Golf legends come to Sugarloaf and Greater Gwinnett Championship

Greater Gwinnett Championships Facts

Dates: April 18-20

Course: TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth

Parking: Free at Gwinnett Center/Arena, 6400 Sugarloaf Parkway, Duluth. Free shuttles begin running as early as 6 a.m. some days and stop at the clubhouse

Tickets: Ticket packages vary, but day passes start at $20 and weekly badges are $55

Info: Cameras are not allowed during tournament play and cell phones must be placed on silent. Food or beverages may not be brought in from the outside. Concessions are sold throughout the grounds and behind the 18th hole

Kid's Day: April 19 at 1 p.m.

The best golfers in the world over the age of 50 make a stop in Gwinnett County next weekend for the Greater Gwinnett Championship.

Don’t call these guys old.

The Greater Gwinnett, one of 26 stops on the Champions Tour, is 54-hole stroke-play tournament that has drawn a field of 81 players. At stake is a $1.8 million purse, up for grabs at the demanding TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth on April 18-20. In the days leading up to the tournament, there are celebrity and pro-amateur tournaments that help generate money for charities.

Past major championship winners and hall of fame members such as Curtis Strange, Hale Irwin, Ben Crenshaw and Larry Mize have committed to the event. The week provides a chance to get up close and personal with golf legends in a relaxed environment since many of those competing will be one week removed playing the Masters.

Tickets for the Gwinnett Championship cost $20 for a one-day pass and $55 for a weekly badge. Kids under 16 are admitted free with a ticketed adult.

If you attended the tournament last year, the weekend weather was beautiful and fans were treated to world class golf with former Masters champion Bernhard Langer holding off Tom Lehman and and Tom Pernice Jr. for the trophy.

Here’s what you can look forward to this year:

The course

Duluth’s TPC Sugarloaf, a 7,259-yard layout designed by Greg Norman, has hosted tournaments of all levels, but now it is one of the toughest tests on the Champions Tour.

Mike Goodes, a seven-year Champions Tour pro member from Reidsville, N.C., says he looks forward to playing there.

“The course is a great test,” said Goodes, who won the 2009 Allianz Championship. “(It’s) one of the harder courses we play. It is probably in the top five of our regular tournaments.”

Fans can watch the pros hit the difficult tee shot on the first hole or bring a blanket and sit on the hill to watch the approach shots coming in over water at the 18th green.

There is no public parking on the grounds at Sugarloaf. Fans can park next door at the Gwinnett Center and take free shuttles to the course.

Economic impact

To suggest Gwinnett-area hotels, restaurants and retailers like this event is an understatement.

“An independent economic impact study of the 2103 Greater Gwinnett Championship, in only its first year, cited an increase of anywhere from $8 million to $10 million dollars of economic injection to the local economy,” said Stan L. Hall, executive director of the Gwinnett Sports Commission and Gwinnett Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Kid’s day

The Greater Gwinnett Championship puts a priority on families, especially during Easter weekend. So Kid’s Day will take center stage on April 19, with golf games, a junior golf exhibition and visits from local mascots like Chopper from the Gwinnett Braves and Maximus from the Gwinnett Gladiators.

Military discounts

All active duty military, National Guard, reserve and retirees, and their dependents with a valid Department of Defense-issued ID can receive complimentary tickets. Present the pertinent ID at the gate along with a military ticket voucher downloaded from the military verification website (link on GreaterGwinnettChampionship.com) to receive passes. Up to two additional $10 tickets can be bought by veterans for friends.

The players

A first-class field is expected with defending champion Langer leading the way. Also in the fray will be veterans Tom Kite, Peter Jacobsen, Mark O’Meara and Marietta’s own Larry Nelson. New names continue to pop up on the Champions Tour as players turn 50. Newcomers in Gwinnett this month include Atlanta’s Bill Andrade, Joe Durant and popular European Tour player Miguel Angel Jimenez, who is making his Champions Tour debut.

Goodes said fans usually can learn more about how to play the game from watching the 50- and 60-somethings than the young guys on the regular tour.

“On the Champions Tour, the game is played a lot of different ways,” Goodes said. “Different swings, different putting techniques, it looks a little different on the regular tour. I think it shows people that you can go about the game a lot of different ways and still be successful.”

After just a day of watching these golf legends, fans see the competitive fires still burn. There is no “old” out there.