HAMILTON, Bermuda – Senior PGA of America officials have endorsed the nearly completed Port Royal Golf Course renovation project after visiting the site last week. The 2009 PGA Grand Slam of Golf will be played at Port Royal October 19th to October 21st.
“We had an opportunity to review the course construction during the week of February 16th,” said Senior Director of Championships at the PGA of America David Charles. “We are pleased with the progress of the golf course and Steve Johnson’s (director of agronomy) plan to have everything ready for October.
“Port Royal is shaping up to be a very special property. We are excited about hosting the 2009 PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda at Port Royal Golf Course.”
Premier Dr. Ewart Brown, who is Minister of Tourism and Transport, said: “It is good to hear the PGA of America’s endorsement because its knowledge base of the world’s finest golf courses is unmatched. Soon golfers everywhere will appreciate what many of us in Bermuda have long believed about Port Royal – the course is truly a gem.”
The makeover at Port Royal costs about $14 million and includes lengthening the course 281 yards, adding Tif Eagle greens, repaved cart paths, a new reverse osmosis plant and a host of other improvements.
The Bermuda Department of Tourism and the PGA of America announced last October that the 2009 PGA Grand Slam of Golf will be played at Port Royal while the renovation project was still in its early stages. Tremendous progress has been made over the past four months.
“I think we are already beginning to see the benefits of our investment in public golf,” Premier Brown said. “Now I can get to work with Roddy Carr, our golf tourism consultant, to implement a strategy that ensures the capital investment at Port Royal pays off for our Tourism product in a measurable way.”
