PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – It’s a Ponte Vedra specialty that impacts so much of Northeast Florida -- Golf’s “Fifth Major” is celebrating its 50th edition. The Players Championship began on March 12.
This Week in Jacksonville is taking it to the green for this Business Edition episode. Lee Smith, executive director of the tournament, joined the conversation at a new venue on the course, which is an edition that’s part of the constant effort to tweak and improve the fan experience.
“The Players Championship has done a really good job of entrenching itself in the community through its charity work and contributions back to so many organizations, 300 plus and almost 220 million over the 50 years,” Lee Smith said. Smith took over the executive director position for Jared Rice.
FYI: All you need to know about the 50th anniversary of The Players
Smith said he’s fortunate to take over the tournament as the iconic golf championship celebrates 50 years. Jared Rice led the event since November 2017. Matt Rapp and Jay Monahan were the executive directors before that.
The Players is not just for the avid golf watcher.
“I think we’ve also done a really good job of creating activation and experiences for the core golf fan that wants to watch golf,” Smith said. “But at the same time, the person knows that this is kind of a FOMO community event,” Smith said.
“And so you got 23 or 24 restaurant installations that you can activate around and be a part of to really get that food and beverage experience that you like,” he said.
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The conversation wasn’t solely about golf, either. It’s about the economic impact.
“Our most recent study spit out to us was a $234 million impact to Northeast Florida, out of THE PLAYERS,” Smith said. “And we break that down a couple of different ways. Our friends at Visit Jacksonville provide us with some data,” he said.
“We got 650,000 people, passengers that travel through Jacksonville International Airport. That’s their busiest week of the year is Players Week in March. We’ve got 18,000 hotel rooms in a 30-mile radius and almost 90% occupied the week of The Players Championship. So we’re always excited to see those numbers have an impact on the economic piece in Northeast Florida,” Smith said.