“It’s no small thing that they’re doing,” Steilacoom Town Administrator Paul Loveless said of neighboring town University Place hosting the U.S. Amateur Championship golf tournament August 23-29. The famous event will take place at Chambers Bay golf course, a short three mile drive north of Steilacoom. During the first two days of the tournament, The Home Course golf course in DuPont will host half of the qualifying rounds for the tournament. The field will consist of 312 amateur players the first two days of play. That number will gradually diminish as the week progresses.
Steilacoom Chamber of Commerce president Cindy McKitrick said of the upcoming U.S. Amateur, “I don’t know how much it’s going to affect us (Steilacoom) other than traffic.” Loveless agreed. “The biggest impact on the Town will probably be flow through traffic,” he said. Public Safety Chief Robert Drozynski noted that the event shouldn’t coincide with morning and afternoon rush hours. As there’s uncertainty about when golf tournament visitors will arrive and depart, however, Loveless asserted, “We’re just going to be ready for traffic all day long.”
The Town of Steilacoom can be seen in the distance from Chambers Bay, home to the 2010 U.S. Amateur Golf Tournament.
Traffic was among the topics discussed at meetings held throughout the year to plan for the major tournament. “There has been a planning committee that was primarily led by University Place,” Loveless commented. He represented Steilacoom at the meetings. As for Steilacoom’s preparations for the event, Loveless said, “There will be signage of some type to direct traffic. There will also be signage promoting local businesses.” The signs will be temporary. “Due to the route being used we have little to no options for detours,” Drozynski remarked, so traffic will stream along Lafayette.
Drozynski shared, “PCSD (Pierce County Sheriff’s Department) is taking the lead since this event is in UP. Their experience from attending a similar event last year is that in the early stages when more players are golfing they have more people. As the field narrows the crowds dissipate.”
McKitrick said that during the U.S. Amateur, the Chamber of Commerce doesn’t have any special plans. “We’re kind of carrying on business as usual,” she said. “Ultimately, we don’t have a business district. We are a consortium of about 130 businesses and individuals.” The Chamber is hoping to stimulate sales in town by other methods this year.
“Our large thrust this year is to spend your money in Steilacoom,” said McKitrick. The Chamber has revived a concept from the 1990s, the Steilacoom Dollar, to encourage that. “It’s a gift certificate that mimics a dollar,” McKitrick stated. “They’re just like cash.” There are six businesses that are participating in the venture and accepting Steilacoom Dollars: Steilacoom Marine and Spirits, Jake’s Bar and Bistro, The Bair, Steilacoom Pub and Grill, Steilacoom Café and Organic Dog Treats. “So far we have gotten maybe $100 in circulation,” McKitrick remarked.
At least one Steilacoom business is capitalizing on the U.S. Amateur golf tournament, however. Jack Brake, who owns the Inn at Saltar’s Point with his wife, Joann, said their bed and breakfast is benefiting from the national golf tournament. When asked if they were trying to attract visitors to the U.S. Amateur tournament, he commented, “Actually, we are not doing anything special to entice visitors because our suites have already been ‘purchased’ by a large U.S. corporation who, in turn, will give them to customers as some sort of recognition for their loyalty. That has worked out well for us, and for the corporation….not to mention the people who will stay in the suites!”
The Steilacoom Historical Museum Association is also hoping to attract some of the U.S. Amateur visitors. Regarding its approach to the tournament, Brake, a SHMA member, said, “This was a big topic of discussion back when Chambers Bay was selected as the Amateur and U.S. Open course, and we had given thought to a fund raiser that involved coordinating lodging for tournament visitors at SHMA members’ homes. But after some discussion, that seemed to be a pretty huge task that might be TOO huge for us.” He concluded, “Both tournaments are certainly an opportunity to draw in visitors to the Museum and to Steilacoom.”
When the U.S. Open golf tournament is held at Chambers Bay in 2015, Brake said that he anticipates the Inn at Saltar’s Point will try to land another corporate client for the Inn’s suites. McKitrick commented that some Steilacoom businesses will probably experience additional sales thanks to the U.S. Open that year. “I’m kind of expecting that in 2015 we’re going to be heavily impacted by that,” McKitrick said. Drozynski observed that the U.S. Amateur tournament in August “will give us a partial idea of what to expect when the larger tour arrives years ahead.”
The 2010 U.S. Amateur Golf Tournament will be broadcast nationally on NBC and The Golf Channel. For more information, please visit www.2010usamateur.com.
