Oak Hill Country Club is preparing to host the PGA Championship starting on May 15, meaning the Rochester community will host thousands of people from across New York state and the United States

There are just a few weeks to go until the best of the best in the golf world arrive at Oak Hill in Pittsford. Final touches are taking place on the course and behind the scenes with the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office.

What You Need To Know

  • A massive security detail is planned for PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club

  • The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office plans to have a very visible presence on the course with uniformed troopers and deputies having certain posts on the course

  • Deputies will work 12-hour shifts during the event

“We have put a lot of time and effort into planning for the security aspect of this," said Lt. Andrew Soike, who is in charge of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office Special Operations. He says this is an all-hands-on-deck operation.

“So we work very closely with PGA security in order to integrate our security plan with their staff security that they hire,” Soike said. “So it’s a lot of planning and coordination. We will have a very visible presence on the course with uniformed troopers and deputies having certain posts on the course.”

There will also be law enforcement that won’t be visible to the public. And some will be assigned to the players themselves.

The sheriff’s office is changing its schedule with deputies working 12-hour shifts.

“So that’s how we’re staffing it within the sheriff’s office and I believe the state police is pulling in the resources from across the state in order to help out as well," Soike said.

There are also some new security tactics since the PGA Championship was last at Oak Hill 10 years ago

“So we use drones a lot more to support our security plan than we ever did before and that’s a brand new thing," Soike said.

It’s estimated some 200,000 people will descend on the golf course and country club.

“We are prepared for any kind of incident,” Soike said. “We have thought through everything from somebody who is lost all the way up to an active shooter. We have thought through and we are planning for all of that. There’s some additional training going on as well to support those efforts. We have the resources to deal with just about any contingency you can think of.”

The law enforcement security plan for the PGA Championship is a year in the making with final tweaks in these final weeks before the pros and fans arrive.

“We’re excited to be a part of this,” Soike said. “It’s been a great challenge but it’s something where we can get involved with and get out there in the community and support what a great event it is.”