BRADENTON, Fla. — The oldest major championship in men’s senior golf is calling Bradenton home for the next three years.
The Senior PGA Championship brings together not only golf legends and crowds of spectators, but also new customers for businesses in both Manatee and Sarasota counties.
What You Need To Know
Dozens of the best and oldest golfers in the game are set to tee off in Bradenton
From the moment The Concession Golf Club confirmed it would be bringing the Senior PGA Championship back to Florida for the first time since 2000, it has been a race to get the course in perfect condition in just 10 months
The director of grounds explains how they have been working 12-hour days to make room for spectators and roll out the green carpet for the golfers
Both Sarasota and Manatee counties have been working for the past year to help get the rest of the area ready to host the major tournament, committing a total of $4.5 million while the championship is hosted in Bradenton for the next three years
Jason Rouk says he has spent more time at The Concession Golf Club than his own home for nearly a year.
“This is my baby,” he said.
All to roll out the green carpet, in this case, for the players and spectators at this year’s Senior PGA Championship.
“I told our executive team that this would be the toughest ten months out of the three years that we committed to the PGA of America,” said Rouk.
Ten months may seem like a long time to prepare, but in the golf course maintenance world, it meant Rouk, the director of grounds, and his team were working around the clock to have the greens in perfect condition and the property ready to host thousands.
“We cleared almost 25 acres there and added grass for all of our spectators, which created more room,” Rouk added.
Every morning during the course of the Senior PGA Championship, the greenskeepers and operators will arrive at the Concession as early as 3:00 in the morning, and they will stay as late as 10:00 p.m. just to make sure the course is ready for the next day.
“We are going to have 82 people, and 38 of those are from clubs and golf courses around Sarasota and Manatee counties that are driving in to our maintenance facility every day to support this championship,” he mentioned.
This was a collaborative effort not just for course maintenance, but also to host the tournament in Florida for the first time since 2000.
Visit Sarasota Community Relations Director Hunter Carpenter says Sarasota County matched Manatee County’s investment, committing $4.5 million to host the Senior PGA Championship for the next three years. They used money from the Tourist Development Tax, paid by visitors.
“So your hotels, your Vrbo rentals, your Airbnbs for less than six months, it is a 6 percent tax that they pay. Residents do not pay a single cent. This is all coming from visitors,” Carpenter explained.
The golf tournament is another addition to the tourism cycle so visitors come back year after year.
Senior PGA Championship Director Eric Nuxol explains how the PGA and businesses in the area will both benefit during tournament week.
“Just from the impact of not only folks that we bring in from our headquarters, the vendors, and some of the people that we bring from out of town getting to experience what both counties have to offer. We are filling hotel rooms and restaurants with a lot of the people that we bring in, but hopefully it brings excitement to the rest of the area,” Nuxol said.
While tournament officials are focused on starting this year’s championship on the right foot, they are also crafting a long term plan to keep a presence on the Gulf Coast.
“We want to set our foot in the market and ultimately have room to grow. The first one here happened rather quickly by typical standards for putting on a major championship. I think the more that we can see this thing grow and blossom and become something bigger each year,” Nuxol mentioned.
Seeing the prepping and planting finally come together, Rouk says his 32 years in the golf industry have prepared him for this moment, this championship.
“We will be on the world stage for all of our mistakes for everybody to see, and our guys take so much pride in their work,” Rouk added.
His hard work around the greens is more than a backdrop for the Senior PGA Championship. It is to make sure the golfers and fans are already thinking about coming back next year.
If you would like to watch the oldest major championship in men’s senior golf in person, tickets are available for Thursday through Sunday’s play at The Concession Golf Club.