Jeffrey D. Wagner
NEWPORT – With the U.S. Senior Open underway next week, golf courses across Aquidneck Island say golf is in a healthy state.
A representative for the Country Club of Aquidneck Island said the excitement surrounding the event has been good for golf and business in general, while others said business is simply business as usual.
Gary Doshi, head pro at Green Valley Country Club, said there aren't many professional events for golf enthusiasts.
“It's good for the area. People are hungry to watch professional golf,” he said, adding that the influx of people will encourage golfers to check out other courses.
“It's pretty busy here anyway but people get to watch the best over-50s in the world so it's good for the island and good for everyone,” D'Orsi added.
Lindsay Forrestal, office manager at Montaup Country Club, also in Portsmouth, said several of the club's members plan to volunteer at the U.S. Senior Open.
Forrestal said he doesn't have solid data to back up the increase in business, but he does say there has been an upswing in golf interest on the island recently.
“It adds an electric feeling,” Forrestal says.
Matt Levasseur, assistant golf pro at Wanumetonomy Golf & Country Club in Middletown, said interest in the club is up, and while the club isn't seeing an increase in sales because it's a private club, some of the club members will also volunteer for events as marshals and the like.
Levasseur said his country club is so busy it may be difficult to find time to watch the event.
A representative for Newport National Golf Club in Middletown, who did not want to be named in the article, said he expects attendance to remain steady during the U.S. Senior Open, adding that attendance is always strong during the summer months.
Dan Shea, a pro shop employee at Green Valley Country Club in Portsmouth, said the U.S. Senior Open hasn't had a big impact on business or interest at the club.
more:Are you in Newport for the U.S. Senior Open? Here are some things to do while you're there.
But he added that interest and business have been steadily picking up since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.
The U.S. Senior Open was scheduled to be held in Newport in 2020 but was postponed due to COVID-19. A year later, it was confirmed that the tournament will return to Newport for the fifth time in history in 2024.
According to the Newport Country Club website, the club has been in existence since 1893 and was the site of one of the first senior PGA events in the 1970s.
