THE FATHER LIFE | the men's magazine for today's fathers

Senior PGA Championship Report

By: Nick Henry
Image By: Steve Woods
June 9, 2008

Rochester, NY, is home to Kodak and Oak Hill Country Club. While the former's tenure as a major US business player may be on the wane, the latter's presence on the greater-American golf scene is still very much established.

Oak Hill, which is now the only club to host all six of the men's major championships that rotate around the country (U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, Senior PGA Championship and U.S Senior Open), is known as a very challenging course that lays out equally well from a spectator's perspective.

Even the head pro, Craig Harmon (brother of swing doctor to the stars, Butch Harmon), represents some of the strongest golf blood lines in the country.

My firm purchased one of the hospitality tents for the Senior PGA Championship, so I was able to get a first-hand look at the events last weekend.

One of my initial reactions was just how well-organized the event was. From the moment you stepped off our shuttle and into the gate area, it was evident that the PGA, in conjuncture with Oak Hill, knows its business. People I spoke with said that the PGA has advance teams that are on-site as early as two years before each event doing prep work with the host club. Oak Hill's history of hosting big events probably helps a great deal, but regardless, the effect was of a giant, coordinated support and management effort – one that left the customer with little doubt as to where he needed to go or what he needed to do.

The hospitality tent is a beautiful thing. Granted, you pay for that beauty. But, in addition to the excellent event management staff that seemed to materialize at our elbow moments after we realized we had a question (notice I did not say problem; in truth there were very few, and none that fell in the "big" category), everyone, from the guy that brought in the coffee (a very popular man after a couple days/nights of abusing one's liver), to the extra servers they had in every tent for the buffet-style meals, the support staff was top drawer.

The galleries weren't enormous, save for that of local-boy-made-good Jeff Sluman who was in the mix until he teed off on Sunday. But they were supportive and certainly appreciative of the ability to be outside watching some golf on the crown-jewel of local flora.

The pros were great. Mind you, these are the seniors. So the spotlight isn't dead-centered on them, if you will. One of our guys ended up having dinner with Nick Price at a local eatery on Friday night (Nick allegedly walked off the course in frustration after nine holes), and said that Nick was accommodating and in awe of the track at Oak Hill. Price went so far as to say a couple of the holes are just unfair.

All-in-all, it was a great event. Even the weather cooperated, getting progressively nicer as the weekend unfolded. Oak Hill will be at the fore (no pun intended) of the golf world again in 2013 when the PGA Championship (not the senior variety) returns for the third time. Some are saying it could be right around the time that Tiger is trying to break Jack Nicklaus' career major championships record. Others are saying Oak Hill will be in a neck-and-neck battle with Whistling Straits in Wisconsin for the title of "toughest domestic golf course on the tour." But all agree it will be another great week of golf at one of America's premiere golf locations.

Nick Henry is the father of two little girls. He grew up in the Midwest, went to college on the east coast, ran around Colorado for a few years and has since settled in Rochester, New York. A music major in college, Nick chose the financial industry for his "day job." He enjoys playing, watching, and writing about hockey and sports in general. His work can also be seen at http://hittingthepost.blogspot.com.


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Senior PGA Championship Report By: Nick Henry Image By: Steve Woods June 9, 2008 Rochester, NY, is home to Kodak and Oak Hill Country Club. While the former's tenure as a major US business player may be on the wane, the latter's presence on the greater-American golf scene is still very much established. Oak Hill, which is now the only club to host all six of the men's major championships that rotate around the country (U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, PGA Championship, Ryder Cup, Senior PGA Championship and U.S Senior Open), is known as a very challenging course that lays out equally well from a spectator's perspective. Even the head pro, Craig Harmon (brother of swing doctor to the stars, Butch Harmon), represents some of the strongest golf blood lines in the country. My firm purchased one of the hospitality tents for the Senior PGA Championship, so I was able to get a first-hand look at the events last weekend. One of my initial reactions was just how well-organized the event was. From the moment you stepped off our shuttle and into the gate area, it was evident that the PGA, in conjuncture with Oak Hill, knows its business. People I spoke with said that the PGA has advance teams that are on-site as early as two years before each event doing prep work with the host club. Oak Hill's history of hosting big events probably helps a great deal, but regardless, the effect was of a giant, coordinated support and management effort – one that left the customer with little doubt as to where he needed to go or what he needed to do. The hospitality tent is a beautiful thing. Granted, you pay for that beauty. But, in addition to the excellent event management staff that seemed to materialize at our elbow moments after we realized we had a question (notice I did not say problem; in truth there were very few, and none that fell in the "big" category), everyone, from the guy that brought in the coffee (a very popular man after a couple days/nights of abusing one's liver), to the extra servers they had in every tent for the buffet-style meals, the support staff was top drawer. The galleries weren't enormous, save for that of local-boy-made-good Jeff Sluman who was in the mix until he teed off on Sunday. But they were supportive and certainly appreciative of the ability to be outside watching some golf on the crown-jewel of local flora. The pros were great. Mind you, these are the seniors. So the spotlight isn't dead-centered on them, if you will. One of our guys ended up having dinner with Nick Price at a local eatery on Friday night (Nick allegedly walked off the course in frustration after nine holes), and said that Nick was accommodating and in awe of the track at Oak Hill. Price went so far as to say a couple of the holes are just unfair. All-in-all, it was a great event. Even the weather cooperated, getting progressively nicer as the weekend unfolded. Oak Hill will be at the fore (no pun intended) of the golf world again in 2013 when the PGA Championship (not the senior variety) returns for the third time. Some are saying it could be right around the time that Tiger is trying to break Jack Nicklaus' career major championships record. Others are saying Oak Hill will be in a neck-and-neck battle with Whistling Straits in Wisconsin for the title of "toughest domestic golf course on the tour." But all agree it will be another great week of golf at one of America's premiere golf locations. Nick Henry is the father of two little girls. He grew up in the Midwest, went to college on the east coast, ran around Colorado for a few years and has since settled in Rochester, New York. A music major in college, Nick chose the financial industry for his "day job." He enjoys playing, watching, and writing about hockey and sports in general. His work can also be seen at http://hittingthepost.blogspot.com.