Kory Woodland
Whether your planned golf event is meant to raise money for charity, reward your clients or be a fun outing for your employees, proper planning will make for a better time for everyone. Let’s look at the important planning that must go into a successful golf event.
What is the purpose of your golf outing? Do you plan to raise significant cash for a worthy charity? Or, do you intend to pay back your customers, clients, vendors or employees for their contributions to the success of your business? Regardless of the purpose, here are some decisions you need to make:
• When? Golf clubs in Northern Utah start scheduling events as early as April and can go deep into the fall — late September or early October. What’s best for you group? Do you want to coincide with a holiday — or be sure to avoid one? Is there a day of the week that works best for your business or your guests?
Be sure to coordinate with the golf pro at the club as soon as you decide to host an event. The popular dates fill up fast.
• How many players will you have? Most golf courses have strict minimums and maximums. For example, the Barn Golf Club near Ogden requires a minimum of 60 players for a nine-hole shotgun start tournament and at least 120 for 18 holes. Most courses will put two foursomes on the tees for par 4 and par 5 holes, sometimes going as high as 144 players for a tournament. Remember, the more players you put on the course, the slower the round will be. Rounds that last over five hours just aren’t as much fun.
• Where will you play? Many factors go into choosing a golf course for your tournament. Geography and budget are the major determining factors.
Consider where your guests are coming from before picking a course. Maybe you want the event to be near your business location so your employees won’t have to travel too far. If the bulk of your players live in the northern part of the Wasatch Front, you probably don’t want to pick a Utah County location.
On the other hand, maybe an exotic location far from home is exactly what you want as a reward for your guests.
• How much money will you raise? How much are you willing to spend? The budget for your golf event will have a lot to do with where you play. Be sure to spend some time with the managers of the courses on your list to see just what it will cost to play, have breakfast and lunch as well as beverages and snacks on the course, and provide prizes for your golfers.
When planning a budget — especially when you expect to raise money for a charity — don’t be afraid to ask your players to pitch in. Set a reasonable cost — per player or per foursome — and make sure to collect it up front. That way, you’ll have fewer no-shows. Then analyze your participants. If you have invited folks that can afford it, ask for a significant entry fee. If your charity is well-known and worthy, you can raise a bunch of money.
Don’t be shy about asking the golf course to contribute to your money-raising effort. This can be done in the form or reduced rates for the golf, meals or beverages. You can also ask your vendors or clients to contribute in other ways beside entry fees. Hole sponsorships or food and beverage sponsorships are a couple of possibilities. Think about signage, too.
Ask for additional donations in the form of raffle prizes that can be given away at the event luncheon following the round of golf. Lots of your players and their companies will be willing to pitch in. Many contributors will have small items they can contribute to fill a swag bag for players.
Make “cheats” available to your players. Maybe you could charge an extra $20 for each of a limited number of “mulligans.” How about $1 an inch for string to save a tap-in putt?
And remember, this isn’t the PGA. Prizes for winners don’t have to be huge — the difference goes to the charity. A brand-name driver for the low score or a couple of hundred bucks for the winning team is plenty adequate. Ask the course pro shop to donate or reduce the price of prizes for winners.
• What extras can you add to the golf outing? Here’s where the gold course management can help you. Remember, they’ve run hundreds of these events. You can have longest-drive contests as well as straightest-drive or closest to the pin on a par 3. Check out what it would cost to buy insurance for a new car for a hole-in-one on a long par 3. You’ll be surprised how little it might cost to offer this great opportunity.
• Are you willing to work to make your event successful? Well-planned and well-run golf events are always the most successful and the most fun. Appoint someone from your company to be in charge of making things come off right. Work closely with the course managers to make sure you’re doing your part. Get the names of the teams and players turned in in plenty of time for the course to properly organize your tournament. Remind your players several days before the event and replace those who back out.
Talk to the course about volunteers and do your best to supply all the help they need. Make sure there are no slip ups that will detract from the purpose of your event.
Your greatest resource for a successful golf event is the staff at the course where you hold your event. They have seen it all and will have dozens of ideas that will help you pull off a great tournament — this year and for years to come.
Good luck — and have fun!
Kory Woodland is the PGA professional at the Barn Golf Club in Ogden.