“We've gone through Martha Burk, 9/11 and now the economy,” Boulus said Monday. “I believe sometime next year Augusta will be back to normal.”
MASTERS NOTES: Kim on the comeback trail
But this year, corporate entertaining is estimated to be down from 25% to 50%, depending on the industry being entertained and the type of entertainment being sold.
The Double Eagle Club sits across Washington Road from Augusta National, where The Masters begins Thursday. It provides meals for people being entertained at the tournament, as well as tee times for those who want to play golf on area courses before each day's round.
Those tee times can range from $1,500 to $2,000 for a foursome. Last year Boulus booked about 50 people. This year she has about 20.
“People come here to watch golf, and I guess they get the fever to play golf,” said Danny Williams, who describes himself as an event planner.
Williams runs a carpet company in Augusta, but he also provides housing for golf fans and he sells tee times to corporations that want to entertain with a round of golf before an afternoon of watching the year's first major tournament.
He estimates that business is off 50% this year. He's also down in rental property and added, “The carpet business is as bad as it has ever been.
“I don't think it's as bad here in Augusta as it is in other places,” he said. “This is a sleepy little town, but we have the military, and we have other businesses.”
Masters week — ticket badges for the tournament are sold out — is a bonus for all businesses in the area.
The week is a holiday, as locals leave their jobs to drive vans to transport spectators, cater food for company parties or take a vacation while renting out their homes to people attending the tournament.
The week adds about $100 million to the local economy. Much of that comes from big corporations that rent multiple homes, shuttle customers in and out of town on corporate jets, and use the tournament to generate business.
Diane Starr, president of Corporate Quarters, rents homes to corporations and to players in the tournament. Last year she rented 400 homes. This year it's 300. Prices vary, but some of the bigger homes rent for $50,000 for the week.
“The Masters is the last thing most corporations cancel,” Starr said. “But this is an economy like we've never seen. I've had people call and ask if I could rent their home at the last minute. They've been renting to the same people for 10 or 15 years, but they aren't coming back.”
Boulus said things aren't as bad as they appear. She believes there are companies still entertaining, but they're not doing it openly. That's been the case among financial institutions that have taken federal bailout money.
Starr said the downturn is real, but it comes after years of growth.
“You know what they say? Pigs get fat and hogs get slaughtered,” she said. “You can get a little too greedy.”
AUGUSTA, Ga. — After he pulled out of the Arnold Palmer Invitational two weeks ago because of an illness, U.S. Ryder Cup star Anthony Kim pulled a hamstring swinging his driver last week at the Shell Houston Open, where he tied for 26th.
It's been that kind of year for Kim since he tied for second in the season-opening Mercedes Benz Championship.
Actually, it's been that way for Kim dating to November, when he hurt his neck horseback riding and his ankle falling down a flight of stairs. But as he readies himself for his first Masters — he played five holes Monday and is scheduled to play 18 today with either Mark O'Meara or Phil Mickelson— Kim announced himself nearly fit.
“I actually am almost 100%,” said Kim, who fell out of the top 10 recently and is ranked No. 14 in the world. “(My hamstring) has been fine. I've been getting treatment on it every day the last seven, eight days. Getting better. I expect to be 100%.
“I've waited a long time to get a tee time here, and to finally be able to walk on the grounds was pretty special. So, I'm very excited.”
Innovate
Tournament officials now use GPS coordinates to register each stake used to hold up the ropes, so they can be placed in the same spot each year or moved if officials decide they need more room. The measurements were taken Sunday during a practice round.
Newcomer
Quiros, whose reputation as a big hitter is growing quickly, is the son of a gardener from the Costa Del Sol region in southern Spain, just down the road from Valderrama.
They didn't have enough money to pay for the satellite feed required to watch The Masters, so his only visual came from a DVD on Seve Ballesteros. Those highlights featured only the 15th, 16th and 18th holes.
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