By Ted Johnson
Say “Dinger” to any number of golf writers in America and they know immediately you mean Philip Weidinger (pronounced wide-ing-er ) who for 34 years has been the maestro of the press room during the American Century Championship in Stateline, Nev., also known as “The ACC, aka “The U.S. Open of Celebrity Golf Tournaments.”
He also conceived, arranged and promoted an annual media tour in which national writers and media visited courses, hotels and restaurants of the Tahoe-Reno region. Called “Golf The High Sierra,” the itinerary ranged from Carson City to South Lake Tahoe to Truckee and even up to Graeagle in the Mohawk Valley. When new courses like Genoa Lakes near Carson City and Coyote Moon in Truckee opened, they were aching for golfers. The write-ups and exposure from the media tour definitely helped put the area on the map and now the Tahoe-Reno region is considered a top-notch golf destination.
For those who partook on the tour, it was memorable: seven days of early to rise and late to bed and laughter, golf, very good food and drink in between. “One thing about that trip,” said Jeff Rude, formerly of Golfweek, “is that Dinger forgot to schedule sleep.”
“Suck it up,” would be a typical Dinger reply early the next morning as he readied the group for another tee time, “Time to break the adhesions.”
Like most PR pros who have their own business for 40 years and have represented myriad clients big and small, Dinger hated the idea of being featured. “Good PR guys stay in the background,” he snapped, sprinkling in a few profanities, “I’m not dyin’. I’m still working.”
Dinger has become a beloved member of the community by, among other things, serving for nearly two decades on the board of the Lake Tahoe Boys & Girls Club.
“On countless occasions he loaned his extensive PR skills to our press releases, marketing and grant applications. He also spoke about the Club to his many clients, providing us with a number of new donors and supporters,” said Jude Wood, Executive Director of the Boys & Girls Club. Dinger’s countless connections helped to promote other local businesses, and NBC golf announcer Steve Sands referred to Dinger as “The Mayor of Tahoe.”
“I think his reputation is built on honesty and truthfulness, not to mention all of the golf trivia he has between his ears, and those are big ears,” pointed out Carol Chaplin, President & CEO of the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority who has worked with Dinger for nearly two decades and loves to tease. “When he presents results from ACC tournament to my board, we always tell him he has 10 minutes so he finishes in 30.”
Every July we tune in to see the crowds at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Stateline, the boats bobbing and music blaring and footballs flying on the Lake Tahoe shore at the famous par-3 17th. Charles Barkley, Steph Curry and other sports and entertainment stars hit good and not-so-good shots against the stunning Sierra Nevada backdrop. Every year it seems more stars come and the TV ratings continue to rise.
“It is unprecedented for a made-for-television golf event like the ACC to last that long and be on a growth trajectory,” said Gary Quinn, Vice President, Programming & General Manager, Owned Properties, NBC Sports. “There are so many foundational pieces and common denominators that have contributed to our success and Phil Weidinger is right at the top of that list. He’s a founding member of the American Century Championship family and a trusted partner and friend who has productively worked for 34 years on the event.”
From the beginning
Dinger is so San Franciscan his elementary education started at St. Emydius, which was named for the patron saint of earthquakes and was the first Catholic Church built in The City after the 1906 disaster. A graduate of Riordan High in San Francisco who happened to be an All-City pitcher, he learned at City College of San Francisco that his fastball and most other pitches couldn’t compare with those of teammate Mike Norris, a future 20-game winner for the Oakland A’s. So he went to SF State and earned a journalism degree that helped him land a job in the PR department of his beloved San Francisco 49ers.
This was during the early days of Eddie DeBartolo’s ownership and before the Bill Walsh era. After one year he headed to Nevada for a job in the PR department of Caesars Tahoe. During his first week he was asked to escort a guest to a show across the street to see KC & The Sunshine Band, not really a personal favorite. When it turned out to be Miss Nude Universe, Dinger graciously accepted. Two weeks later, the bomb went off that destroyed Harveys Casino.
“Helluva education in the casino business,” Dinger said.
He soon met the sports editor of the Tahoe Daily Tribune, Bob Burns, and they became fast friends noted for arduous golf matches marked by colorful commentary and plenty of libation. “Give Dinger a microphone and you’re just asking for trouble,” quipped Burns, who has witnessed Dinger’s public speaking in various settings. When the minister during Burns’ wedding asked if there was anyone in the congregation who might object, bride Dana turned and gave Dinger a long stare. Laughter filled the church.
“Even I have boundaries,” Dinger said.
A few years later, the Associated Press sports editor in San Francisco informed Dinger, who served as tournament director of the 1985 U.S. Senior Open at Edgewood, that he would not be able to cover and would he know of anyone who might fill in? Dinger suggested Bob, and that assignment helped Burns become the golf writer for the Sacramento Bee.
“If he feels you’re doing all right by him, he’ll do all right for you,” Burns said. Carol Chaplin was more succinct. “He’s a big softie.”
Scott Ostler, the long-time sports columnist for the SF Chronicle, wanted to do a piece on Curry during the ACC. This was, as Dinger put it, “before Steph was Steph.” Dinger suggested playing a practice round with Curry, but Ostler demurred because “I have a real shoddy golf game, and I’m not just saying that, I can back it up.”
Dinger, undaunted, arranged for Ostler to take a lesson from an Edgewood assistant golf pro for a fast tune-up before the Curry round. “And it worked, the pro had me hitting piercing shots right down the middle,” Ostler said. “Then on the first tee, I whiffed on my first swing. And eventually I couldn’t go on. But that shows how far Dinger would go to help.”
[Editor’s note: Dinger said that Curry has been the best celebrity to work with during the ACC.]
Former Baltimore Sun sportswriter Peter Schmuck pointed out that articles on practice rounds with Curry or a press conference with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps “brought in the cream of the national media,” and that ultimately promoted the Tahoe-Reno destination.
“He sparked the emergence of the areas as more than a skiing area or more than gambling,” said Schmuck, who fulfilled one assignment by filling out the one entire Baltimore Sun Sunday travel section with words and corresponding pictures of the Tahoe-Reno area. They weren’t just selling gambling. They had had to take advantage of other features, including golf, and the greatest asset – the natural wonder of the area.”
The Grizzly Ranch course opened in 2005 as a private club and it struggled. A stunning layout but hidden away north of the former railroad town of Portola, Grizzly eventually shifted to allowing outside play.
“When I got the job at Grizzly Ranch in 2012, I inherited 4,500 rounds played for the year,” said former head professional Van Batchelder. “When I left in 2019 it was 13,500. The ambiance and the setting at Grizzly are outstanding, but it’s hard to get there. It wouldn’t be as good today without the writers, and the media kept coming back. Visitors had a ‘let me play Grizzly’ mindset, a positive thought from the writers.”
To make that media tour possible for 24 years, Dinger and staffers Jenn Boyd Lemming (19 years with the company) and Christina Proctor (10 years) worked with seven visitors and convention bureaus, 19 golf courses, more than 30 lodging properties, dozens of restaurants, and airline and rental car sponsors.
“I know the media loved this event and we supported it year after year until it ran its course,” Chaplin explained. “I'm sure the planning and detailed execution was intense, but you would never know it talking with Phil. It was all about the event, the status of the attendees and the exposure the destination would receive.”
Looking back, Dinger said the best part of the media tour was the people, getting to know writers and even social media influencers. It required a great deal of work and patience, and Dinger credits his wife Diane for understanding what was expected of him in these endeavors. It helps that Diane, according to Burns, “is just like him.”
Both are competitive, and on their first round together stakes were set and Diane had Dinger 2-down going into No. 17. Dinger birdied that hole to get within one, but in the bet he had to give Diane two strokes on the final hole, a par-4. Dinger had a birdie putt from about 30 feet. After two shots Dianne was about 50 yards out but laying zero by handicap.
“Then she shanks a wedge OB! She tomahawks and buries the wedge straight into the ground accompanied with a perfectly timed and very loud [profanity] that drew the attention of everyone within 100 yards. And that's when I said to myself, ‘This relationship has promise’,” laughed Dinger. “I've been buying the drinks ever since.” They’ve been married 26 years.
To that end, all writers who have had the chance to experience the media tour or an ACC press conference or an ACC media day can understand what Bob Burns said decades ago about the advertising slogan then at Caesars, when Dinger was starting his long career. It read: “Caesars Tahoe: Where It Pays to Play.”
“I told Dinger they should change it to, “Where It Pays to know the PR guy’.”
Ted Johnson survived a few Golf The High Sierra tours.