RBC Heritage had $96 million impact in 2014, study says

The 2014 RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing may have had some weather troubles, but the rain in April didn't douse the tournament's economic impact.

Hilton Head Island's annual PGA Tour event added about $96.142 million to the local economy, according to a survey and study completed by Clemson University's International Institute for Tourism Research and Development. The Heritage Classic Foundation announced the results at a press conference Tuesday at Plantation Golf Club in Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island.

The economic impact of the 2010 and 2014 studies were adjusted to 2005 values for comparison of the previous tournaments. The impact had dropped from $79 million in 2005 to $74 million in 2010, likely as a result of the Great Recession, Clemson University professor Bob Brookover said. In 2014, it rose to $82 million in adjusted 2005 dollars, he said. Each of the studies used similar methodology, measuring direct spending, job creation, revenues for state and local governments, and a total output.

The Heritage's impact is one of the highest on the PGA Tour, helped by Sea Pines and Hilton Head Island's pedigree as a destination resort, foundation chairman Simon Fraser said.

Impacts from other tournaments range from about $20 million at some the smallest events, to $115 million for the Players Championship, which also benefits from its resort setting in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Brookover said.

GATHERING THE DATA

The study used data gathered from surveys completed daily by tournament attendees. About 30 students from Clemson University and the University of South Carolina Beaufort's hospitality management program polled more than 1,600 spectators, Brookover said.

The students asked every 10th person that passed by certain points along the course to complete the survey. About 61 percent of those asked agreed to participate, and 1,474 surveys were used in the final study. In addition, spending data were collected from players, caddies, the Heritage Classic Foundation, sponsors and local businesses, Brookover said.

In examining the impact from visitors, the study used only information provided by those attending from outside Beaufort County. More than 42 percent of respondents were from Beaufort County, Brookover said.

The study also didn't take into account increased spending outside Sea Pines' gates on the weather-delayed days of the tournament. Survey respondents were only asked what they had spent on the day they took the survey. After seeing firsthand the number of people packing restaurants and movie theaters on Hilton Head, Brookover said the true economic impact likely surpassed $100 million.

The study also gave an estimate of how many people attended the weeklong tournament, by asking survey respondents how many people had used their tickets.

More than 80,000 people attended the tournament in 2014, according to the study's estimate. Attendance estimates for previous studies weren't included in Tuesday's presentation.

PLANNING AHEAD

The report released Tuesday was the fifth such study done over the tournament's history.

As the economic impact of the tournament continues to grow following the Great Recession, the demographic data collected allow the tournament to plan marketing to bring in new spectators and keep them coming back, tournament director Steve Wilmot said.

For instance, after the 2010 study showed the average age of spectators was above 55, marketing strategies like "Get Your Plaid On" and "Plaid Nation" were created to cater to a younger crowd, marketing director Angela McSwain said.

Daily ticket sales were also created to attract those limited by financial or time constraints, Fraser said.

Those strategies appeared to have had an effect on the 2014 tournament.

The average age in the 2014 study was 48 years old, lower than the average ages in both 2005 and 2010, which were 50 and 55, respectively, Brookover said.

Follow reporter Matt McNab at twitter.com/IPBG_Matt.

Related content:

• Kuchar's blast from bunker secures Heritage victory, April 20, 2014

This story was originally published September 16, 2014 at 3:35 PM with the headline "RBC Heritage had $96 million impact in 2014, study says."