ROGERS -- Banners are up, curb ramps are down and Rogers city staff say they're ready for the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship presented by P&G this week, according to city officials.
Now in its 16th year, the Ladies Professional Golf Association tournament scheduled for Friday through Sunday will bring some of the world's best golfers to the Pinnacle Country Club.
Events in the Pinnacle Hills area of town, which began with Saturday's 5k at the LPGA race, are taking place throughout the week leading up to the tournament.
The Street Department has already prepared by setting up tournament banners along Pauline Whitaker Boulevard, sweeping streets and placing curb ramps throughout the nearby neighborhood, according to Peter Masonis, public relations manager for the city.
Outlyr, the firm organizing the event, has requested curb ramps for vehicle access to areas surrounding the golf course along West Champions Boulevard, West Pinnacle Drive and South Pope Road, Masonis said.
City engineering staff helps coordinate with contractors to ensure nearby projects are paused or finished before the tournament events begin, Masonis said.
Law enforcement officers will provide security for players and family members, help with clubhouse access and player parking, monitor the crowd and provide crosswalk assistance during the tournament, according to Keith Foster, Police Department public information officer.
"Officers have been assigned and volunteered to work the event to make sure all positions are covered," Foster said. "We have been doing this for quite awhile now, so we have a pretty good routine established."
The Fire Department will send firefighter paramedics and an ambulance to the event throughout the week in case of medical emergencies due to injuries or the heat, according to fire Chief Tom Jenkins.
The department meets months in advance to talk about alterations to covering the tournament each year, Jenkins said.
"This year doesn't seem like it'll be the warmest we've seen. Our hope is we don't have a lot of business," he said.
City staff members also erect a temporary street sign with the name of the previous year's winner and help staff a concession stand on site, according to Mayor Greg Hines.
TRANSPORTATION
Bicyclists will be able to travel from the Razorback Greenway to bike parking at Pinnacle Country Club for the three days of the tournament.
The tournament has partnered with the nonprofit NWA Trailblazers to create a bike route from Osage Creek Trail down West Walsh Lane, South Market Street, South Pinnacle Hills Parkway and South Champions Drive to the event site, according to Masonis.
Community members are encouraged to ride their bikes as a part of larger sustainability efforts by event organizers, said Annye DeGrand, tournament director.
For the first time, bicycle parking will be available on-site starting at 7 a.m. Friday through Sunday, and bicyclists will receive free admission to the tournament, according to DeGrand.
"We're on year two of a three-year plan to become a GEO-certified event," she said. GEO certification is designed "to help golf facilities, developments and tournaments demonstrate and be recognized for their environmental and social responsibility," according to GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf.
General parking for the event will be at the corner of Northgate Road and Champions Drive, just west of Pinnacle Hills Parkway.
Hundreds of volunteers will park at the Rogers Convention Center, according to DeGrand.
AREA SPOTLIGHT
The tournament serves as a spotlight on Northwest Arkansas and the city, according to J.R. Shaw, executive director of Visit Rogers.
"You can't put a price tag on that sort of coverage," he said.
The area also benefits from the visitors who come for the tournament, Shaw said.
Those visitors, including 144 golfers and crews from Golf Channel, come to Northwest Arkansas and stay in hotels, shop at stores and eat at local restaurants, he said.
Events surrounding the golf tournament, like the 5K at the LPGA race and BITE NWA food festival, have helped draw community members as well, he said.
The LPGA tournament is designed to provide affordable amenities to the local community, DeGrand said.
"A lot of what we do really has nothing to do with golf at all. Truly there's something for everyone," she said. Attendance is estimated in the thousands, according to DeGrand.
About 625 volunteers have enlisted to help, she said Wednesday. Organizers hope to eventually have about 700.
Hines said he sees the benefit of the tournament for the community as being more than an economic help. Growing up in the area, he would not have expected to see a professional sporting event, he said.
"It's about expanding and having the opportunity for folks who live in Northwest Arkansas to attend a professional sporting event with the best women golfers on the planet," he said.
For the first time in tournament history, residents also will get to see a Rogers native compete professionally. Brooke Matthews, a 2017 Rogers High School graduate who went on to play golf for the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, is competing as a rookie on the LPGA Tour.
Several members of the Lady Mountie golf team plan to attend, Rogers High women's golf coach Jamie Rains said.
"They're very excited about Brooke Matthews playing, that someone from Rogers is playing in it," Rains said. "She's the best golfer to come out of Rogers for sure."
"There's more and more girls playing golf. I hope the tournament is getting more girls interested," she said.
The mission of highlighting women and their talents -- in golf and in all sectors -- has been highlighted more and more at the tournament over the years, Hines said.
"They've done a good job of engaging the local community around that message."