KitchenAid Swings at PGA Golf Event

When you think pro golf, your mind might turn to the troubles of Tiger Woods or the beauty of the seventh hole at Pebble Beach as it opens up to the Pacific Ocean. Or it could be that it makes you think of your own dratted inability to get even within an elephant’s ear of par.

Most likely, though, it probably doesn’t inspire your brain to immediately start charging in the direction of celebrity chefs. KitchenAid aims to change that. That's why the Senior PGA Championship took place this past weekend at Valhalla Golf Club near Louisville, Kentucky, with KitchenAid as its main sponsor.

As a way to set itself off from other sponsors, the brand set up the KitchenAid Fairway Club, “a 40x60-foot interactive environment for fans where celebrity chefs will entertain while showing off” its appliances, Louisville.com reports. Celebrity foodies as Duff Goldman of the Food Network’s Ace of Cakes and Mike Symon of the channel's Iron Chef were there. 

Goldman made two cakes at one demonstration, Louisville.com reported. One is a replica of the trophy that will be given to the tournament’s winner and the other looks like the seventh hole of the Michigan course where the Senior PGA Championships will be next year.

Symon cooked up dinner for five sweepstakes winners and their guests Saturday. The winner of the sweepstakes, though, will get themselves a KitchenAid “dream kitchen.”

“KitchenAid and the PGA represent the idea of bringing people together to share common experiences,” said Deb O’Connor, the Senior Manager of Brand Experience for KitchenAid, according to Louisville.com. “Great golf and great food are a good combination, and through this sponsorship we connect golf and culinary experiences in exciting and engaging ways that golf fans have never before experienced.”

Adding to the co-branding mix, the 92-year-old KitchenAid has uploaded images of the branded kitchen experience on its Facebook page and tweeted about it on its Twitter page — and a special Twitter feed for the event.