Signs Showing: Preparations for U.S. Open In High Gear

BY MATTHEW MORIARTY: Staff Writer, The Pilot

Beth Kocher can’t wait for the 2005 U.S. Open, because maybe then she can relax.

During the actual week of the Open, Kocher, executive vice president of Pinehurst Resort and chairwoman of the 2005 U.S. Open Executive Committee, is sure she’ll have to “put out some small fires,” but otherwise it should be quieter than the storm leading up to the lightning.

Signs of the bustling activity taking place in Pinehurst are popping up everywhere as preparations continue for the Open.

Pinehurst wants everything to be perfect.

People driving along Midland Road in Pinehurst can see the most notable sign — a fence that will surround Pinehurst No. 2, where the Open is to be played.

Parts have been left open to allow access to interior areas of the golf course and to make things easier for residents. The fence will be finished in about three weeks, Kocher said.

Construction is well under way on the corporate village where the famed Maniac Hill driving range used to be. About half the 67 corporate tents have been built.

These aren’t the Boy Scouts of America tents. These 2,400-square-feet tents are air-conditioned, fully furnished, carpeted and will have luxuriously decorated interiors and restrooms, complete with a front porch.

The food will be well catered, Kocher said. The food will be prepared at a central location and each tent has a preparatory area at its rear, where cooks can add the final touches and keep dishes warm.

“It’s more like inviting someone into your living room,” said Kocher.

All the drainage for the corporate village has been completed and the “stamping” is being completed, meaning that the brick pathways between the tents are being laid down. A courtyard between the tents is under construction.

The 28,800-square-foot Putterboy tent is up, as is the 40,000-square-foot merchandise tent.

Progress Energy has basically finished its preparatory work. Water lines have been laid all through the corporate village.

“As we construct all this,” Kocher said, “it takes up a lot of our time.”

Some of the vendors have arrived and are working on whatever they can.

“Everybody is beginning to set up,” Kocher said.

Pinehurst is getting ready to distribute uniforms to its fleet of volunteers. Tri-City, the owner of the old Kmart building in Southern Pines, is allowing Pinehurst to use the building to meet with the hundreds of volunteers.

Kocher said that it’s an ideal place, because it’s away from the road and from downtown Pinehurst while still having a huge parking lot.

Pinehurst employees can be seen zipping around on village streets in trucks provided by Toby Wells Pontiac, Buick, GMC. Scott Olsen, an employee at Toby Wells was on hand a few weeks ago to drop off the first of about 285 vehicles for use in conjunction with the Open.

“We’re providing pretty much every type of vehicle we sell,” Olsen said.

Wells said that providing that many cars to Pinehurst shouldn’t put a strain on his business.

“It’s all about planning, just like with these guys,” he said, pointing to members of Pinehurst’s championship staff and United States Golf Association (USGA) representatives. “It should go pretty well.”

Many of the vehicles will be courtesy cars, staged at Raleigh/Durham International Airport. About 40 cars are required by the USGA to be on the course during the championship, in case players have to evacuate for weather or some other reason.

Pinehurst employees are using the vehicles every day for tasks as simple as moving boxes to transporting heavy construction materials, said Lee Bowman, director of operations for Pinehurst Championship Management.

“We’ve got to bring in a lot of stuff,” he said. “Every kind of equipment you can think of.”

With the Open just two months away, there are a lot more visible signs as preparations continue. There’s more going on behind the scenes, too.

Kocher said that working with the Village of Pinehurst has been a joy. In 1999, much of the village was roped off to discourage people from driving in and parking on lawns. The same is likely to happen this time, and the village has been cooperative, she said.

The work being done for the Open often has to pass inspections. Village Manager Andy Wilkison and Planning Director Andrea Correll have been instrumental, as has Mayor Steve Smith, Kocher said.

“We have a really great relationship,” she said. “It’s just been terrific.”

The satellite parking lots are set and a plan is in place to deal with the traffic, she said. About 140 State Troopers will be on hand for traffic control and the resort will also draw upon the manpower of the Pinehurst Police Department.

The N.C. Department of Transportation has also been a great help, Kocher said.

“I can’t say enough about the DOT,” she said. “They are incredible. In 1999, people were able to get to the event in a shorter time than any tournament I’ve been to since the ’80s. They know what they are doing and they understand what we’re trying to achieve.”

With everything going on, Pinehurst employees sometimes don’t have time to enjoy the ride. But when the Open arrives, people will be proud to have contributed, Kocher said.

“Needless to say, I love it,” she said. “I’ve done this for 34 years. I thrive on it like I think all of us do. There’s an excitement. There’s such a pride that comes with it. I think anyone on our staff will tell you. The sense of pride is hard to measure.”