You get well looked after at golf events these days. Just have a read, for instance, at this list of facilities, fixtures, fittings, perks, provisions and privileges on offer at this season’s AIG Women’s Open.
There was a concierge for lifestyle and travel requirements, a restaurant, a beautician, a purpose-built gym with complimentary training kit, a relaxation area with calming sounds and scents, a mobile cold plunge unit and a courtesy car service for the entire week of the championship.
All of this, of course was, just for the golf writers. After a hard day clattering away at the keys of the laptop, we do enjoy a revitalizing facial and manicure while braving an ice bath.
The players, on the other hand, are even more pampered. The aforementioned were part of a significant upgrade in competitor comforts for the final major of the women’s campaign at the Old Course in August which ended up winning the LPGA Tour’s Gold Driver award for the best player experience during 2024.
“We scored 9.8 on the player survey,” said Zoe Ridgway, the championship director of the AIG Women’s Open.
Presumably, it would’ve scored a perfect 10 out of 10 but someone must have spotted this correspondent leaping out of that bloomin’ cold plunge thingamabob like Archimedes shrieking ‘Eureka.’ It wasn’t ‘Eureka’ that was being gasped either.
More: Who could be the LPGA’s next commissioner? Here are six speculative names (and a wildcard)
Anyway, the upping of the ante on player resources is all part of the general evolution of the championship into one of the biggest in the women’s game.
It’s a queer old difference from its inaugural staging back in 1976 when a couple of professionals put in their own money to allow them to play in what was an extension of the Ladies British Open Amateur Strokeplay Championship.
These days, the AIG Women’s Open boasts a whopping purse of $9 million with the winner waltzing off with a cheque for £1.35 million. As for all those off-course furnishings?
Day Two of the AIG Women’s Open at St. Andrew’s Old Course on August 23, 2024, in St. Andrews, Scotland. (Photo by Morgan Harlow/R&A/R&A via Getty Images)
“We have tried to go that extra mile with the Women’s Open regarding player facilities,” added Ridgway. “Most of the feedback on that is what sets us apart.”
From nutritional and dietary requirements, to darkened rooms where players can unwind or indeed weep, just about everything is catered for…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…