The Golf Factor
Speaking of golf tournaments, a little one is going to be coming to our neck of the woods. The 2010 US Amateur and 2015 US Open will be played at the new Chambers Bay Course in University Place. Since Tacoma is the closest thing resembling a big city nearby, we are expecting to see a few impacts.
The Amateurs is a fraction of the size of the Pro tournament but still measures up. A lot of numbers were tossed around at the Economic Development Subcommittee meeting yesterday but here are a few that interested me.
- Hotel rooms. For the Amateurs there will be 350 players over 12 days requiring 2,600 “room nights”. Plus 300-500 staff and press. Plus any spectators who may drop by. For the US Open they are estimating 17,500 rooms for 7 days. 17500 multiplied by 7… 122,500 total!?! Umm yeah. Hurry up and build already!
- At the last US Open they sold $17 million in official merchandise.
- All of the above plus more led to their estimate of $15 – $18 million in tax revenue alone.
Hmm… there’s a lot of potential here.
Filed under: General
15 comments
J Joe Izenman October 15, 2008
There is a lot of potential for revenue… too bad so many attendees will end up in Seattle because we won’t come even close to the hotel capacity by then.
N Nick October 15, 2008
Although it does seem like a great talking point to pitch to investors for financing hotel construction in Tacoma. Just saying . . . ;-)
A altered chords October 15, 2008
We have virtually unlimited hotel capacity here. It gets back to Alvin Toffler’s “Distributed Dynamic”.
Look at all the vacant houses scattered throughout this fair city. Clean them up a little and slap a bed and breakfast sign on them.
Solves:
1) Distressed asset on books of distressed bank problem
2) urban blight problem
3) insufficient hotel problem.
J Joe Izenman October 16, 2008
I grew up a few blocks from where the course is now… especially given the type/size of houses in that neighborhood, I suspect we are going to see a LOT of locals renting out rooms, or possibly even their entire homes, to visitors that are willing to pay a premium for proximity (which, if they are willing to come all this way for a golf tourney, I predict more than a few will).
C crenshaw sepulveda October 16, 2008
I am sure the hotel builders will be beating a path to our city when they get wind of this. This has to be a surefire money maker.
S Squid October 16, 2008
That would be a great week to get out of town. I have a decent house just a few miles away from the course that I am putting up… 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. First $2500 takes.
A altered chords October 16, 2008
Have you seen the new Altered Chords Bed and Breakfast in South Tacoma.
One of the rooms has a view of I5. The other has a view of a rhodadendron and a clump of dandelions!
Weekly rate: $2509.99 Includes pop tarts and Forza coffe at breakfast.
J J. Cote October 16, 2008
Sure, spend a butt load of money on a clubhouse and a hotel that will be full twice in a five year period for a playground that only the richest of PC can play on.
Better idea: Bulldoze all of I-795 and the T-Dome and build ultra-tall condos that ALL have views of the water. Offer them for sale to box-loving yuppies at $1.5 Mill. each (hell, they’ve got water views, what do you expect!). After the sales all dry up (which will be pretty quick, kind of like today), allow the housing to be taken up by those who need it the most, the ones that actually do the living and working and paying and dying in this town: those below $75,000 annual income (pulled a # out of my butt, sue me).
Now that we’ve tended to an IMPORTANT subject (low-cost housing), we can deal with Ladenburg Links. How about a waterfront baseball stadium? A Parking Garage, a shrine to Connie, princess of the perpetual Council of people that can’t finish work on schedule, or better yet, a luxury, timeshare vacation spa for single parents in desperate need of a break. Childcare provided.
Hotels for rich golfers??!!?? I’m beginning to lose hope for some of you guys.
I I'm for Change (for tacoma) October 16, 2008
spend a butt load of money on a clubhouse and a hotel that will be full twice in a five year period for a playground that only the richest of PC can play on.
Yeah, nice forward thinking there. Of course the golf course would never have other tourneys here if these go successfully. So why make Tacoma a success? Let’s keep it a low-rent, run-down, loser-ville where hard work gets you nothing but derision from your neighbors who are busy blaming the “yuppies” for their life problems.
I’m not a golfer, so I could be wrong, but I thought Chambers was open to the public to play.
S Squid October 16, 2008
I was pretty skeptical about Chambers Bay from the beginning, especially about the “economic impact” of the place. I agree with Professor Michael Veseth on this that economic developments for such amenities are fraught with Bogus Syllogisms (aka BS). Numbers add up to nuthin.
However I have changed my mind. As a semi-regular user of the trail, I find that the utility of the course is that it dramatically changed and improved a blighted property. The golf course is meeting its bond obligations and is arguably breaking even or at least coming close. The improvement to the abandoned quarry, something we all benefit from, is reason enough to justify Chambers Bay. If some people who like to watch and play golf also benefit, that’s cool.
Just don’t try to bamboozle me with “economic impacts.” I ain’t buying. Don’t need to.
J J. Cote October 17, 2008
Posting prior to 7PM. Thanks for the suggestion, Rick.
First: I play golf. Not regularly because it’s not a cheap game to play. My gripe lies in the fact that I helped to pay for the damned thing and they structure the fees in such a way that average golfers like myself can’t afford to play on a course that we helped to build.
Second: The course is NOT making budget and if a hotel were to be built, it would also be empty for most of the year with the exception of the occasional tourny. Does anyone remember all those tourists that were going to come flocking in to see the MOG,TAM and WSHM?? Where the hell are they? The hotel occupancy rates still haven’t proved THAT point and the only people that go to the museums that are NOT regulars are kids on school field trips.
If the problems of this City (Crime, Gangs, Drugs, Homelessness, Hunger, etc) were addressed in any manner of importance as this stupid golf course, then I, and MANY in the same boat, wouldn’t be so pissed off about it.
I for one (and there are others that comment frequently here that feel the same) would love to see a discussion on the disparity in Police response times on the East End as compared to the North End, Waterfront and Downtown. What are we doing about the poor slob on a pension that CAN’T work his way above $50,000 a year that has no health care for his family or has to decide whether to heat the house or go see a doctor.
I have no problems with someone that has worked hard to make a living in the six-figure range. It’s when he has stepped on the heads of the already down-trodden that I take exception to.
It’s a matter of priorities.
S Squid October 17, 2008
JCote: No argument there. We ought to be able to both do all you suggest AND fix some blighted properties. When we do fix things, we ought to try to do so in a manner where we can recoup some of the cost with revenues.
T Thorax O'Tool October 17, 2008
You know what will happen.
MAD building boom for like a year before, and Marriotts will sprout across the land.
In all their 3 story glory.
Personally, I never did like golf… unless it’s the mini kind.
R rich October 17, 2008
Ok, another post….seriously people, what’s the history of Tacoma’s governement….do you think they are up for this challenge???????? NOT!!!!…Tacoma’s governement will drop the ball on this one too……..Tacoma’s is heading right back to the dark ages………that’s what happens when you only react to what happens rather than having a short-mid-long term developement plan for the area……….Tacoma is a joke…….so much possibility, but until the the current government is flushed down the toilet where they belong, and a new government with a vision is put in its place, Tacoma will always be Tacroma……….so sad……
K katie October 17, 2008
What about U.P.? Weren’t they suppose to build something in that giant hole of a pit over on Bridgeport? They have been working on that for years and still are just moving dirt around. How do we attract developers for a totally new project from scratch when they haven’t been able to get something going that is in such close proximity to the course? Seems far fetched to think we could get a hotel built for the course before they need it.