On Sept. 9, the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce Ponte Vedra Beach Division held its long-awaited Chamber Before Hours meeting at the TPC Sawgrass Clubhouse. The event was originally scheduled to take place prior to the onset of COVID-19 and was rescheduled twice during the summer before finally taking place in September.
The event was held at the luxurious 77,000-square-foot clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass. Guests gathered behind the clubhouse to mingle and enjoy breakfast with one another before breaking off into groups to tour the clubhouse facility.
Although the pandemic has brought many social events to a halt, TPC Sawgrass is doing everything it can to allow the Ponte Vedra Beach community to carry on with their lives — safely and responsibly. After implementing rigorous safety procedures, TPC Sawgrass has reopened its facilities for events.
“We’ve been 100% open for golf throughout the pandemic, but we have been hosting events again since the middle of summer and we are seeing even more events come up now,” said Peter verDorn, sales manager at TPC Sawgrass. “We have put several rigid safety measures into place to keep our guests safe.”
verDorn said the team at TPC Sawgrass is adhering to CDC social distancing and capacity guidelines, both during events and in the restaurant.
In addition to adhering to CDC guidelines, TPC Sawgrass has set up numerous sanitization stations throughout its facility, has implemented thorough cleaning procedures, installed plexiglass barriers at all of its food-serving stations and more.
“This meeting was a way for local business owners to gather together to get a glimpse into the world of hospitality and show them that it’s still possible to host events in a safe environment,” verDorn said.
He also said that through hard work and careful planning, TPC Sawgrass has seen one of the busiest and most successful Augusts it has ever had in its restaurant.
Despite the pandemic changing the way events are carried out, TPC Sawgrass has done everything possible to keep its guests happy and remain open for business. In addition to being open for golf and private events, its restaurant is also in operation (with adherence to CDC guidelines) and open to the public.
verDorn said it is a common misconception the restaurant is private, but the dining space is actually open to the public seven days a week and has plenty of space inside for guests to spread out, along with an abundance of outdoor seating.
Although life as we know it has changed, TPC Sawgrass has found ways to continue serving the St. Johns County community and the team was thrilled to have the opportunity to open its doors to the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce PVB Division to reunite with one another, face-to-face, after many months.
