BLAINE, Minn. — The 3M Open tees off July 22 at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine, and crews have been busy getting the tournament tents ready for spectators.
“We start the build the first week in May, so it’s a good 11 to 12 weeks. It takes an army of dedicated folks,” said Mike Welch, the 3M Open Tournament Director.
In the past few years, the tournament has been held during a drought, but with all the rain in June, the course is in great condition.
The tournament tents are for VIP seating, but there will also be more than six miles of free seats for spectators to get a front-row view of the pros playing at TPC Twin Cities. However, this tournament isn’t just for golf enthusiasts.
“If you want something to do on the weekend with the family, there’s going to be some new activations out of 3M’s Lab, which is the conversion of science and fun,” said Welch.
The biggest addition to this year’s tournament is a concert on Saturday night.’
“Forty-five minutes after Round 3 is over, we’re going to have Chris Lane, a country music artist, up on Bell Bank’s hill, perform about a 75-minute show for the first 2,500 people who buy tickets,” said Welch.
The key component to this tournament is giving back. When you buy a ticket to the tournament or concert, you’re donating to 20 Minnesota charities.
One of those beneficiaries is First Tee.
“Well it’s a huge deal because First Tee is a nonprofit and those funds go directly to helping us get more kids into our life skills and golf programs,” said Jim Triggs, the CEO of First Tee.
Triggs says they already know how they plan to use the donations from this upcoming tournament.
“This year we actually acquired a van and the van allows us to get more kids to golf courses. That’s one of the barriers to golf. How do you get kids to the golf course,” said Triggs.
Tickets start at $25, and there are some discounts available. All kids 15 and under get in for free. To learn more, click here.