Officers promote new Ohio Skilled Golf Path as a part of state’s tourism restoration

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Tourism officials hope golf will play a key role in the recovery of Ohio tourism in 2021 as the state hosts six professional tournaments this summer.

Officials on Monday revealed the new Ohio Professional Golf Trail, which begins this month with the annual Memorial Tournament outside Columbus and ends in September in Toledo with the biennial Solheim Cup, where the best women golfers in the USA compete against a team from Europe.

“It’s the biggest event in professional golf for women,” said Becky Newell, Solheim Cup director, a longtime LPGA executive from northwest Ohio. “It’s going to be a huge, spectacular event.”

She suggested that non-golfers might also be interested in the Solheim Cup competition, which takes place every four years in the US and will run from August 31 to September 31. 6 at the private Inverness Club in Toledo. “It’s all about red, white and blue,” she said. “It’s about supporting your country. It’s about spirit and camaraderie. “

The creation of the TourismOhio golf trail is designed to draw attention to tournaments that include the Prasco Charity Championship near Cincinnati, the Bridgestone Senior Players Championship in Akron, the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship in Columbus, and the LPGA Classic Marathon outside of Toledo belong.

A stop at the Jack Nicklaus Museum in Columbus is included, along with recommendations on places to stay, restaurants, and other nearby attractions.

“We’re excited to present some of the best golf courses in the world,” said Lydia Mihalik, director of the Ohio Development Services Agency. “These tournaments will highlight the state’s great golf courses and showcase our communities as travel destinations that visitors will want to return to again and again.”

The new Gulf Trail is part of the state’s broader effort to rebuild the tourism economy after a devastating year in 2020.

Mihalik said TourismOhio is launching a $ 4 million campaign this week to introduce the state to avid travelers who have been locked at home for a year.

The state campaign carries a broader message than in previous years and is aimed not only at potential visitors but also at those who might be considering moving to Ohio.

An ad titled “Reach for the Top” shows not only the Cleveland Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Dayton Air Show, but also the Cleveland Clinic, Lakewood Public Library and GE Aviation’s Peebles Trials in Adams County. The ad ends with the line, “If you can dream it, you will find it here.”

Earlier this year, Governor Mike DeWine suggested spending $ 50 million in federal COVID relief funds through a campaign aimed at promoting the population decline in Ohio, especially among young, mobile workers. The Ohio House version of the budget, Passed last month, omitted the $ 50 million campaign, but Mihalik said the broader goal of promoting the state as a place to live, study, work and play would be pursued.

“If we have the opportunity to expand the campaign beyond what we proposed at the time, we will,” she said.

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