The BMW Pro-Am brings millions of golf revenue into the Upstate – part of a $2.7 billion statewide industry
As temperatures climb and the daylight hours lengthen, one thing is as sure as the changing of the seasons: Golf courses in the Upstate and across South Carolina are going to be busy. And with the BMW Charity Pro-Am teeing off this week, the eyes of golf fans nationwide will be sizing up the Upstate, while the locals wait to see the economic impact.
Upstate Profits from Charity Tournament
Although golf in the Upstate accounts for a small percentage of the sport’s statewide appeal, the discussion of its economic impact in the region centers on the annual BMW Charity Pro-Am, presented by Synnex Corporation.
Total direct spending for the 2014 BMW Charity Pro-Am is expected to reach nearly $5 million, support 137 regional jobs, and yield an Upstate total impact of more than $6.7 million, according to a study by Clemson University’s International Institute of Tourism Research and Development.
The Clemson study was conducted following the 2013 BMW Pro-Am to determine the regional economic impact of the tournament and includes data estimates through 2017.
The BMW Pro-Am is an annual $6 million industry and an important piece of the Upstate’s economy, said Bob Brookover, executive director of Clemson University’s Tourism and Recreation Research and Innovation Program.
The publicity for the event provides an ideal lens into the region, he said. “The tournament is great for raising the Upstate’s tourism profile.”
Of the five Upstate counties used in the study – Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Pickens and Cherokee – Greenville County is estimated to maintain a substantial lead in tournament-related jobs, with an average of 108 each year of the study.
The golf tournament’s direct spending is expected to remain the same at just over $4.7 million, while the Upstate’s total output and impact is expected to increase each year from 2013’s total of $6,774,615 to 2017’s $6,799,262.
Based on the study, every dollar spent locally by the tournament, visitors and charities benefited by the tournament will generate an additional 44 cents of output in the Upstate.
‘People Are Starting to Pay Attention’
Golf courses and the off-course expenditures of visiting golfers had a statewide economic impact in 2011 of $2.7 billion in sales, 34,785 jobs, $872 million in personal income, and $312 million in federal, state and local taxes, according to research conducted by the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism in April 2012.
The state’s top three golfing destinations in the state were Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head Island and Charleston, the study said. Greenville and Spartanburg accounted for only 4 percent of the state’s visiting golfers.
However, the Upstate’s success in hosting an international golf tournament will raise the region’s profile, said Bob Mihalic, Greenville County governmental affairs coordinator. “We are starting to build a brand and an image, and people are starting to pay attention.”
With data assembled by Smith Travel Research, VisitGreenvilleSC issued a report showing 14 percent of growth in hotel occupancy between 2011 and 2013 throughout Greenville County during the BMW Charity Pro-Am Tournament days, said Nancy Breede, research assistant at VisitGreenvilleSC.
“These types of events have a significant financial influence on the region,” Breede said.
Given the global reach of BMW’s tournament, the event will remain the focus of golf’s economic impact in the Upstate, Mihalic said. The international branding appeal associated with BMW serves as a lure for other international sporting events to come to the Upstate, he said. Hosting events such as the BMW golf tournament resonates with other corporate and sporting entities.
Regional events are also measurable byproducts of BMW’s influence, he said.
Youth soccer tournaments or youth swimming events associated with the Southeast are just as important as their international counterparts, he said. The increase of regional gatherings indicates a direct tie to the Upstate’s ability to successfully host a global function.
Work Year-Round Behind the Scenes
Behind the scenes, the event requires employees on the South Carolina Charities’ payroll to work year-round, said Darin MacDonald, executive director of the tournament.
“We have five full-time employees including a full-time director of sales,” he said. From a volunteer and subcontractor’s perspective, the staff expands to a much larger team closer to the tournament, he said.
The upcoming event will mark the 14th annual BMW Charity Pro-Am Golf Tournament. The tournament operates on roughly $3 million in revenue and more than $2 million in expenses, MacDonald said. “Each year, our annual giving to charities is between $500,000 to $800,000.”
The 2014 Pro-Am tournament will feature 168 professionals and 168 amateurs in the field, and 26 celebrities including such names as Bill Engvall, Greg Kinnear and former NFL quarterback Jim McMahon.
During the year, a communications person for the tournament coordinates with agents to familiarize celebrities with the tournament, MacDonald said.
“Over the years, the tournament has become an event that celebrities invite their contemporaries to join in, although it can be difficult to get new celebrities because they all want to come back,” he said. “It is a good problem to have.”
Of the 26 celebrities joining the 2014 tournament, more than 50 remain on a waiting list.
The event will span May 15-18 and take place on three Upstate golf courses – the Thornblade Club, The Reserve at Lake Keowee and Green Valley Country Club.
MacDonald said all of the teams will play each course one time Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
“We will cut to the low 16 teams and the low 65 professionals at Thornblade on Sunday,” he said. “We have a $650,000 purse for the professionals, including $117,000 to first place, and nearly $400,000 in Golf Channel expenses.”
The Golf Channel will televise the tournament worldwide with eight hours of coverage each day.
The tournament will also include food and beverages, parties and live music from the Bacon Bros. performing at the Peace Center.
