The former Bob Hope golf tournament, which I believe is now called the Bob the Builder Championship, is attempting to become cooler and edgier this year – which really should not be all that hard for a stuffy, old, tired tournament – by including things like a food trucks, a beer garden that gives discounts when a player birdies, a whole lot of Phil Mickelson, and a concert from a band that performed at Coachella. Unfortunately, there will also be boring golf to watch.
The Desert Sun was the first to report on the plans for the tournament (a perk when your parent company sponsors the tournament (Update: the tournament is not owned by Gannett, rather Tegna – which is a new company Gannett created to move its more profitable sectors to a place where the non-as-profitable newspapers would not also be on the spreadsheets. Thank you to Larry for setting me straight on this.) which the event believes will bring in hard-core golf fans and non-golf fans by including more food options, craft beer and wine, and a concert:
The centerpiece of the changes will be a Saturday concert at PGA West at about 5 p.m., half an hour or so after the end of play. Raffaele said the tournament is a few small details away from announcing the featured group, described as a well-known American indie pop group which had played at the Coachella music festival. Raffaele said the cost of the day, a $30 single-day advance ticket for Saturday, will be considered a bargain for the band alone.
Guessing the concert won’t be Guns N Roses , Sia, or Ice Cube (though how amazing would that be?). Perhaps it is Silversun Pickups? Guess we will see.
The tournament is also planning a “Birdies for Beer” area on the 16th – where if a pro gets a birdie on the hole, everyone gets a discount of some kind on beer for 10 minutes, because 11 would be too many, clearly.
Passes are on sale now – with day passes, including on Saturday (concert day) running $30.
Image: Tour Pro Golf Clubs
