More than 60,000 attendees visited The Club at Chatham Hills in Westfield over the weekend for the LIV Golf tournament, according to the city, generating increased foot traffic for some local businesses.
The three-day tournament was LIV Golf’s highest-attended U.S. event to date. The event will be back in Westfield in August of next year, with tickets already for sale.
In the months leading up to the golf tournament, which featured some of the best players in the sport, Westfield officials said they expected it to have a $21-29 million economic impact on the city.
Westfield and Hamilton County Tourism, Inc. are still working to calculate the actual economic impact the tournament had on the city, but it drew in far more attendees than the 25,000 officials had predicted in November that the original projections were based on.
A few business owners said they noticed an increase in sales.
“Most of last week, we definitely saw increased foot traffic with visitors in the area,” said Caroline Commons, general manager of Rivet Coffee Bar & Roastery, which has locations on Jersey Street and inside the public library in Westfield. “Friday and Saturday, in particular, were especially busy days for us.”
Many of the visitors had lanyards for the tournament or were wearing golf attire, Caroline Commons said. Allie Commons, the owner of the coffee shop business, said Rivet came close to having one of their top selling Saturdays during the tournament.
Zoe Haugk, a manager at Titus Bakery and Deli, just off State Road 32, said her business also saw increased foot traffic coming from the golf tournament. They got a special order for golf ball cookies at the bakery, Haugk said.
Some other owners reached by IndyStar, though, said they didn’t notice an impact. A city official estimated it will take about 30 days to complete the economic impact report for the event.
The tournament featured fan engagement activities, interactive experiences, live music and opportunities for local businesses to participate and benefit from the event’s economic impact.
Ahead of the event, The Club at Chatham Hills lengthened its course, renovated bunkers and made other improvements. LIV Golf hosts events all over the world, including in South Korea, Dallas, Andalucía, the UK and Chicago.
“The Indiana region, city of Westfield, Hamilton County, and Chatham Hills have all been tremendous hosts to LIV Golf, and we’re looking forward to building on this momentum when the league returns to The Club at Chatham Hills in 2026,” said Ross Hallett, LIV Golf executive vice president, head of events in a news release announcing the tournament’s return to Westfield next year. “From the course’s outstanding design to the record attendance and fantastic energy throughout the community, this week’s Indiana debut has exceeded our high expectations. We’ve already begun planning for next year, and we can’t wait to raise the bar in 2026.”
Westfield Mayor Scott Willis said he was also looking forward to the event returning to the city next year.
“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome LIV Golf back to Westfield in 2026 having already experienced the incredible energy, economic boost and international spotlight during this year’s tournament,” Willis said in the news release. “It’s an outstanding opportunity to showcase our community, hospitality and quality of life that makes Westfield a destination.”
Contact Jake Allen at jake.allen@indystar.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @Jake_Allen19.
