Sept. 16, 2019

There was a moment in last year’s Sanford International when a golfer turned to tournament director Greg Conrad with a memorable five-word endorsement:

“This feels like a major,” said Conrad, recounting the praise from the person, whom he described as a legend in the sport.

“The other thing that was really cool was the reaction from the Golf Channel. They do this every week, so for them and for the players to come up to me and say they’ve never seen a first-year event of this quality … was great to hear.”

Despite rain that hit the course and canceled much of the Pro-Am event, followed by colder-than-average temperatures, the crowd swelled to an estimated 75,000 over three days, Conrad said.

“We had great crowds and everybody noticed – the tour noticed, the players noticed, the Golf Channel noticed,” he said. “It had a great impact on the perception of the event and how it looks on TV, so it was a great representation of the power of people and the power of Sioux Falls.”

Sanford International organizers are hoping and planning for more this year, as tournament play runs Friday through Sunday and related events begin today. Virtually every player who participated last year is back, including John Daly, along with big new names such as Bernhard Langer.

“Those who didn’t come heard through the grapevine of players this is the place to be,” Conrad said. “We feel great about the field we have.”

Those participating in Saturday’s EMC Legends series include Hale Irwin, Andy North, Jack Nicklaus and Dave Stockton.

To support what’s anticipated to be a big crowd of spectators, concessions and restrooms both have increased 30 percent, Conrad said.

“We also learned we need to do a better job on concessions, and we have changed vendors in a couple areas to make sure we live up to our promise to create a great spectator experience. To wait in line as long as people did for a hot dog or beverage was not acceptable,” he said.

“That’s been our focus in the off-season – to make sure everybody has a better experience.”

The new concessions vendor has experience at major sporting events such as the Super Bowl, U.S. Open and PGA Championships “and they’re very nimble,” Conrad said.

There also are contingency plans for weather-related issues.

“If there’s lightning in the area, we’re not going to risk our players or our patrons, but the good news is we have rain insurance, which is something we didn’t do last year.”

An opening event to welcome players and sponsors Tuesday night at Sanford’s corporate campus in northeast Sioux Falls also has a weather backup plan: the new Sanford Event Barn, which will be open for visitors to tour even if the conditions are nice out.

Sanford Event Barn to host first events

Sponsor support is up 20 percent to 30 percent, Conrad added, with more than 95 percent renewing.

One of those was The First National Bank in Sioux Falls, which committed to a chalet last year for entertaining clients and employees.

“The event last year was terrific, despite some of the weather challenges,” said Derek Ohme, vice president in the business banking group.

“It’s not just about golf. It’s about the conversations we can have. Spending three days in a family-friendly environment is a really great way for us to have intimate conversations with our customers aside from our banking relationship.”

The bank has stepped up its event design even more to create a personalized experience for its customers “because of the buzz that we believe it will continue to create,” Ohme said. The one challenge: determining who to invite. Despite having 150 tickets to offer, it’s difficult to select who to invite, he said.

“Another reason we renewed was the demand from our customers. People wanted to be out there for this event,” he said. “We’ve selected people (this year) who haven’t necessarily been out there before and really encourage them to bring a guest that could do business with us in the future.”

There were two more chalets added on hole No. 18 and two on holes 16 and 17. The Club Cambria VIP viewing area increased its capacity by 30 percent.

After being reserved for a few sponsors last year, the clubhouse at Minnehaha Country Club also will be open to general spectators who purchase passes and country club members this year.

“We didn’t have any space in the clubhouse, and Sanford Health said they would give up space they had as part of their sponsorship package, so that was really nice and just shows this community,” Conrad said.

Other new additions include the First Dakota National Bank party deck and college corner, located on No. 16 and open to the public with expanded concessions and live football and golf on a video board; the Scheels Autography & Media Patio, offering player autographs and live interviews; and the International Park, with outdoor games and activities, expanded concessions and live football and golf on a video board.

An expanded Sanford Children’s Play Zone will offer golf, games and activities, a Stensland Ice Cream Parlor and mascot visits. There will be fan giveaways Friday through Sunday.

A new app can be downloaded on Google Play and the App Store and will offer real-time scoring and  an interactive map that shows spectators their location on the courses. It also will show the nearest concessions, grandstands and restrooms, and feature links to buy tickets, an event schedule, tee times and parking information.

“We modeled it after apps from major championships,” Conrad said.

“There also will be a lot more information on scoring on the golf course that will be very visible, particularly on No. 17 and 18. You will see information constantly.”

The Sanford International benefits the Sanford Health Foundation and its related charitable endeavors. Last year, it raised more than $200,000 in cash and almost $150,000 in in-kind contributions, Conrad said.

“At the end of the day, our goal is to directly impact the Sanford Foundation and related charities.”

To learn more about the event, click here.