A Weeklong
Celebration
Whistling Straits becomes the hub for The PGA Experience during PGA Championship Week
SINCE ITS ORIGIN IN 1916, THE PGA CHAMPIONSHIP HAS BEEN ALL about showcasing the professional golfer. As the only all-pro- fessional major championship returns to Whistling Straits, the vents packaged into a week by the shores of Lake Michigan
celebrate a world-class field while enhancing a spectator’s understanding
of the role of the PGA Professional.
By Bob Denney
The PGA Learning Center presented by American Express offers numerous experiences for attendees. Activities include: swing capture video analysis, video screens, two swing simulators, a daily closest to the hole contest, putting greens, and complimentary free lessons and clinics.
Throughout Championship Week, “The PGA Experience” is alive and well in Kohler, Wis., and throughout Sheboygan County, which hosts thousands of guests from throughout the country and from around the world.
From honoring one of golf’s legendary performers, to welcoming amateur players of all abilities to the lesson tee, to touring a signature priceless historical exhibit, PGA Championship Week offers activities to engage golf enthusiasts young and old.
Before one enters the gate at Whistling Straits, golf enthusiasts may tour the PGA Championship History Exhibit – “A History of the Season’s Final Major” – which is on display until Aug. 22 at The
Shops at Woodlake, in Kohler, some 14 minutes southwest of Whistling Straits.
The PGA Championship History Exhibit, which opened in May in the Village of Kohler, offers a free tour of both golf artifacts and memorabilia. Such rare pieces span from the driver Jim Barnes used in the inaugural PGA Championship and a walking stick used by Walter Hagen to the 3-hybrid used by Y. E. Yang – the first Asian male to win a major – to defeat Tiger Woods and stun the golf world.
Just inside the main entrance to PGA Town Center, visitors can enjoy a personalized photo opportunity on their way to following the game’s premier players. Spectators may view and purchase a photo souvenir of their visit that will be available online after Championship Week.
Photo opportunities also include a keepsake moment Wednesday, Aug. 11, in the PGA Town Center with the Wanamaker Trophy. The 27-pound piece of hardware, one of the most coveted trophies in golf, has been won by 63 individuals – including some of the greatest players in history.
The PGA of America pays its highest tribute to a contributor to the game by bestowing the PGA Distinguished Service Award upon Billy Casper, one of golf’s greatest players and ambassadors, on Aug. 11, at The Kohler Memorial Theatre (for more information, see page 150).
The winner of 51 PGA Tour titles and nine Champions Tour events, the 79 -year-old Casper is the all-time leader in points
MONTANA PRITCHARD/ THE PGA OF AMERICA
144 THE OFFICIAL PROGRAM OF THE 2010 PGA CHAMPIONSHIP