BOLTON, Mass. — With thousands of people expected to visit Bolton and The International Golf complex Labor Day Weekend for the Saudi-based LIV Golf tournament, the Bolton Select Board gave its approval at the board’s June 16 meeting.
Acting under a bylaw that would allow the event unless the board found it was detrimental to the town, LIV Golf won the board’s OK, contingent on any other approvals it needed.
Par 5 Group, which is running the event, and a representative of the International detailed efforts being made to keep operations from disrupting residents.
From security and meeting requirements for water, wastewater and other regulations, to ensuring traffic was controlled, project managers detailed the plans.
Kelly Durfee Cardoza, a regulatory consultant for The International, and Mike Goggin, of Par 5 Group and tournament director, went through all the pieces.
Parking would include limited sites around the golf club as well as parking and shuttles from the Lancaster Fairgrounds.
Security would include scanning, and tickets would be chipped to control access.
Residents in the neighborhood will have special passes to ensure they can pass through to their homes since the roads would be closed to regular traffic.
The special event district was created in 1997 when a new golf course was built, Cardoza said. That governed the hearing and approval process.
The event is part of an eight-event international series, Cardoza said. It kicked off in London recently.
Held over three days during the Labr Day weekend, the Bolton LIV tournament will be preceded by a pro-am event on September 1 before the LIV tournament starts on September 2.
There will be substantial preparation for the 48 golfers who will play with a shotgun start, with all starting play at the same time, limiting the length of tournament play.
Evening events will include a music stage and activities that Cardoza said should mean not all the people and traffic leave at once.
There will be a daily attendance cap of 6,500 people, including staff, volunteers, vendors, spectators, players, and public safety personnel.
There will also be an “area for those who wish to exercise their first amendment rights during the event,” Cardoza said. The location and details of those areas will be coordinated with state and local police.
The event has garnered criticism since it is sponsored by Saudi Arabia and human rights protestors could be expected. In addition, participants in LIV events are being banned from the PGA Tour.
Locally, Cardoza said an estimated $30 million in spending is expected.
In addition, $1 million in charitable donations are planned. Donations are planned for groups or organizations that help with onsite support, such as parking. Other groups can also reach out by emailing [email protected].
Cardoza added that “until the permits have been granted, none of this gets moved along. Once we get to that point, we will work on these pieces.”
Numerous police details are planned, using local and state police to supplement private security.
No parking will be allowed on roads and all entrances will be secure.
The event could continue through September 5, if needed, due to delays for weather events.
After hearing from residents during the hearing, the board proceeded with the contingent approval.
“We’re here to deal with the approval for the event and not the minutiae surrounding the event,” Chairman Stan Wysocki said. “It appears the International and Escalante (the parent company of The International) is following the laws and has met with all the boards and committees. I see no reason we cannot approve the application to have the event they’re asking for on Labor Day weekend.”
He said the board would reserve the right to revisit the event if there were problems at other planned LIV events, including one planned for Oregon (running through July 2).
“If anything goes sideways with that event, then we will be asking Escalante and The International to come back to our July 14 meeting to discuss any potential issues that have arisen,” Wysocki said. “Barring any issues with that, I see no reason not to approve.”
Before asking for public input, Wysocki said, “the elephant in the room here is who the sponsor of this tournament is.” He said the sponsor was not part of the discussion.
“I think there is a lot of concern amongst some residents in terms of what’s been done and the fact that The International and Escalante has decided to participate in this event. What you’ve done as far as the event itself, I see no reason why we can’t approve.”
He noted there were over 50 people in the remote meeting, which is “unprecedented for a Select Board meeting.”