Thunder Bay – First Class – World Class

THUNDER BAY – The PGA TOUR Canada Staal Foundation Open in 2014 was a demonstration of how Thunder Bay can put on a first class – world class event. Twelve thousand spectators attended the event during its first year.

“The Roar Starts Here” was the call as the PGA TOUR Canada event got rolling in 2014. Competitors on the PGA Tour Canada event were impressed by the Whitewater Golf Club, the galleries, and the complete scope of the event. Many players commented that the Thunder Bay stop on the PGA TOUR Canada was like being in a web.com or PGA Event.

Thunder Bay benefited greatly from the tournament. First it put Thunder Bay in the national media in a very positive way. Second it demonstrated that Thunder Bay can do anything when our community puts it minds and adds hard work to the effort.

Planning for 2015 Staal Foundation Open

When the Staal Foundation Open organizers promise they are going to take it up a notch this year, that means this year’s event will be extra special.

The planning has begun for new activities at this year’s event, including interactive golf, Power Golf and Trick Shot Exhibition, an Executive Women’s Day and a Million Dollar Shootout, involving competitors from Thunder Bay and the entire Northwestern Ontario region.

In addition, there will be an expansion of corporate suites on the 18th green this year, allowing local companies to treat their staff or entertain their clients for a day at the event. There are currently a number of new sponsorship opportunities available as well.

If your business is looking for a great opportunity, you can contact Mike Tallari and find out more on sponsorship opportunities.

The event was a success because of the dedication and hard work of many volunteers. There were six hundred volunteers who made sure that spectators, competitors, and media were all in the position to fully enjoy the event.

In terms of success, the Staal Foundation Open, presented by Tbaytel allowed Thunder Bay to be put on the golf map across Canada, and North America. There were 45,000 visitors the the staalopen.ca website.

The Twitter Reach was 2.1 million. Event organizers estimate the total media value for the tournament was $4.7 million.

The event also raised $133,000 for charity – amazing for a week-long event.

The Staal Foundation Open, presented by Tbaytel, returns to Whitewater Golf Club, July 13-19.

If you missed last year’s event, don’t miss this year’s event.