For Hazeltine, all eyes on the 2016 Ryder Cup

While most of the golf world was focused on Scotland on Sunday as the European Ryder Cup team polished off the U.S. squad, a contingent overseas already was looking to the future.

"As soon as Sunday came," said Patrick Hunt, "we were on the clock."

Hunt is the general chair of the 2016 Ryder Cup. A mighty undertaking became even more real after the completion of the final cup before a suburban Twin Cities course gets its turn. Hunt was part of the official 16-person Hazeltine National Golf Club contingent in Scotland over the weekend, while he said 25 or so other club members came as spectators.

Hazeltine had a similar group in suburban Chicago in 2012, but another look this year reinforced all the planning that will go into the event here in two years. Hazeltine has hosted huge events, including the 2002 and 2009 PGA Championships, but there is nothing that quite compares to the Ryder Cup.

"Everything is different," Hunt said from Scotland. "Everything is bigger. We'll build a million square feet of temporary infrastructure."

Here is a look at what's in store and what the contingent learned in Scotland:

• The opening ceremony in Scotland was on par with other past openers, but the closing ceremony was far more subdued than in past years, Hunt said. Hazeltine organizers need to determine whether they want to follow suit. "That seems like a simple thing, but if we do that, it has an impact on staging and other things," he said.

• Much of the work ahead involves amassing and assessing volunteers. Hunt said Hazeltine will use more than 3,500 volunteers in order to put on the Ryder Cup.

On the course, the most interesting aspect is that Hazeltine will reroute how the course plays. Players will start on what have traditionally been holes 1-4, then jump to 14-18, then back to 10-13, before finishing on 5-9.

With fewer players in the field than in a traditional tournament, that layout allows for better flow, Hunt said.

"It allows more people to be on the closing holes and to get off the golf course," he said.

Those fans will be treated to what should be an unforgettable three days of golf (particularly if we somehow get lucky enough to have weekend weather like what we just had). That kind of atmosphere produced a "steady stream of celebrities" in Scotland, including Michael Jordan.

And Hazeltine is on the clock.