Solheim Cup at Rich Harvest Farms four years in the making

Sports psychologists and professional athletes will tell you looking ahead to the next game or the next match before the final buzzer - or handshake - is a recipe for disaster.

But even before Meg Mallon clinched the winning point for the U.S. team at the 2005 Solheim Cup, Kelly Hyne was thinking about the 2009 tournament, which takes place this week at Rich Harvest Farm in Sugar Grove.

As the tournament's executive director, Hyne said, planning far ahead is imperative.

"We really do keep in mind the next site as we go through the current event and try and build off various operational elements," Hyne said. "(We also) make notes of things we want to do differently in the future."

And organizers do not have the luxury of a mulligan.

The most prestigious team event in women's golf, the Solheim Cup pits the top 12 European-born players from the Ladies European Tour against the 12 best U.S.-born players from the Ladies Professional Golf Association.

The tournament is played every two years with the location alternating between the U.S. and Europe, a different golf course each time.

"The tournament is at a different place every time, so we have to create a new footprint each time," Hyne said. "A lot of times when you put on an event year after year, you know where things need to be. But here, the challenge is always to get it right the first time."

Between trans-Atlantic events, there's about four years to prepare.

The first two years are spent developing relationships with the local community, including securing corporate sponsors, marketing the event and determining committees, said Hyne, who moved to Naperville shortly after the 2005 tournament at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind.

The last two years, Hyne said, focus on the operations of the event - hiring vendors, forming committees and preparing the course.

"I liken it to building a small city, start to finish, with all of the infrastructure that's involved," Hyne said. "You have to think about everything that you'd find in a small city."

In this case, the small city is a burg of temporary structures, including hospitality and vendor tents that will welcome more than 100,000 fans over the weeklong event.

It takes 1,600 volunteers, 10 full-time Solheim Cup staffers, another 50 employees from LPGA headquarters in Daytona Beach, Fla., and golf course staffers to ensure the event runs smoothly. There are 30 volunteer committees that oversee duties from welcoming players at the airport to marshaling holes.

"There are a lot of elements that make the event an ultimate success," Hyne said. "Overall, however, it's everyone - fans, sponsors and players - coming away having had an unforgettable experience from the minute they step foot on the property."

Drew Blass, the tournament director of operations, said establishing a timetable prevents any logistical nightmares.

"You've got to make sure the tents are up before the tables and chairs are in place so people can start showing up," Blass said.

The installation of tents started in June. Air conditioning was added in July, as were bridges and bleachers. Then there's the television towers that will broadcast the tournament throughout the United States, Europe and Asia.

In Sugar Grove, the American team is focused firmly on a three-peat. But tournament organizers are no doubt taking mental notes for the 2013 tournament at the Colorado Golf Club in Parker, Colo., just outside Denver.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Photo Galleries</h2> <ul class="gallery"> <li><a href="/story/?id=314617">Tuesday images from the Solheim Cup </a></li> <li><a href="/story/?id=314310">Monday images from the Solheim Cup </a></li> </ul> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="/packages/2009/solheimcup/">Complete Daily Herald coverage of the Solheim Cup</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>