Business Is Booming for GolfWatch Program

From corporate tents to corporate hospitality to VIP parking to clubhouse badges, the line between elitism and what are acceptable amenities in professional golf is sometimes a blurry one.

Then there was GolfWatch, billed as the “Ultimate Spectator Experience,” in which corporate hospitality could have gotten a bad name.

For anywhere between $3,000 and $40,000, here’s what GolfWatch membership means for corporate clients at selected golf tournaments:

Valet parking.

Shuttle service.

A 4,000-square-foot home pavilion.

Gourmet food and beverages.

On-course skyboxes and viewing platforms.

Inside-the-ropes viewing lanes.

Yes, it’s everything except putting tips from the pros as they make the turn. Introduced at the 1997 Nissan Open at Riviera, critics feared that GolfWatch would emphasize a definite division between golf fans along caste lines at a time when pro golf seemed intent on reaching out to the masses.

However, GolfWatch has grown and prospered, despite its initial perception problem.

“It’s come full circle, thank goodness” Todd Lincoln of GolfWatch said. “Once everybody came out and found out what we are about, this was not a problem.

“The fact is, all the people who are in those viewing lanes are sitting down in their seats, so they’re not blocking anybody’s view. They’re not making a problem for the general spectator. So we’ve had no issue since the opening bell.”

The GolfWatch concept, founded by Colorado businessman Jack Vickers, caters exclusively to corporate interests. The $40,000 Platinum Membership Package calls for 100 daily credentials (25 for each day of the tournament), 75 practice-round tickets (25 per day), 40 general admission tickets (10 per day) and a private cocktail party or breakfast with a PGA Tour player (as many as 40 guests).

Apparently it’s working. There were three GolfWatch events in 1997, four this year and Lincoln said plans call for five and possibly six--including the Nissan Open--in 1999, which would be the third year of a 10-year agreement with the PGA Tour. Lincoln said GolfWatch has a 93% renewal rate among its 200 corporate clients, which include General Electric, AT&T;, Lehman Brothers, Lucent Technologies, Merrill Lynch and Dow.

“It’s a corporate buy,” he said. “We’ve learned a lot.”