Seven More Years To Practice Your Putting
The big news of the day (besides the elections and candidate visits) is that Chambers Bay Golf Course has landed the 2010 US Amateur Championship and the 2015 US Open. And it’s certainly got people talking:
GritCity is calling for comparisons about how big this event will be … ie, “It’s like hosting the Super Bowl for four days in a row” or “Bringing the U.S. Open here would be the biggest event in this area since the 1962 World’s Fair” (both are John Ladenburg).
Kevin, responding to the estimate that 65,000 people per day will visit the Open and that we’ll need 10,000 hotel rooms, is counting currently available rooms in Tacoma.
Sound like the new Director of the Convention & Visitor Bureau has a big project to work toward … once she gets through Tall Ships. And maybe some of those professional golfers will be actually be flying into the Narrows Airport like everyone’s been hoping …
Non-golfers be warned. There’s going to be a lot of golf talk for the next seven years.
Link to The News Tribune
14 comments
T Tressie February 8, 2008
does this mean Tiger Woods will golf from his wheelchair……
golf.is.boring.
and the clothes are ;-(
Gimme Tall Ships….
Tacoma Fish Festival….
Tacoma Brew-Off….
Tacoma Wine & Cheesey Fest…
C Claudia Riedener February 8, 2008
Tacoma Fish Fest – smells like Grit City
Yes!
C CA February 8, 2008
This is great news. Im not a golfer, and dont care who will be teeing off in these tournaments. However, anything that brings money, investment, and positive attention to Tacoma/Pierce county is a good thing.
S Squid February 8, 2008
All I can say is that Chambers Bay must be a WAY better place to golf than it is to go for a walk.
K kc February 8, 2008
The rich get richer, the poor get poorer. The privileged afford the golf scene. The underprivileged do not.
It’s nice to put Tacoma on the map in the sports world. However, there are so many other things we need to be focused on.
S Squid February 8, 2008
In all fairness though, it is now a somewhat nicer walk than when it was just a gravel pit with a view.
T Tim February 8, 2008
Actually the rich will get richer, the middle class will get richer, and the poor will get richer. When the US Open comes to town it will bring up tens of millions of new money into our economy.
They don’t just write a check to John Ladenburg or Judge Smails. Caddies, wait staff, hotel housekeeping, tour bus drivers, cooks, taxi cab drivers, gas stations, retail clerks, are just a few of the thousands of people that will be directly impacted by this event. Not to mention the chance to showcase our home to people who have never seen it before. Return visits and vacations will be generated for years.
Let’s not forget the “rich” own companies that might see a great place to open a new office or relocate. This event is biggger than any museum, theatre, festival (yes even Tall Ships) can ever dream of being. Are there other important things to focus on, yes, but an event like this can provide the means to address them and should be wildly embraced. I just wish I had a home in UP to rent for a week. I guess I have 7 years to figure that out.
R rich February 8, 2008
Great point Tim…….and as for the negative comments….typical Tacoma thinking………what a shame…..can’t see the BIG picture……….
And the headlines on ESPN.COM:
TACOMA PUBLIC COURSE TO HOST 2015 US OPEN……
folks, this is much bigger than golf……this is world headlines for Tacoma……..open your vision for once and get beyond your “entitlement poor me attitude”……and look at the big picture…….this will benefit the area for long after 2015……and actually much before too………..and yes, the ramp at Tacoma narrows airport will most likely be full during the open……
C CA February 8, 2008
Interesting reading the comments section of that espn article. Everything from “it rains to much there,” “Tacoma WA?” “Way to go.” “They spent that much on a municipal course?”
Pretty good reading.
A Andrew February 8, 2008
@5:
The correct statement is:
The rich get richer, and the poor get richer at a slower rate.
K kc February 9, 2008
Seeing the big picture. Not thinking of my comments as negative. Just don’t see that money flowing into the eastside….
D dni February 9, 2008
kc; its gotta start flowing from somewhere. This will have a far reaching impact as far as generating income and interest in the entire area.
This is huge for Pierce County! I’ve been here my whole life, and any big project, has faced opposition and negatives…as is the way of the human race.
I feel this is only a positive for our area as a whole. Its beautiful here, and this will give us a chance to shine nationally. What’s there to complain about?
D DavidS February 9, 2008
This would be a great opportunity to find better ways to tie this attraction to others nearby. How do we get people from Chamber’s Bay to Downtown Tacoma efficiently – shuttle, car, bike, etc? Will this spur portions of the UP Town Center development?
There’s a lot of questions out there, but having a date set years in advance like this gives the opportunity to move forward with public projects that will not only help the event run more smoothly, but will stick around long after. Let’s do this right. And right now.
J jcbetty February 9, 2008
I have to say… I kinda’ like golf. Alot. For me, the act of playing is as much the fun as walking on manicured lawns with no dog poop, (most unlike my own yard) as it is trying to get that nuisance of a ball into the hole. I suck at golf, my gear is all lame-ass and dead cheap, and when I play, I’m usually in sweats and tees on cheap courses (they do exist). No, we are not rich, or upper class, even (we’re among the struggling middle) AND I’ve been proudly Tacoma since 1974.
I think the US Open will bring with it, not just silly clothes (and, actually, much of the golf attire these days is really pretty…normal looking) BUT an exposure to Tacoma, that we’re not just Seattle’s second cousin once-removed… I think, handled well, it could be an economical boon and an exciting time where we can be that kind of slutty looking pageant queen who takes home the prize. Probably it won’t be any more world-altering than the Goodwill Games were, and yet, I think it’ll be a fun, proud time for us.
AND maybe creative condo developers will turn empty units into suites, who knows— but we have to think bigger than us, and realize that Dupont’s a hop, skip and scenic road away from UP, Steilacoom and Lakewood are a mere pebble’s throw away…
I think the key is to think positively, with a cautious optimism that helps us to get this thing done right.