The City At Southern Hills

Friday, August 10th 2007, 8:53 pm

By: News On 6

Southern Hills started planning for the 2007 PGA Championship years ago, and they started doing preparing the grounds several months ago. News On 6 anchor Omar Villafranca reports now the country club is its own city and the center of the golf world.

PGA Championship City established Monday, August 6, 2007. Population, several thousand and the number of residents is growing.

"We've gone to the Wisconsin State Fair and it's about like that, that's a miniature city too," said PGA City resident Donna Hartley.

The small city at Southern Hills has everything! A big shopping mall, all types of traffic, even a little grocery store, and just like all cities there is a boss running things.

"When you organize it it's organized like a business," Tournament Chairman Al Bush said. "It costs to do this, we have a plan, we have budgets, we have marketers and managers. It's also a party in a way, it really is, it's a community, the town is celebrating.â€

The city also has rules. No cell phones are allowed, but there are telephones scattered throughout the golf course, and the calls are free. But before the PGA stars finish playing the town will start to disappear.

"Start taking out pins, pulling marshals off the holes, getting the leader board stuff out of there," said Ryan Jordan, Tournament Director.

In a few days the thriving seven day city will turn into a ghost town.

"And all of that just packs up and gets loaded on a truck, and goes on to another golf tournament or another special event somewhere else," Jordan said.

The crews that worked so hard to build all the temporary buildings at the golf course will work just as hard to break them down. Officials say they hope to have everything removed from Southern Hills by next month.

Watch the video: City Pops Up Overnight At Southern Hills