Preparations are underway for the American Express Golf Tournament: what fans can expect

LA QUINTA, Calif. (KESQ) – The 67th edition of the American Express Golf Tournament will soon be underway.

Behind the scenes, crews are still hard at work preparing for the thousands of spectators and over 300 professional and amateur golfers who will be stepping onto the green.

Tournament officials, like Pat McCabe, the Executive Director of the tournament, said it's all to benefit the fan experience: "We take the mantra of every fan is a VIP."

And to ensure that experience for every fan, McCabe said a lot of time goes into the planning and execution of the week-long event.

"We prepare all year, 51 weeks for just one week. So the work goes on all year long. We've been building the structures and the hospitality venues that the fans will see out here for the last two months," he recounted.

That includes everything from the grandstands to the concession stands.

McCabe is also excited to bring fans some new experiences this year, including "The Turn." It's a concession area featuring all-local vendors, like TKB Bakery, Spicy Pie, and Papa Headz – favorites among the Coachella Valley crowd.

"Our title sponsor, American Express, their mantra [and] their shop small mentality is crucial. And so they're here to support those restaurants as well. And all of our amateur players and professional players actually playing this week on the golf courses will have a chance to sample that food as well," McCabe said.

Also changing this year: the location of the beloved Michelob Ultra "Beer Fore Birdies" area, which slashes the price of beers when a player sinks a birdie. This year, fans will see that area alongside Hole 17 on the Pete Dye Stadium Course, famously known as "Alcatraz."

Gene Rickey, a member of the media team, said fans should expect quite the excitement in that area.

At the end of the day, there's a lot of work that goes into bringing an event like this to life. Rickey said about 9,000 credentials were made for the people putting time into the event, from the chefs to the grounds crew.

And McCabe said over 1,000 volunteers and more than 50 vendors also made up the crew putting it all together.

"It's going to be a great week of golf, a great week of music, and we're looking forward to welcoming everyone here to PGA West," he finished.

More spectator information here, including frequently-asked questions and maps of the course.