Though golf is the clear focus of the Memorial Tournament, organizers recognize that not everyone is fascinated by the game and its players. Their goal is to engage the entire community – not just golf fans.
That’s why an ever-growing list of additional events and programming is a huge part of the Memorial experience.
“The centerpiece is world-class competition (and) international attention brought to Dublin, Ohio, but the Memorial Tournament is also a platform for bringing the community together, and it’s been that way from the beginning,” says tournament Executive Director Dan Sullivan. “We challenge ourselves to come up with new ways to bring people together who may not see golf as their passion.”
Community Engagement
Where many other professional sports have seasons around which they can build their community events – think themed game nights for the Columbus Blue Jackets or Columbus Crew – the Memorial Tournament has just the one week of play, this year slated for May 29-June 4. So organizers look for ways to expand the tournament’s reach beyond those seven days.
“One of our pillars has been to give back to the central Ohio community, and that’s something that has not waned since 1976,” says Heather Ditty, director of marketing and community relations for the tournament.
As an example, Sullivan points to the FORE! Miler, a four-mile run scheduled for May 25. With its first run in 2015, the FORE! Miler gives as many as 3,000 people the chance to take a running tour around Muirfield Village Golf Club, then have a party in the middle of the golf course afterward.
Another key endeavor to engage community members is Fore!Fest, a street and music festival at Bridge Park scheduled for June 2-3 this year. Featuring food trucks, drink stations, multiple stages with live music and a variety of promotions at Bridge Park businesses, the event is a shining example of the types of experiences tournament organizers work to create, Ditty says.
It helps that the City of Dublin has historically been a huge supporter of the tournament, she says, and Bridge Park developer Crawford Hoying was more than willing to help when the development was finally in a position to host events in 2018. Bridge Park is also the site of the tournament’s official off-site Golf Shop.
“Whether you’re coming back from the tournament or you’re out in the community, (on) either side of that beautiful pedestrian bridge, there’s always something to experience during tournament week,” Ditty says.
Tournament Fan Events
- The Memorial Tournament presented by Workday: May 29-June 4
- Legends Luncheon presented by Nationwide: April 19
- FORE! Miler: May 25
- Jr. Golf Day: May 31
- Salute to Service Day: May 31
- Benefit Concert: June 1
- Fore!Fest: June 2-3
Wanna Bet?
With the Ohio Legislature having legalized sports betting beginning in January, the Memorial Tournament is now partnering with betPARX, which is offering a number of mobile sports betting opportunities.
A Culture of Charity
More community programming also means more opportunities to raise money for the tournament’s charitable partners – a primary objective not just for the Memorial, but for professional golf tournaments in general, as Sullivan notes. Of these partners, Nationwide Children’s Hospital is the most prominent and has been since the first tournament in 1976.
“If we can use the tournament’s platform to … raise awareness and funding, then we’re excited about doing that,” Sullivan says. “As Nationwide Children’s Hospital becomes more and more recognized as a world leader in pediatric health care, we want to make sure we celebrate that and also bring more attention to it.”
The tournament also works with the Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation, which focuses on fighting food insecurity, closing literacy gaps and offering access to sports for children.
Started by Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and his entrepreneur/author wife, Ayesha, Eat. Learn. Play. became one of the tournament’s beneficiaries last year by request of presenting sponsor Workday.
Much of the tournament-adjacent programming centers on fundraising for Nationwide Children’s. In addition to the tournament’s massive corps of volunteers, whose hours count toward a donation to the hospital, fundraisers include:
- Bears for Nationwide Children’s, a sale of limited-edition teddy bears – with 100% of proceeds going to the hospital – that has been in operation for more than 20 years;
- The Legends Luncheon, an April 19 event at the Ohio Union highlighted by the presentation of the Nicklaus Youth Spirit Award to a hospital patient or family who has shown strong commitment to overcoming obstacles, which started in 2011;
- The above-mentioned FORE! Miler, which also benefits Eat. Learn. Play.; and
- The annual Benefit Concert at KEMBA Live!, scheduled for June 1 this year and always featuring a big-name musical act for the past 15 years (last year’s was country singer-songwriter Eric Church).
The Bogey is Back
The Bogey Inn has been a destination for the Memorial since its 1976 founding, and though the Dublin-area staple closed in 2022 following the death of its owner, it will be back open during tournament week. The Bogey will be the site of live bands, food trucks and additional attractions all throughout the week.
Creating a Broad Appeal
Beyond opportunities for entertainment, community events also serve as a touchpoint for children and families to find something to appreciate about the tournament, and for the tournament to meet them where they are.
Programs such as Clubhouse Kids, which offers a variety of activities as well as free admission
for kids on the Wednesday of the tournament, make it easier to capture children’s interest, Ditty says.
“We want to help garner interest in our youth for golf and grow interest in the game, and one of the ways to do that – even if you don’t play golf – is to experience things in and around the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday,” she says.
In addition to children and families, tournament organizers also work to engage current and former members of the Armed Forces, as well as their families, most significantly during Salute to Service Day on the Wednesday of tournament week.
Supporting veterans and active service members is a high priority for tournament founder Jack Nicklaus and his wife, Barbara, Sullivan says. The day’s programming includes a breakfast for recently returned active duty members and an honoree ceremony, and current and former military members can attend the tournament free of charge, as can first responders.
“There’s not any one thing that is enough to say ‘thank you,’” Ditty says, “but if there’s a way for us to give one small thing back to them and say how much we appreciate what they, as well as their families, have given back to us, then why not do it?”
Garth Bishop is a contributing editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
