The money rolls in.

• Position: SPECIAL SECTION

Their slacks are freshly pressed, their shoes perfectly shined, and their polo shirts and accompanying golf bags render them walking billboards. It's fair to slap a label (or a logo, perhaps) on professional golfers as being elite, but these highly skilled independent contractors aren't the only ones who benefit from the multimillion-dollar purses played for weekly on the respective pro tours. The state economy reaps rewards as well.

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The PGA four estimates the economic impact of the Quail Hollow Championship on the Charlotte region each May at between $40 million and $60 million. ("I guess it's $60 million when Tiger's here, and $40 million when he's not," says Kym Hougham, the tour- nament's executive director, half-jokingly.)

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About 100 miles northeast in Greensboro, the Wyndham Championship is played every August. Its date isn't as attractive to the PGA Tour's brightest stars and its field has yet to snare Tiger Woods, but estimates of the economic impact on the Triad fall between $25 million and $40 million.

The local economy is stimulated to a lesser extent at Champions Tour events in Gary (SAS Championship) and Conover (Ensure Classic at Rock Barn) on consecutive weekends each fall. There's a Nationwide Tour--the equivalent of Triple A baseball--tournament every summer in North Raleigh that still fills hotel rooms and makes cash registers ring.

Twice since 1995, the United States Golf Association has brought its flagship event, the U.S. Open, to Pinehurst Resort. Three times, the U.S. Women's Open has been staged at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in neighboring Southern Pines. In 2014, those two championships will be played on consecutive weeks at Pinehurst No. 2, a first in golf history. This year, in another unprecedented move by the USGA, three venues in North Carolina will host lower-profile amateur championships:

* The U.S. Amateur Public Links will be held July 12-17 on the Champions course at Bryan Park in Browns Summit, just northeast of Greensboro. "Initial projections for attendance and room nights indicate an estimated $1.25 million economic impact for our community," says Henry Fourrier, president and CEO of the Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau. "The 1,000 room nights will easily double or more with golfers coming to Greensboro for the Public Links Championship. Equally important is the national exposure that Greensboro and Bryan Park will receive. The economic impact is several times this estimate, driven by an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 in attendance."

* The U.S. Girls' Junior Championship will be played July 19-24 at the Country Club of North Carolina in Pinehurst. "CCNC has long been a strong supporter of amateur golf," General Chairman Steve Coman says. "Our event will be covered by Golf Channel, which will provide national and international exposure for our club. The U.S. Amateur was here in 1980 when Fred Couples was medalist and Hal Sutton was champion. It will be exciting to see if our 2010 championship brings us the next big name on the LPGA Tour."

* Charlotte Country Club will host the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship Aug. 9-15. "Charlotte Country Club will be celebrating its 100th anniversary and the championship its 110th competition," says Doug Buchanan, co-chair of the organizing committee. "This will be an opportunity for the community to share in both celebrations and see the results of a three-year restoration of Charlotte Country Club's historic clubhouse and golf course."

Other events can pump money into local economies in the course of a year, including fairs, festivals, parades, concerts and other sports. Where professional golf tournaments differ is in the amount that's earmarked for charity.

Since the Quail Hollow Championship was first played in 2003 (it was called the Wachovia Championship until last year), $11.3 million has been given to charities, mostly in the Charlotte region, Hougham says. Among its core beneficiaries is Teach for America, an organization that recruits college graduates who commit to teach for two years in urban and rural public schools. "Thus far, we've given more...