December 30, 2007–So, if you had to choose which course to play just by name alone, which one would you play? Las Vegas golf course TPC at The Canyons or TPC Las Vegas? Those of you with your ear to the ground of Las Vegas golf, or your Titleist to the green, whichever analogy you prefer, know that this is a trick question. For our money, there is no doubt about it: Las Vegas golf course TPC Las Vegas would be where we would play on name alone.
The trick answer: TPC at The Canyons and TPC Las Vegas are one Las Vegas golf course in the same, but forever different in our eyes. TPC Las Vegas is the new name of the TPC at The Canyons, a PGA Tour-owned golf course located in Summerlin that has hosted the Champions PGA Tour and the PGA Tour since it opened in 1996. It is one of Las Vegas’ best golf courses, and the fact that it has been played by the top players in the world only adds to its prestige.
Portions of this article originally were published by IN BUSINESS LAS VEGAS, Southern Nevada's leading business newspaper.
That new TPC Las Vegas name represents boldness, history and power while the TPC at The Canyons, while descriptive, represents daunting challenges and unfriendly environs. TPC Las Vegas also has several other new surprises in store for Las Vegas golf courses.
But as of this month, the course and its management decided it was time for a name change to more reflect this city and the prominence of this golf course. Hence, TPC Las Vegas was born, to forever live next to other national golf courses in the TPC (Tournament Players Club) network including TPC Tampa Bay, TPC Scottsdale, TPC Cancun, TPC San Antonio, TPC Myrtle Beach, and TPC Michigan. And, just maybe, like the Chinese Proverb at the top of the page suggests, the folks at the Las Vegas TPC course finally got the name right.
As anyone in business can relate to, the power of a name is huge, and can help—or hurt—marketing efforts. And according to TPC Las Vegas executives, this name change not only signals a new title, but the dawn of a new era for the course and its overall plans.
“The marketing power (specifically internet) gained by incorporating ‘Las Vegas’ into our name will no doubt make our facility a more easily and recognizable option for golfers looking to play in Las Vegas,” says Joe Massanova, TPC Las Vegas Director of Marketing. “The overall goal of this change is to provide an even greater PGA Tour
Experience for all of our guests and to associate the PGA Tour with the TPC Las Vegas. By incorporating Las Vegas into our name, our course instantly gains more exposure and will become a primary option for any golfer looking to play in Las Vegas. TPC golf courses across the country are owned and operated by the PGA Tour and our facility has either hosted or co-hosted a Champions Tour or PGA Tour event for the past decade. In terms of Las Vegas, we are branding ourselves as the ‘Home of Professional Golf’, and our facility will represent that title not only by our past history, but also by remodeling the interior of our clubhouse to produce a historical timeline of the PGA Tour in Las Vegas.”
The history of the PGA Tour in Las Vegas is long and illustrious, and the TPC Las Vegas is creating a museum-like experience for the new clubhouse, and local and visiting golfers will be able to view a timeline that dates back to the first Tournament of Champions played in 1953 at the Desert Inn Golf Club, but also photos and other artifacts that will detail the major pro golf happenings that have taken place in Las Vegas. Just a taste of what will be covered includes Tiger Woods’ first PGA Tour win (1996 Las Vegas Invitational), the first million-dollar purse in PGA Tour history (1983 Panasonic Pro-Celebrity Classic), and all of Jim Furyk’s three PGA Tour victories in Las Vegas.
“We are very excited about the re-positioning of the club, which will have a dramatic effect on our ability to market the property to a worldwide audience of leisure and business travelers, event planners and conventioneers,” says Dan Hammell, TPC Las Vegas general manager. “At the same time, our tribute to the history of golf in Las Vegas will help golfers to fully appreciate the considerable impact the city of Las Vegas had had on the game of golf.”