For golf's U.S. Open Championship, which ended Sunday at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, an activation from U.S.G.A. partner American Express included interactive activities that bridged the gap between playing and watching the game.
The “American Express Championship Experience” brought golf to life with personalized fitness assessments from Sean Cochran, trainer to athletes including tournament runner-up Phil Mickelson, as well as motion-sensor and video-capture swing analyses with P.G.A. pros. A tribute display to the “Men of Merion” chronicled the history of the U.S. Open Championship’s four prior appearances at the site, and an information desk provided materials that explained the golf handicap process. Guests could also snag complimentary CourseCast Radio earpieces, which were pre-tuned to the ESPN Radio broadcast of the championship. Platinum card members could purchase tickets to the exclusive American Express hospitality chalet, which included refreshments and sweeping views of four of the course’s holes.
“Our goal is to make an already-great experience like the U.S. Open just a little bit better,” said David Eisenberg, senior manager of sports and entertainment marketing at American Express.
For fans who didn’t score tickets to the tournament, American Express extended the golf excitement in two ways. First, an interactive display at Independence Mall in Center City, Philadelphia, let fans attempt to recreate five famous U.S. Open Championship at Merion moments from throughout history, including iconic shots from golf greats Lee Trevino and Ben Hogan. The company also sponsored the official live stream of the U.S. Open Championship on USOpen.com, which included commentary from experts. Fans could join the conversation by tweeting their own questions using the hashtag #AmexGolf.
American Express partnered with Momentum Worldwide to create the on-site activation experience. Other partners included Digitas, PMK BNC and Wasserman Media Group.
