Minnesota companies pay big to entertain at Ryder Cup

CHANHASSEN, Minn. (KMSP) - Although Larry Sinclair won't name names, he says 60 percent of his hospitality sales at this year's Ryder Cup are Minnesota companies.

Sinclair is the Director of Sales for the 2016 Ryder Cup.

"This is the most hospitality we've sold for a Ryder Cup," said Sinclair. "And that says a lot about Minnesota, with 60 percent of those companies being from Minnesota."

Companies fork out anywhere from $69,000 for a ten person table inside the Captains Club, to more than a million for a private 400-person chalet.

"They expect the best and we go out of our way to provide the best possible experience for them," said 2016 Ryder Cup head chef Steve Schiele.

Schiele says he does a custom menu for each chalet and hospitality area, leaving him with upwards of 80 different menus on any given day of the event.

Plus, the companies who buy chalets work with a designer out of Miami to customize their space. Sinclair says no two chalets are the same, with companies paying up to $100,000 in additional design fees.

"You have people coming from all over the globe who have high expectations," said Sinclair. "We spend a lot of time and a lot of money just thinking about what the customer is going to need."

According to Sinclair, a quarter of Ryder Cup attendees will be in the higher end hospitality area, with 350 corporations entertaining guests.

"It's a world class event and we want to make sure the hospitality matches," he said.