New partnership leads to special 19th hole activation at Lake Tahoe celebrity golf tournament
By Dave Allen
(Photos courtesy of Arc)
Aqua Greens has played a starring role in several unique promotional events and fan-client activations over the years. In 2015, the New Hampshire-based company installed a large, custom-built 30’ x 35’ links-style green on the infield lake at the Daytona 500 as part of a Fox Sports promotion for its U.S. Open broadcast later that summer. Not to be outdone, Aqua Greens built a 600-square foot floating green in the shape of a guitar, complete with a fretboard, for Nashville-area fans to test their skills at the Simmons Bank Open on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2021 and ’22.
For both activities, participants hit shots off a stable platform on dry land. Never before had golfers attempted to make a hole-in-one on the open water—until this past July.
That’s when Arc, an electric boat company building recreational and commercial vessels, teamed up with Aqua Greens to create a floating golf experience offshore from the popular American Century Championship in South Lake Tahoe. Top entertainers and athletes, including Ray Romano, Colin Jost, Steph Curry, Charles Barkley and Travis Kelce, competed in this year’s celebrity event, which brought more than 86,000 spectators to the popular boating, golf and vacation destination.
The Arc 19th Hole Golf Experience was the brainchild of Ashley Clark, Arc’s head of marketing. She wanted to create a premium golf experience on the water and landed on Aqua Greens because of its ability to build a realistic-looking green that could float and play like the real thing. Holding the event on one of America’s most iconic lakes was also a way to welcome the community and tie in the conservation of the lake.
“The experience was designed to celebrate Lake Tahoe and create unforgettable moments on the water during one of the lake’s most visible weeks of the year,” Clark says.
Because of prior commitments, Aqua Greens shipped the 10’ x 15’ floating island green to Lake Tahoe the week before the event. The Arc team then offloaded, towed and anchored it in place, roughly 50 yards offshore from the 17th green at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.
Over the course of the three-day event, participants had a chance to tour the Arc Sport and hit shots toward the floating green from an inflatable dock attached to the back of the boat. For every hole-in-one, Arc pledged to donate $1,000 to the Tahoe Fund, up to $10,000. Unfortunately, no one managed to land an ace—although one participant did successfully throw a ball into the hole. Arc ultimately donated $1,000 to the Tahoe Fund despite the lack of a hole-in-one.
Arc’s friends at BOTE provided the inflatable Hangout Dock used as the floating tee box. High winds and rough waters made it very challenging for the participants, which numbered more than 100 over the three days. Among those taking part were Arc ambassador Austin Keen, NBC Bay Area’s Anthony Flores, and the social media creators behind DockTok. Nevada Sports Net also filmed a feature segment on the floating 19th hole.
“It’s tremendous exposure for Aqua Greens and it’s really good for the game of golf,” says Aqua Greens owner Matthew Gault. “All of the away-from-the-golf-course experiences have been good for golf. They create awareness, bring in new golfers, and it’s great for companies like Arc. The after-the-event sprawl is really a win.”
Many of the contestants also took the time to check out the Arc Sport, Arc’s all-electric wake boat designed for wakeboarding and wakesurfing. The Arc logo was custom-stenciled into the surface of the green, creating additional brand awareness.
While there are no future 19th Hole experiences currently planned, Arc is open to bringing the green to other popular boating destinations, including Seattle, Austin, and Miami. A return to Lake Tahoe during a future American Century Championship is also on the table.
“Aqua Greens was a key partner in making this possible,” Clark says. “We really wanted something that was playable and looked and performed like a real green. We wanted to create a first-of-its-kind experience, too, and that’s something Aqua Greens excelled at. It was great to partner with another company doing innovative things on the water.”
