
Proximity to the pros: I’ve been told pros were talking about the closeness of fans to action. Players concern, fans win.
Kid friendly: if you have little one(s), make sure to take them. Dedicated autograph zone where they can get autographs from the best in the world. Rickie to Bubba, to local Oakland University fan favorite Brian Stuard all graciously signed endless autographs. Fist bumps and high fives fan acknowledgement were a plenty, including from U.S. Open winner Gary Woodland. Even Red Wings celeb Gustav Nyquist graciously signed.
Logistics: from parking at the Fair Grounds and then taking an air conditioned shuttle to maps and convenient concessions placement, all were thought through. (note: make sure to download the PGA Tour app in advance as it helps you track real-time where players are, scores, etc.).
313: a nice Detroit zip code shout out where there are public stands at the 14, 15 and 16th holes with a pro challenge.
Cleanliness: course pathways are in great shape and clean.
Small quirks, which are expected at new events and some outside of their control, were:
- Internet access: might have been just my phone but wireless was hit or miss. Turn battery to low power to save on it dying.
- Car location: Fair grounds are a blast from the past and pretty much a ghost town. No parking location signage, which as long as you have a good key fob you will be fine.
- Hot: although there are shady areas thanks to trees, public stands are not shaded that much. Load up on the sunscreen. Given Michigan’s bad weather, I’ll take this anyday.
- Location: 7 mile and Woodward. The transformation hasn’t made it that far up Woodward yet. But with investment from brands like Quicken, I have full faith it will soon be making it’s way up the road. And just the fact that they can market it as a the first PGA event in Detroit makes it worthwhile.
Kudos to Dan Gilbert and his entire team. Their passion, hard work and determination shined a positive spotlight on Detroit for the whole world to see. And this Michigander appreciates it.
Event info: https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/rocket-mortgage-classic.html
Brian Phelps Consulting (BPC) 