Southwest Florida golf: QBE Shootout adds own craft beer, country concert, video board

Like many successful businesses, Naples' QBE Shootout has been looking to expand.

It hasn't added more golfers or changed its format much in its almost 30 years. But in 2008, it added a 5k race on Saturday morning of tournament week. It's had a family clinic off and on -- mostly on -- and will continue that Saturday after the second round.

Greg Norman's PGA Tour event has always explored other options, though, especially during what the week is its 16th year at Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort.

With new title sponsor QBE Insurance out of Australia on board, tournament director Rob Hartman was again looking to branch out. Everything just seemed to come together, and this week, the Shootout will have its own craft beer -- Swing Oil from Naples Beach Brewery -- and have a free Friday night concert by country act the Ben Allen Band, and a new video board on No. 18.

Live musical entertainment was provided by Ben Allen Band during the Irma Relief Ride sponsored by Naples Velo at Riverside Park in Bonita Springs, Saturday October 28.   John M. Wissocki / Correspondent.

"We're always looking for ways to expand the footprint during tournament week," Hartman said Monday. "That's why we started the concert, with QBE, and with Will (Lawson) at the Naples Beach Brewery, we created our own limited edition QBE Shootout craft beer."

Swing Oil will be available during tournament week at the Naples Beach Brewhouse, which sits between Nos. 8 and 17 greens and in the player dining area at Tiburón.

The beer was launched Nov. 18 -- the Saturday of the LPGA's CME Group Tour Championship played at Tiburón --  at the East Naples brewery with giveaways connected with the tournament and a putting green outside for patrons.

"We had a fun evening," Lawson, the founder/operations director of the brewery that just celebrated its fifth year. "We had quite a few people that came out after the LPGA event."

Naples Beach Brewery having fun with flavors

Lawson describes Swing Oil as an "old-fashioned, easy drinking beer with flavor, still kind of simple, no frills, straight to the point." 

The idea was to sort of speak to the Southwest Florida golf fan demographic that trends older and is seasonal, so there's no fruity flavor or characteristics some craft beers are especially known for.

"We didn't make an IPA," Lawson said. "We didn't do anything with fruit. We didn't do anything with the alcohol."

Lawson offers four other brands that are distributed locally, so when the sponsorship expanded the idea of a beer specifically for the tournament came up.

"We wanted to do something this year a little more special for the event," he said. "The four beers that they're going to pick from, a lot of other retailers have those avaialble. So we wanted to do something that kind of said 'Hey, we're excited about being partnerered with the Shootout and therefore we wanted to do something that only the Shootout can get their hand on."

The relationship between the Shootout goes back to Naples Beach Brewery's beginning.

"You hang in there with me as I grow, I'll grow with the golf tournament," Lawson told Hartman.

"This year was really the culmination of five years of hard work and sponsorship," Hartman said.

Ben Allen Band finds success in SWFL, releases new single

But the country concert was anything but a long-term project. While the tournament has looked into having concerts before, nothing ever materialized.

Then on the day QBE was announced as the new title sponsor in May, with QBE executives on site at Tiburón, Allen and his band happened to be playing a private show they attended.

"Our team has been talking about bringing a concert to our tournament week schedule for a few years now," Hartman said. "With the support of QBE, we're able to do it this year.

"They were having a private concert for the members and it was the Ben Allen Band, and there were QBE partners at the concert with me. They did a really nice job and we thought they'd be a great experience for our audience."

The concert will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, and gates will open free to the public at 3 p.m. There will be food trucks and Naples Beach Brewery beer.

Southwest Florida golf: Steve Stricker spending more time in Naples ahead of QBE Shootout

Fans on No. 18 green also will notice something different -- and big. A new video board stems from Norman's new relationship with Verizon. 

"We'll livestream the broadcast," Hartman said. "We'll have scrolling scores. incorporating in digital video assets from Verizon and QBE. It'll be an opportunity for us on that board to showcase Greg Norman's new partnership with Verizon, the Shark Experience."

The Shark Experience was announced in November, and Norman did a media tour promoting it. The Experience also includes ClubCar and GPS Industries, and will have live television and sports streamed to golf carts, with Bluetooth capability, Slacker Radio, tips from Norman, GPS yardages and a live PGA Tour feed.

"It's something that Greg's really gotten behind in a really meaningful way," Hartman said. "It's a really innovative piece of technology that hopefully will change the experience for golfers."

The experience for fans during the tournament is what the new additions are all about.

"That all ties into a broader theme," Hartman said. "We have a new title sponsor who's injecting an incredible amount of energy into the golf tournament."


QBE Shootout

When: Wednesday-Sunday

Where: Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort

Info: qbeshootout.com, 254-9770

Wednesday's pro-am tee times
Format: Shamble
No. 1 Tee

8 a.m. -- Graeme McDowell; 8:12 a.m. -- Brendan Steele; 8:24 a.m. -- Tony Finau; 8:36 a.m. -- Lexi Thompson; 8:48 a.m. -- Keegan Bradley; 9 a.m. -- Sean O'Hair; 9:12 a.m. -- Greg Norman; 9:24 a.m. -- Bubba Watson; 9:36 a.m. -- Charley Hoffman; 9:48 a.m. -- Gary Woodland; 10 a.m. -- Zach Johnson; 10:12 a.m. -- Kevin Kisner; 10:24 a.m. -- Kevin Chappell
No. 10 Tee
8 a.m. -- Shane Lowry; 8:12 a.m. -- Steve Stricker; 8:24 a.m. -- Brian Harman; 8:36 a.m. -- Kyle Stanley; 8:48 a.m. -- Billy Horschel; 9 a.m. -- Jason Dufner; 9:12 a.m. -- Russell Henley; 9:24 a.m. -- Cameron Tringale; 9:36 a.m. -- Brandt Snedeker; 9:48 a.m. -- Pat Perez; 10 a.m. -- Daniel Berger; 10:12 a.m. -- Matt Kuchar; 10:24 a.m. -- Harris English

 

Thursday pro-am tee times
Format: Shamble
No. 1 Tee

8 a.m. -- Cameron Tringale; 8:12 a.m. -- Brandt Snedeker; 8:24 a.m. -- Pat Perez; 8:36 a.m. -- Daniel Berger; 8:48 a.m. -- Matt Kuchar; 9 a.m. -- Harris English; 9:12 a.m. -- Shane Lowry; 9:24 a.m. -- Steve Stricker; 9:36 a.m. -- Brian Harman; 9:48 a.m. -- Kyle Stanley; 10 a.m. -- Billy Horschel; 10:12 a.m. -- Jason Dufner; 10:24 a.m. -- Russell Henley
No. 10 Tee
8 a.m. -- Bubba Watson; 8:12 a.m. -- Lexi Thompson; 8:24 a.m. -- Gary Woodland; 8:36 a.m. -- Zach Johnson; 8:48 a.m. -- Kevin Kisner; 9 a.m. -- Kevin Chappell; 9:12 a.m. -- Graeme McDowell; 9:24 a.m. -- Brendan Steele; 9:36 a.m. -- Tony Finau; 9:48 a.m. -- Charley Hoffman; 10 a.m. -- Keegan Bradley; 10:12 a.m. -- Sean O'Hair; 10:24 a.m. -- Greg Norman

Friday's first-round tee times
Format: Scramble

10:15 a.m. -- Russell Henley-Kyle Stanley; Sean O'Hair-Steve Stricker
10:30 a.m. -- Brian Harman-Pat Perez; Keegan Bradley-Brendan Steele
10:45 a.m. -- Graeme McDowell-Shane Lowry; Jason Dufner-Billy Horschel
11 a.m. -- Kevin Chappell-Kevin Kisner; Daniel Berger-Gary Woodland
11:15 a.m. -- Tony Finau-Lexi Thompson; Charley Hoffman-Zach Johnson
11:30 a.m. -- Brandt Snedeker-Bubba Watson; Harris English-Matt Kuchar