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Olympics could mean gold for golf
Winter Games in 2010 will bring world-wide awareness to British Columbia, which down the road
could lead to financial rewards for golf as it did in Utah after 2002
By Paul Ramsdell, PNGA Media
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| Whistler Golf Club |
While the connection seems far from obvious, the potential could be limitless.
On the surface, one would think the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and Whistler would have no impact on the golf community in British
Columbia. Those within the industry, however, say the Winter Olympics could be a financial gold medal for golf, despite the fact Whistler
courses will be buried deep beneath the snow when the world comes calling in February 2010.
And they even have some historical precedents to back their claims.
"There's no better advertising in the world, obviously, than the Olympic Games," said Alan Kristmanson, the director of golf at Whistler Golf
Club. "You just can't purchase that, right? It's just unbelievable."
However, just sitting back and waiting for the cameras to roll won't be enough for Whistler golf courses.
"We'll be working all very hard to make sure that the summer story gets told as well," Kristmanson said.
"There is more to Whistler than just skiing, I guess that's the message," said Andrew Smart, the director of golf at Nicklaus North.
"Get people here once and they will come back again," he said.
While the Whistler-area courses have the challenge of promoting a product no one will see during the Olympics, the Vancouver courses will have
something that's rarely been seen at a host city of the Winter Olympic Games - open golf courses.
Visitors and journalists from around the world will be able to play golf during the day, then take in the figure skating at night. That
certainly wasn't the case at Salt Lake, or Nagano, or Lillehammer.
"There is not going to be any snow in Vancouver probably at the time," said Peter Harrison, a regional and sector marketing manager for Tourism
B.C. "There's certainly an opportunity for that to be played up."
Regardless if visitors will be able to play during that time or not, the Olympics will be a financial boost for golf in the area.
"The word seems to be getting out already a little bit about the golf product we have here in British Columbia," Harrison said. "When you
consider the amount of attention and awareness that an Olympics destination, the country that is hosting the Olympics, receives, it's obvious
it's really going to benefit British Columbia and also increase awareness of the different things people can do here - with golf not being an
exception."
The exposure is the key for the Whistler-area courses.
"You can't buy that type of awareness, and even though golf is obviously more of a summer sport it's still going to benefit from that increased
awareness," Harrison said.
"Overall, the amount of people coming for this event, it's not only going to drive tourism, it's going to drive tourism winter and summer I
believe," said Andy Hedley, the general manager at Furry Creek.
"But we just want to make sure that the people don't recognize it purely for its winter activities, that it's showcased as a year-round
destination."
"That's the key," Kristmanson said, "making sure that everybody understands this is a year-round destination."
The exposure and awareness has meant great things for golf in Salt Lake and Utah, where the 2002 Winter Games were held.
"Utah's overall golf rounds are way up over what they were prior to the Olympics," said Scott Whittaker, the executive director of the Utah
Section of the PGA.
"It did get people used to the area and coming in, and we had never been known as a destination," he said. "It showed many of the courses in
our area that we could attract people to play golf so we really tried to expand our out-of-state play, try to get a piece of the travel
industry for golf, which we had never attempted before."
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| Big Sky Golf & Country Club |
Whittaker said a direct result of the Olympics is now a slew of high-end golf courses in exclusive residential developments in the Wasatch
Mountains up out of Salt Lake.
Promontory, near Park City, has a Pete Dye-designed course already open, a Jack Nicklaus course ready for next year and then plans for two more
courses. When finished, the 6,500-acre development will have added 72 holes to the Utah landscape.
Glenwild has a new Tom Fazio course for its residents. Tu'haye is another new development with an 18-hole golf course.
In fact, if you want a direct correlation between the Olympics and golf in Utah, there's Soldier Hollow. What was the site of biathlon and
cross-country skiing in the Olympics now is a 36-hole golf complex in Wasatch Mountain State Park.
"What it has brought in is a whole new level of golf that we did not have," Whittaker said.
"It's bringing out-of-state people to resort-type golf courses, which is something we just didn't have in Utah."
While Soldier Hollow came in after the 2002 Olympics, there's already a direct benefit for golf before the Winter Olympics in British
Columbia.
Marked improvements to the Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver to Whistler already are underway.
"The road is really going to help us," Hedley said. "There's the one thing, to reduce the travel time from Vancouver to Whistler and vice
versa, that is really going to help this particular area."
Kristmanson agreed.
"It's going to make the trip 15 to 20 minutes closer from Vancouver, and that can't hurt," he said.
For Kristmanson, these won't be the first Olympics he'll get to see up close. He was a member of the Canadian National Basketball Team and
played in the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
"I was just absolutely amazed at how you bring the whole world together in one place, and what that felt like," he said.
And what will it feel like in 2010?
"It brings in a feeling of pride and accomplishment in your little town of Whistler that you can actually pull this off."
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