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Cover Story
 Organize a Golf Tournament in 6 Easy Steps
A
successful golf tournament creates good memories for meeting and
incentive trip attendees and can be a great business-booster, too, if
clients are involved. Here's how to plan a golf event that will stand
out from all of the others.
Step 1
Plan at least four months out. Most
golf courses are ready to help you with the planning task, as they
likely have a few dozen group events come through each season, and so
have a system for handling groups. But you should contact the pro shop
at your desired course at least 120 days out; not only do you have to
ensure that the course is free on the day you want it, you and your
staff will need that much time to create your itinerary, coordinate the
details and market the event. The golf shop will usually assist any
group that has 16 or more players, and can accommodate as many as 144
players on a course for a single event. But groups generally need to
have at least 60 players and sometimes 80 to secure what's called a
'shotgun' start on the course.
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Step 2
Budget carefully. "Tournaments can
run way over budget due to unanticipated costs," says Daiva Rugienius,
events coordinator for Corporate Golf Tournaments. Besides obvious
costs like course rentals, banquets and trophies, Rugienius advises
searching out hidden expenses such as club extras and cart fees and
minimums, gratuities and taxes. "When you've catalogued every possible
expense, divide by the minimum number of participants to get your
per-person cost," she says.
Step 3
Create a tournament Website. To
drum up players, you might have to market aggressively. One tool that
helps boost attendance at low cost is the Internet. "I'm seeing many
organizations create individual Web pages for their golf events," says
Walt Galanty, founder of AIM Meetings & Events. "A golf-events
site can be used for registration and for keeping up interest of
attendees and letting them know who else is playing," Galanty adds. "On
the site, you can also post names of the winners and the prizes they
won and allow attendees to order photos directly from the photographer.
Not only that, but it can allow hotlinks to your events sponsors'
Websites."
An additional tip: "Build excitement with photos from previous events," advises Rugienius.
Step 4
Choose foursomes wisely. Once the
attendee list is set, there are several things to consider when
grouping players into foursomes. The first, of course, is business
interest. People come to business-golf events to meet others with
reciprocal business interest, so allowing attendees to choose on their
registrations forms who are in their group, or which type of buyer or
supplier they'd like to be paired with, is wise. The other
consideration is handicaps. By having players list their handicap on
their registration, the golf shop can determine who should play with
whom so that the pace of play does not get too slow. Also, handicaps
help the golf pro determine which playing format would be best.
Step 5
Create a game-day timeline. "Start
registration at least an hour ahead of tee-off," says Rugienius, "and
make sure your support staff arrives on time." Equipment, gifts and
trophies should be delivered well ahead of time, unpacked, sorted and
available for distribution where and when they are to be distributed.
Step 6
Don't forget awards and giveaways. You'll
want to give attendees logoed items that they'll use over and over
again to help them remember the great time they had. (See "Tournament
Shopping List" below.) And, you'll want high-quality photos. Rugienius
advises hiring someone to photograph all of the course events and post
the photos on clamshell display boards immediately following the
tournament. When the tournament concludes, hand out awards at a cocktail
party or dinner, and have a videographer on hand to create a
customized DVD for all attendees.
Tournament Shopping List
Here are some popular logoed giveaways for golf events:
 Polos
These are a staple at any upscale tournament. Look for a relaxed
fit, moisture wicking mesh, knit collar and UPF sun protection. Place a
tonal logo on the sleeve for an understated look.
Golf balls Shorten play time by choosing urethane-covered balls engineered for maximum distance off of a wide range of swing types.
Shoe bags Choose models with
heavy-duty construction with a handy top handle, mesh screens for
ventilation and a plush lining to avoid scrapes and scuffs.
Hats Opt for a logoed bill cap
featuring structured, well-fitted construction, a dark underbill to
reduce glare and vibrant stitching and piping.
Jackets Choose full or quarter zip, depending on the look and style.
 Golf bags
Consider inexpensive gear bags as starter gifts and hole prizes, but
go all out with beautifully-textured leather club bags for top winners
and raffle prizes.
Gloves Choose a pair with superior suppleness, enhanced moisture and heat dissipation and good, flexible mesh airflow.
Golf packs Prepare your duffers
for the elements by choosing kits that include sunblock, lip balm,
moist towelettes and insect repellent.
Divots Look for divots with curved, course-friendly designs that repair grass without pulling it out by the roots.
Towels Features to look for include: 100% double-sheared cotton, expert hemming and grommet hooks.
Trophies A variety of options
are available, from mounted crystal balls, golf pyramids, presentation
boxes, descriptive plaques and distinctive vases. Work with your
promotional products distributor to find the perfect item.
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