143rd The Open Championship 2014 – Royal Liverpool Golf Club
Event
The Open Championship is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf and in 2014 the 143rd event took place at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake from 13-20 July. It is the only major championship held outside the United States and is administered by The R&A.
Requirement
The golf club required temporary seating to accommodate the estimated 20,000 spectators over the seven-day tournament.
Scope of Works
The innovative C-View + seating system was arranged in an amphitheatre style, wrapping around key areas such as the first tee and the 18th green, where golfing legends Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson played during the tournament.
Challenge
Aside from providing the usual high quality grandstand seating, the challenge was threefold – improve on the success of the previous year, increase the capacity of the previous year by 3,500 and incorporate disabled viewing areas to make the event fully accessible to all.
Outcome
The horseshoe grandstand at the 18th hole was the first of its kind in the history of The Open. The grandstand’s green and white seating was arranged to show the world-famous ‘Claret Jug’ – the emblem of the Open Championship and one of the most iconic trophies in sport.
With the seating capacity increased to 20,000, more golfing fans than ever watched the 2014 Open Championship in comfort, including disabled fans who viewed the action from special seating platforms incorporated into four of the stands.
Chris Mansell, GL events UK Seating and Stadia Operations Director, said: “This was our second year working with The Open Championship and already the requirements have evolved. This year’s seating increased by around 3,500 and the new disabled viewing areas were integral parts of the grandstands. The seating, not only the capacity but also the comfort it provides, added to the visitor experience, and this will only increase as we continue to work with the organisers to develop our offering.”
Rhodri Price, Director of Championship Operations at The R&A commented: “Without doubt the talking point from competitors, press and spectators alike was the arena at the 18th green which, as we know, was quite a feat of engineering and with the link to the 1st tee and players’ bridge really was a focus of people’s attention during the week. It would seem we now need to dream up something a little different each year!”
The C-View + tiered seating system can be configured into any layout that may be required for each event and can be fitted with media stands, disabled viewing platforms and a range of seating. Perfect for sporting events, this type of grandstand has been used at various locations during the London 2012 Olympics as well as at Lords Cricket Ground, New Zealand Rugby World Cup, and Ryder Cup Europe.
