BETHLEHEM, PENNSYLVANIA | Can you name anyone who doesn’t smile when you talk about the 19th hole?
Of course not.
And that’s why Mimi Griffin chose to push for a broader and more innovative scale of golf’s post-round social gathering to become a reality this week at the 42nd U.S. Senior Open Championship at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
Who wouldn’t want some food and drink and entertainment in a 660,000-square-foot oasis inside the triangle of land that borders the 16th, 17th and 18th holes of the championship layout of the Old Course while keeping up with the leaderboard activities of players such as Pennsylvania native and defending champion Jim Furyk, Bernhard Langer, Steve Stricker, Retief Goosen, Ernie Els, Pádraig Harrington, Davis Love III and Vijay Singh?
“The 19th Hole, presented by Lehigh Valley Health Network, is a fan experience that has never been tried before at a USGA championship,” said Griffin, who grew up in a competitive basketball family and was an ESPN analyst for college basketball. “There have been engagements before like Fan Central, but this concept is unique and built on pleasing all consumers, not just ones who are golf aficionados. It will have a true Lehigh Valley feel.”
Griffin – the founder and president of MSG Promotions, which is the on-site event management firm for the USGA – believed that the central cogs of a typical 19th hole – food, drink, conversation (well, trash talk) and fun – would bring a ground-breaking type of fan experience to the Senior Open as an upgraded ticket.
The mid-size consumer market in northeastern Pennsylvania with more than a handful of regional partners, the community spirit in Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and environs, and the past successes of USGA Opens at Saucon Valley in ticket sales and corporate hospitality gave Griffin empirical evidence with which to pitch her notion to the USGA.
“Saucon Valley absolutely embraced the concept of the 19th Hole for several reasons,” 2022 U.S. Senior Open general chairman David Kennedy said. “The club’s experience from hosting two previous U.S. Senior Open Championships in 1992 and 2000 was tremendously positive and reflective of a true family-friendly and fun experience for spectators of all ages. Having a sizable piece of property uniquely situated between the three finishing holes of the championship course provided the perfect opportunity to present the 19th Hole entertainment concept to the USGA.”
Years ago, the USGA and the captains of industry at Bethlehem Steel who founded Saucon Valley might have grumbled about this activity at a national championship. But in the 21st century after countless exposures to the sights and tastes and sounds of the Super Bowl, the Final Four, the NBA All-Star Game, and Berckmans Place at the Masters, the time was ripe. And the circumstances were perfect.
“The 19th Hole is a concept that Mimi Griffin came up with to help present this unique atmosphere to ticket holders,” said Hank Thompson, the USGA’s senior director of the U.S. Senior Open. “The area is very unique, as we do not have the good fortune to have this much open space to work with year in year out for such a large environment. I do think this success can help at future championships, especially the U.S. Senior Open.”
Griffin and her staff developed a “the place to be” blueprint that includes a wide range of family-and-fun fan engagements. Adjacent to some upgraded seating and within white picket fences, the 19th Hole will include a 9,000-square-foot putting green (designed and built by SVCC’s director of golf courses and grounds Jim Roney and crew), golf simulators, a sports bar, a food court, food trucks featuring Lehigh Valley delicacies, social gaming within an app built specifically for the 2022 U.S. Senior Open (with a wide array of prizes) on the action occurring on the 16th, 17th and 18th holes and live music during the practice rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday in the late afternoon.
“Having this large group of local iconic businesses come together to support the championship in this creative way is unprecedented. We hope the 19th Hole will be something people are talking about and will be talking about well after the champion is crowned.” – Mimi Griffin
All these offerings come with a cost, but another new development helps to pay for it. In recent years, the USGA has enacted a “regional partner” tentacle of its broad-based corporate partner program. As a result, this expanded version of drinks after a round will be supported by a who’s who of local companies such as Lehigh Valley Health Network, Wind Creek, Yuengling, C.F. Martin Guitar and X-Golf.
“Having this large group of local iconic businesses come together to support the championship in this creative way is unprecedented,” said Griffin, whose company also oversees corporate hospitality sales and service for the USGA at the U.S. Open. “We hope the 19th Hole will be something people are talking about and will be talking about well after the champion is crowned.”
Griffin’s calculated approach to bringing an impact event was on a grassroots level. Among other activities, it included locally based social media to assist in selling tickets and a ticket design contest for local school children.
Kennedy, a SVCC member since the early 1970s, sees the Lehigh Valley market as fertile ground for that local touch.
“The successful recruitment of so many regional partners is not new for Saucon Valley Country Club,” he said. “In all previous USGA championships, the Greater Lehigh Valley community and businesses came together with incredible support. This year has been quite fulfilling in that we have been able to bring in several additional regional partners who were not involved previously. The 19th Hole concept certainly played a role, but I also think that our broader community is even more excited as we continue to move forward from the past two years with the pandemic. The Greater Lehigh Valley has a significant population that strongly supports all sports and family entertainment opportunities. The Lehigh Valley loves community.”
Ticket sales have been brisk as they were at the two previous U.S. Senior Opens at Saucon Valley, which becomes the only club to have hosted the championship three times.
Because of the strategic placement of facilities, sales for corporate hospitality are also vibrant. Thirty-five of 42 total open-air suites have been sold. Suites on holes 15, 17 and 18 have sold out. Inventory for those suites was added on holes 9 and 11.
“Saucon Valley is such a revered place in the Lehigh Valley,” Griffin said. “It’s such a great showplace for the world’s best players and the national TV broadcast. Top that off with the support of our partners, and we have quite a marketing case study. Maybe it will spur additional creative marketing approaches for future events.”
The USGA continues to embrace the idea of enhanced fan experiences whatever the championship or venue.
“The footprint is unique to Saucon Valley Country Club as many of our other venues do not provide this type of open space,” Thompson said. “We have done some other unique offerings as recently as the U.S. Women’s Open presented by ProMedica at Pine Needles (Lodge & Golf Club) where we had a food court presented by American Express, and the U.S. Open has a couple of new and unique offerings for ticket holders this year at Brookline. We are always open to new opportunities that will enhance the on-site experience for our fans.”