Officials at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the United States Golf Association (USGA) office opening in the Village of Southampton.
The United States Golf Association (USGA) opened its new championship offices on March 3, 2017 in Southampton in preparation for the U.S. Open, which will take place at the Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in June 2018. While 18 months seems like a long time away, it is already a race against the clock for many of the individuals involved in the tournament.
Charlie Howe, the championship director of the 2018 U.S. Open, coordinated the opening of the new Southampton office. Between now and June 2018, Mr. Howe will be busy completing a blueprint to handle the estimated influx of over 250,000 people expected to converge on the East End for the week-long tournament.
Mr. Howe has a team of individuals who will help him plan every single aspect of the 2018 championship to ensure the tournament’s success. Some of those aspects include drafting parking and transportation plans, finalizing the course layout, and the installation of electricity and plumbing lines. Additional plans include mapping tent locations, the type of flooring that will be used inside the tents, and the amount and types of generators needed to power the concession stands.
Parking and transportation remain two of the biggest issues that will need to be addressed. The tournament itself is estimated to attract 250,000-plus individuals, with an anticipated 18,000 vehicles that will need a place to park. USGA officials are working with Suffolk County to allow attendees to park at Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach and then have a shuttle bus going to the course. Parking at the Stony Brook-Southampton campus, located directly south of Shinnecock Hills, is also being considered.
The tournament is expected to be very beneficial to the local economy, especially to those businesses catering to the tens of thousands of visitors anticipated to arrive for the event. Mr. Howe estimated that the tournament will generate $120 million to $130 million for businesses in the Long Island region.
Next year’s tournament will mark the fifth time the U.S. Open has been held at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club. It also marks the 19th time that the U.S. Open will have been played in New York State, and the 10th time on Long Island itself. The USGA has already announced that the tournament will return to Shinnecock Hills for the sixth time in 2026.
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