Building Tigertown

Don Padgett can’t remember a time in his life when he didn’t golf. The 33-year-old’s earliest memories involve sinking putts and practicing chip shots. Growing up in Akron, the son of a golf pro competed as a boy and at Walsh Jesuit High School.

A four-year letterman on the Indiana University golf team, Padgett followed in his father’s footsteps after graduation. Don Padget II was the general manager at Firestone Country Club for 24 years. But Padgett the III first moved to the Jacksonville, Fla., headquarters of the PGA Tour and worked tournaments in Australia, Argentina, the Middle East, Europe and parts of Asia. In that time, he learned to appreciate doing business in the United States.

“When you go overseas, there might be only one tent or bleacher vendor to work with,” Padgett says. “A lot of places that you go, they kind of got you between a rock and a hard place. And they know it, and you know it.”

That business savvy helped Padgett land the executive director role for the Bridgestone Invitational. Returning from Jacksonville to Akron was a welcome homecoming, even though he knew his new northern home wouldn’t allow him to golf year-round like in the Sunshine State.

“I have enough on my plate, so it’s probably a good thing that the weather is like this,” says Padgett, glancing through the conference room window of the Bridgestone Invitational offices at a March sleet storm. “Especially when you’re coming out to work at a golf course every day.”

Last year was Padgett’s first year as executive director. Despite a rain delay at the end — and competition from a Pro Football Hall of Fame induction down the road in Canton — his first tournament was a success, with the same outcome as the previous year: Tiger Woods victorious.

“They say the first tournament is always the toughest,” Padgett says. “I got through it, and we did well. The event did a little better financially than years before, so that was good.”

Corporate sponsors and ticket packages make or break golf tournaments. While 80,000 tickets may have been sold last year, the bulk of the Bridgestone revenue came from the corporate ticket packages, which run from $500 to $7,500. More than 80 packages at $4,000 and higher were sold last year, which showed a single-digit percentage growth over the previous year, says Padgett, who wants to improve on those numbers.

He’s optimistic about this year, because of refinements the tournament has made for its corporate customers.

New this year is an open-ended ticket that can be used for any one day of the tournament, and the tournament’s double-decker Championship Club tent, which formerly occupied the Firestone Country Club clubhouse parking lot and will be moved this year to between the 16th and 17th holes so spectators will have course viewing while enjoying cocktails, food and even television.

Padgett’s favorite place to watch the action, however, isn’t from one of the luxury tents. He points to a large aerial photograph of the Firestone South Course, which stands on an easel in the conference room of the tournament headquarters. “I like this spectator mound by the 12th,” he says, his index finger pointing to a grassy hill just off the green on the south end of the course. “From that one spot, you can watch three different groups. There’s always something going on.”

But there’s a long road ahead before Padgett can enjoy the thrill of competition.

The lack of rain last summer worried the grounds crew of the Firestone Country Club. Usually before the tournament, the club’s landscapers allow the rough to grow a little higher than usual and then cut the long grass days before the tournament for an even surface.

But last year, the grass wouldn’t grow. The landscapers fertilized and watered, which forced some meager progress, but then about a week before the tournament it rained for two days straight. The extra fertilizer took hold in the soil and, almost overnight, the grounds crew had a dense jungle of grass.

“They were just bailing it,” Padgett says. “That was a big reason why it played so tough last year. If you knocked it in the rough, you couldn’t hardly get it on the green in the next shot.”

Although preparing the field of play might be the most important aspect of what the Firestone Country Club staff and the PGA Tour does, it is only a small part of the club’s transformation.

In early June, Todd Tatarek, operations manager from the PGA Tour headquarters, arrives to begin construction on as many as 15 temporary structures, including the spectator grandstands at the 16th, 17th, 18th and ninth greens, as well as the corporate tents that run on the west side of the course.

Like any construction project, building the Bridgestone requires careful scheduling. Tatarek expects at least a dozen contractors over seven weeks, who must arrive and complete their work in the correct sequence to help the five-man crew build the structures. First, the flooring and tent vendors arrive, followed by the bleacher company, which is also the builder of the scaffolding for the TV camera platforms.s. By the end of June, the contractors that supply air conditioning, electrical wiring and phone service inside the tents will perform their work.

“There’s a million different pieces,” Tatarek says. “You just want them all to come together for this one big picture.”

In late June, Firestone Country Club facilities manager Calvin Burkley and 40-plus employees begin to prepare the 179,000 square feet of permanent buildings at the club, painting areas outside, cleaning and moving furniture around the 15 condominiums or “villas” that will each hold 100 to 125 people for corporate events. His crew also tests every fuse box, air conditioner, restroom, kitchen and auxiliary power generator the club has to ensure it’s ready for the onslaught in demand.

“Everything will be running full tilt,” Burkley says.

About a week before the tournament, Jerry Wilson, Firestone Country Club executive chef and food and beverage director, is preparing for

Fed Up The pro golfers and fans consume a lot of food and beverages - and golf balls - during the six days of World Golf Championships- Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club. Here's a sampling:  7,200 range balls are ordered for the pros to hit during the week 15,000 hot dogs 10,000 cheeseburgers 7,500 chicken sandwiches 1,000 Smucker’s Uncrustables 4,000 candy bars 20,000 bottles of water 20,000 bottles assorted soda 300 kegs of beer

the tons of food his 30-member staff will prepare for the pros and thousands of fans. He needs a 55-foot refrigerated truck trailer and another 35-foot trailer for food storage alone.

Out of only two kitchens, Wilson and his crew prepare 15,000 hot dogs (which if placed end to end would reach from the first to the sixth hole of the 7,360-yard South Course), as well as 10,000 cheeseburgers and 7,500 chicken sandwiches. In recent years, demand has increased for lighter fare such as vegetarian dishes, especially on the à la carte and corporate menus.

The pros, who also order from the club’s à la carte menu, typically request a lot of pastas with low-fat sauces. Tiger Woods, in particular, enjoys energy-packed dishes such as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and packs granola in his golf bag for snacks on the course.

“The golfers go for the carbs and a little protein,” Wilson says. “Anything for energy on the course.”

Wilson, like most of the Firestone staff, doesn’t see much of his family in the weeks and days leading up to the tournament and during the competition. He’s at the course at 5:30 a.m. and leaves at about 10 p.m. every day.

But even with such a dedicated staff, the tournament couldn’t happen without the more than 1,000 volunteers who help prepare the club and run the event.

Frank A. “Whitey” Wahl, a former Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. employee, now tournament volunteer, has attended every professional golf competition at the country club.

The 87-year-old is a bit of an Akron sports legend himself, having lettered in three sports at the University of Akron and then playing professionally for the long-defunct National Basketball League on the Akron Firestone Non-Skids.

“I could score,” says Wahl, who admits he’s a “hacker” on the golf course. “I could throw a hook shot.”

Wahl is one of the 40-plus volunteers who have served the tournament for more than 25 years. In his service, Wahl has met all the golf legends who have played through: Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Tom Kite, Greg Norman. One year he even was assigned to chauffeur Arnold Palmer, but ended up as the passenger since Palmer always wanted to drive.

“We were driving back [to the airport] and I said, ‘Arnie, that was Wilbeth Road over there, we were supposed to turn to the airport. You going to the airport?’ ” Wahl recollects. “So, he says ‘Oh, yeah,’ and swings the car around in the middle of the street.”

Much has changed since the early days of the tournament, which began in 1954 as the Rubber City Open. In the 1950s and ’60s, like most professional sports, golf wasn’t a full-time job for all of its competitors. Then, the purse of $50,000 was no paltry sum, but it’s not quite as lucrative as the $8 million the golfers will divvy up this year.

Without as much cash on the line and much less media attention, players treated tournaments more as a hobby than a business.

“They didn’t know what sober was,” Wahl says of the cocktails some golfers decades ago used to imbibe before, during and after competition. Today, Gatorade and bottled water are the favorite beverages of the pros. “The golfers are a different breed now. Having a clear head is their livelihood.”

Although volunteers pay for their ticket and most other expenses, Wahl believes they sign up every year not only to see the pros compete, but also for the more than $1 million the tournament donates annually to Northern Ohio Golf Charities.

 “The volunteers, they practically worship the golfers,” Wahl says. “When it first started, some of the pros would stay at the homes of the volunteers.”

These days the volunteers are the army that helps the tournament run. Firestone’s five volunteer committees meet once a month beginning in September and more frequently as the event approaches. Volunteer training starts in July.

Clad in khakis and lime green shirts, the volunteers operate the beer, food and other concession stands and ticket areas, erect signs directing visitors, rope off the public areas of the course and walkways, check credentials in secured areas and pick up litter.

A handful of lucky volunteers walk the course with the pros with a handheld ShotLink scorer, which records information on the lie of the ball, who hit each shot and the scores at the hole. This information is sent to a trailer, as well as to other volunteers, who use a trigger-operated laser device to track ball location on the fairway and track ball placement near the hole.

Wahl serves on the hospitality committee, a perfect role for someone with an encyclopedic knowledge of the tournament and the club.

He and his committee drive the pros and their families to and from their hotels and the airport. He obtains lists of restaurants and other places golfers can take their families, and finds baby-sitters if necessary.

“The rest of the year, I’m here every day,” Wahl says. “If they need anything at all, even if it’s just to stuff envelopes, I’ll help in any way I can.”

On tournament days, a constant stream of shuttle buses drop ticket holders at the welcome pavilion on the northwest side of Firestone Country Club’s property, just north of the South Course.

Golf fans, in their short-sleeve collared shirts and visors, march around the tournament headquarters east toward the professional tee of the first hole, just a few steps away from the entrance to the country club’s pro shop. Those who arrive early enough can stand steps away from the pro as he tees off.

In front of the clubhouse, XM satellite radio parks its trailer on a circular lawn. Behind it are two trailers filled with treadmills, stationary bicycles and other fitness equipment for the exercise-inclined golfers.

Next to the first hole is another parking lot where golf apparel and equipment manufacturers such as Titleist, Callaway, TaylorMade and Bridgestone Golf have tents, vans and trailers. The equipment companies can fashion a club for one of their sponsored players on-site if needed.

“They’ll try 10 to 15 drivers before they find one they like,” Padgett says. 

Who’s Who At this year’s World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone Country Club, more than 75 professional golfers will compete, but only one will take home the $1.35 million first-place award. As of press time, not all of these players have committed to the tournament, but here are a few to watch and why.   Tiger Woods Duh. Well, besides being one of the best golfers ever, Woods is competing for his seventh Bridgestone win and fourth in a row. Rory Sabbatini Sabbatini was a runner-up last year, as well as in 2004. Could this be his year to shine? Phil Mickelson He won in 1996 and has been runner-up three times since. Always a fan favorite, Mickelson will need to play better than last year, when he finished 22 strokes behind Tiger’s winning 272. Geoff Ogilvy He beat Tiger Woods at the CA Championship in March, ending his three-tournament win streak. Will he repeat his spoiler performance? Bridgestone, Firestone, NEC ... why so many names?

Before the pros arrive, the companies fill their lockers with gloves, balls, caps and other apparel. “They use a new pair of gloves every day,” says locker room attendant Robbins.

Cable TV network The Golf Channel, followed by CBS, arrive at Firestone only a couple days before to set up cameras and the mobile control rooms that beam the tournament all over the world. In the approaching days, sports reporters from the U.S., Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia and all over Asia and the Middle East arrive.

All told, Padgett estimates there are more than 500 people either working for or covering the Bridgestone tournament. Many of those cameras are trained on one man: Eldrick “Tiger” Woods.

No one has won at Firestone more than Woods. In fact, Woods has won more than half of the 28 official World Golf Championships played since 1999 and has earned $20.1 million in official money during the series. He also has 25 top-10 finishes in his 27 starts, but most recently finished fifth in the CA Championship in late March.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing these championships, even though they’ve been all around the world,” Woods said in a press release from the PGA Tour. “And for some reason, I’ve had success all different places. I can’t say it’s the venues. Maybe I just enjoyed playing the fields, just like I enjoy playing major championships.”

Personal access to Woods during Bridgestone is limited. He travels with an entourage that tightly controls his schedule. After all, when you’reForbes magazine’s second richest celebrity in the world (an estimated $100 million), time is valuable. Padgett, the tournament boss, has had only a few encounters with the superstar. “He’s always the center of attention, always somebody grabbing him, trying to get a piece of him.”

“He’s quiet,” adds Firestone’s Paul Lazoran, manager of the locker room. Even longtime tournament volunteer Wahl, who has met most of the golf legends, was intimidated several years ago to approach Woods for an autograph and instead asked his caddy at the time, Mike “Fluff” Cowan, to make the request.

“Fluff came back with his own autograph,” Wahl laughs. “I said, ‘Fluff, I don’t want yours, I want Tiger’s.’ ”

In 2006, Mark Gore, general manager of Firestone County Club, accompanied the star on a brief tour of the club’s overnight suite named in Tiger’s honor.

“You don’t really get to sit around and have any casual conversation with him,” he admits.

Without Woods’ popularity, it’s unlikely the Bridgestone Invitational would attract the media attention or sell as many tickets. But as long at Woods keeps winning, the odds are he will return every year to defend his title. And no one is more aware of how important his success is than Padgett.

“He’s been great for our sport, great for our tour, and he definitely makes my job a lot easier,” Padgett says.

But even if Woods’ winning streak ends this year, come Aug. 4, Padgett and all those at Firestone Country Club will tear down, clean up, take a breath and prepare for next year.

 

 

 

Name Game

Q: Bridgestone, Firestone, NEC ... why so many names?

A: The Bridgestone Corp. took over title sponsorship from computer hardware manufacturer NEC in 2006, but the tournament held several names before then. It was the Rubber City Open from 1954 to 1959, the American Golf Classic in 1960 and the PGA Championship in 1961. From 1962 through 1983, it was simply known as the World Series of Golf and from 1984 through 1998 it was the NEC World Series of Golf and then the World Golf Championships-NEC Invitational.

In 1988, the Bridgestone Corp. acquired the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., which was founded in 1900 in Akron and still employs more than 600 in the city. But the Firestone Country Club, which opened in 1929, was not part of the purchase because Dallas-based ClubCorp had acquired it in 1981, which kept the name. Japan-based Bridgestone moved its American headquarters from Akron to Nashville in 1992, but the historic Firestone brand remains one of its biggest sellers.– ML