PGA gives region a taste of what’s to come

The people who will be entertaining visitors during the Senior PGA got a chance to find out what the championship is all about at a recent Taste of the Senior PGA Championship event.

Convention and Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce leaders and business representatives from across the region were invited to Benton Harbor to experience some of the hospitality that will be drawing people from across the nation to the Golf Club at Harbor Shores during 2012.

Championship Director Jeff Hintz says over three days there was a chance for golfing, to try out the food to be presented by the caterers hired for the event, and generally learn more about what the region can expect from its first golf championship event, one that will bring in 156 golfers for six days.

The event already has a lot of momentum. So far, 1,600 volunteers including about 500 from Southwest Michigan have signed up. Hintz says that is the fastest pace for signing up volunteers the event has experienced even though it has been in much larger cities like Philadelphia, Oakland and Louisville.

“We’re ahead of the curve,” Hintz says.

The event will shine a bright spotlight on Southwest Michigan as the Golf Channel will broadcast it into 500 million homes.

“We’re breaking records here,” Hintz says. “People are ready to see golf and see the best of the senior players at Harbor Shores.”

Writer: Kathy Jennings
Source: Jeff Hintz, Senior PGA