The Allianz Championship’s focus is on golf,
but it has added the Grapes on the Green Golf and Wine
Event at The Old Course at Broken Sound to attract a range
of spectators. Photo provided
By Deborah S. Hartz-Seeley
The weeklong 2012 Allianz Championship will attract 75,000 golfers and fans to The Old Course at Broken Sound Club.
Beginning Feb. 6, amateur golfers will compete for a variety of trophies and the pros will vie for a $1.8 million purse.
But it’s not just golf fans who will want to attend this Boca Raton golf tournament that benefits the Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
“We want to bring a new type spectator to the event … someone who might not come just to see golf,” says tournament director Ryan Dillon.
To do this, the organizers have created the Grapes on the Green Golf and Wine Event to be held Feb. 11.
Sponsored by the Boca Raton Bridge Hotel, the afternoon fest will allow tournament attendees not only to mingle with the pros but also to enjoy local restaurant fare.
Samples of food will be offered from 10 to 12 restaurants such as Morton’s The Steakhouse, Carmen’s at the Top of the Bridge and WaterColors, all in Boca Raton, as well as Dennis Max’s three new restaurants including Max’s Harvest in Delray Beach.
“This is a little bit different tasting event being held on a golf course. It’s not in a restaurant or a hotel ballroom,” Dillon says.
To create the perfect space, the organizers rerouted the golf course, making the 16th hole into the 18th hole for the competition.
“We wanted to hold the Grapes event near a hole that would provide a good view and plenty of space for hospitality,” Dillon says.
The 500 people expected to attend this culinary event will have an up-close view of the championship players chipping onto the green and putting into the final hole of the day. The hole lies not 30 feet away.
Besides good golf and fine food, there will be wines. “But these won’t be just any wines,” Dillon says.
They will include selections labeled for such golfing legends as Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Annika Sorenstam, Fred Couples and David Frost. Other domestic and international wines will be poured from bottles that retail for $30 or more. About 10 reds and whites will be served.
As tournament play continues throughout the afternoon, the pro players will join the wine and food celebration after their rounds.
Look for the likes of Tom Lehman, Nick Price, Hale Irwin, Curtis Strange and Bernhard Langer to be sipping and sampling as they sign autographs.
But don’t worry if you can’t make it to the tournament. The Golf Channel is offering live coverage.
“That means we can’t have mistakes because we are going to be on TV,” Dillon says.
If you go
2012 Allianz Championship
Held Feb. 6-12, this is a PGA Champions Tour event at the Old Course at Broken Sound Club, 1401 NW 51st St., Boca Raton. Proceeds benefit Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
General admission is free; the Grapes on the Green Golf and Wine Experience, held 3-6 p.m. Feb. 11, costs $85 per person.
Call 241-GOLF (4653; fax 241-4658, or visit www.allianzchampionship.com.
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