Northwest suburbs hope to capitalize on Presidents Cup visitors, international stage
DUPAGE COUNTY, Ill. (WLS) -- Preparations are underway at Medinah Country Club as the Presidents Cup returns elite team golf to the Chicago area later this month, bringing with it expectations of a significant economic boost for the northwest suburbs.
Organizers project the tournament will generate roughly $175 million in economic impact, with about 200,000 spectators expected to attend over four days of competition at Medinah Country Club.
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A 3,000-seat grandstand overlooking the first tee is among the major structures taking shape ahead of the event. Tournament officials say the atmosphere around the opening hole is expected to be one of the loudest on the course.
"It's exposure to some of the biggest names in golf from all over the world at a big time event," said fan Joe Styka.
"A lot of people are just starting golf and looking at this and saying ... 'Hey, I want to hit like that...'" said fan Gregory Mall.
The scale of the event is reflected in the infrastructure being built to support it.
"We're building 560,000 square feet of hospitality structures, which is phenomenal," said Joie Chitwood, executive director of the Presidents Cup.
"All these venues around us, it takes about six months to build it. We'll be open for six days, and then three months to tear it all down."
Medinah Country Club has previously hosted major golf events, including the Ryder Cup in 2012. Organizers say team golf has continued to grow in popularity since then. This year's Presidents Cup will feature 12 American players competing against 12 international players.
"I think that's what makes it fun. You know I think that the teams embrace the fact that it is a match play competition and it is one team versus the other, and they tend to want the fans to get a little bit loud and proud," Chitwood said.
Local tourism leaders see the event as an opportunity to showcase the region to an international audience.
"The opportunity to put the Northwest suburbs on an international stage just doesn't come around very often. So we want to capitalize on it," said Heather Larson, president and CEO of Meet Chicago Northwest.
Tourism officials said the exposure could leave a lasting impression on visitors, with organizers estimating fans will spend millions of dollars on hotels during tournament week.
"When you build a place where people want to visit, then you build a place where people want to live, and when you build a place where people want to live, maybe they want to work here and maybe they want to start a business here," Larson said.
Organizers and local leaders said they hope the tournament's impact extends beyond the competition itself and helps highlight the Chicago area's golf culture and hospitality.
"It is a once-in-a-lifetime moment, and I think it's going to really shine brightly here to show everybody how awesome golf is in the Chicago market," Chitwood said.
Though the tournament is still two weeks away, the U.S. team was on site practicing Tuesday ahead of the competition. Video of the practice session was not permitted, but officials said fans will have opportunities to see the players when the Presidents Cup arrives in the northwest suburbs later this month.
