Half Moon Bay’s hotels, restaurants and other businesses are expecting to reap approximately $3 million from visitors to the area who will be drawn by the tournament, according to Charise McHugh, president and CEO of the Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce and Visitors’ Bureau.
McHugh says she couldn’t be happier with the boost the tournament will bring to Half Moon Bay. But McHugh says that, in the long term, the best thing that the tournament will bring is the free international advertising to the golf fans of the world.
 The Half Moon Bay Links at the Ritz Carlton prepare for the Samsung LPGA Championship tournament coming Oct. 1-5. |
According to tournament organizers, last year’s Samsung tournament was viewed by approximately 70 million people worldwide.
“You can’t buy the kind of publicity this tournament is going to give us,” McHugh said.
Palm Desert Mayor Jean Benson says the Samsung tournament did great things for her town, which hosted the championship the last four years.
“We can’t quantify it, but we know that having the tournament was a huge economic benefit and definitely worth the investment,” Benson said. “And any exposure your city can get from the national media is always a huge plus.”
But Benson says that Palm Desert and Half Moon Bay are different municipal animals. Located just outside of the golf Mecca of Palm Springs, Benson’s community has more than 100 golf courses. As a result, Benson’s community is well known among fans.
Many local businesses around Half Moon Bay have been making subtle changes to suit the 7,500 visitors expected to attend each day of the tournament.
Manager Carol Gossett of the Oceanview Golf Driving Range says she expects a huge spike in business this week from golf fans looking to test their mettle after watching the pros. Gossett says she’s worked to spruce up her practice green and repaint the golf shop she operates in preparation for the visitors.
A former LPGA club professional teacher, Gossett says she’s going to have a hard time splitting her time between managing the driving range and getting out to watch the pros battle.
“This is exciting for the whole community and particularly us at the driving range,” Gossett said. “But I’ve got to make time to watch the tournament. The game they play is beyond good; it’s extraordinary. You need to see it in person to appreciate how good they are.”
To make the holes more challenging for the professional players, Half Moon Bay Golf Links has tweaked its Ocean Course, narrowing the fairways and making the rough grass higher and thus more of a penalty for anyone hitting a wayward golf ball.
“The LPGA representatives said they wanted the course to be more difficult for players of this caliber,” course Superintendent Dan Miller said. “Now it’s a course for a low-handicap golfer.”
Tournament Director Torrey Gane says that everything is set up for the Samsung tournament to go off without a hitch.
“We’re working closely with the city, police and all the planners, and everything’s on schedule.” Gane said. “We’re putting on the final touches and looking forward to some great golf.”
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