Articles

Winning Golf Tournaments

Attention to Detail Helps Ensure Success

By Judy Colbert

Creating a successful golf outing is relatively easy if you pay attention to the details and work with experienced golf resort professionals. Establishing a solid relationship with the course personnel and resort management go a long way in helping a meeting planner ace a golf program.

Andrea Nash, vice president of marketing for Essex Insurance in Richmond, VA, has been coordinating an outing at the Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, WV, for the past 11 years.

“We already have a week blocked for the next five years,” says Nash. The company returns to the Greenbrier annually because, says Nash, “their philosophy matches ours. It’s all about relationships, giving superior customer service, differentiating yourself from the competition. They’re experts in their field, just as we are in ours. They have long-term relationships with
their employees, similar to our relationships with our agents and employees.

“You see the same people there year after year after year. They welcome me, ‘Oh, it’s so good to see you again Ms. Nash.’ They have a warmth and charm and they go out of their way to remember you.” Because their outing is in July, there’s always a chance of thunderstorms, but Nash says the Greenbrier always has a backup program.“They’re just so unbelievably organized, from the carts lined up waiting for us, the box lunches ready, the beverages, to people riding around asking if anyone needs bug spray or a fresh cool towel.”

Planning a golf outing starts with deciding on the purpose of the event. Are you just having a day of fun? Is it to thank a great sales staff for meeting or surpassing its quota? Do you want to show appreciation to your best customers? Are you trying to raise funds for a local or national charity? Do you desire a more cohesive workforce, and think a team-building outing might accomplish that goal? Will the event be near corporate headquarters or at a remote location?

Brian Gerard, head professional at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah Island, SC, says his staff focuses on details, details, and more details. They start with a corporate information sheet.When the planner comes to inspect the course and property, which Gerard highly recommends, Gerard and crew can determine the special needs. Gerard and his staff help determine appropriate event dates, if the corporation will require rental clubs and shoes, what kind of format they’ll use and whether there will be a running tab on the beverage/snack cart or if there will be individual tabs.

They also want to know the number of players, preferred starting times, tee colors, special contests and events and whether there’s an onsite breakfast or lunch or post-tournament event. He’ll coordinate the dates so they won’t conflict with the twice a year aerification of the course and the subsequent 10-14 day recovery period. Gerard says dates should be checked for when a course may be overseeded or have a top-dressing.

Gerard also determines the type of tournament prizes the company will be awarding. Lately, says Gerard, “we’ve used a lot of photography with photographs of some of the spectacular holes, or (course designer) Pete Dye autographed prints and scorecards.”

Other necessary information includes whether spouses, families, or significant others will be attending so activities can be planned for them. It’s also important to determine the event’s length and whether it will be a full 18 holes. With some companies scheduling shorter conferences, they’re taking advantage of a 9-hole par three course, like the one at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate, Orlando, FL, or just scheduling a nine-hole tournament on a regular course.

If a course is new, unique, exclusive or extremely popular out there — one playing and one learning about putting, pitching and other golf basics,” says Riley. Other options for non-golfers at Shingle Creek include wine or beer tastings and seminars on how business and golf relate. Even coffee breaks during the conference can have a focus on golf by including a putting contest during the break.

Golfers and non-golfers can be entertained with a guest motivational speaker, perhaps a current or former PGA or LPGA member who can relate golf as a metaphor for life. Frank Thomas at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate is a golf equipment expert who talks about how the physical dynamics of a golf swing have to be in sync and the relationship between the golf swing and business life.

Other guests could be a celebrity who’s a golfer, a famed golf author, sportscaster, or a noted trick shot artist to play with your golfers. This can increase your participation and perceived value.

While many companies keep the planning for golf outings in-house, there are times when you just want to say, “Here, you do it.”

Mark Sweeney, vice president of Marketing for Plymouth Rock Assurance Corporation in Massachusetts, is one of those people. He frequently takes a few of the company’s agents to some of the “better golf courses or destinations around the country to get to know our agents better. Generally, we play three or four rounds of golf. It’s a more personable setting. I learn what makes them tick outside the actual business. From the moment we take off, we’re pretty much together for golf, lunch, dinner and cocktails afterwards. It’s low pressure, low key, but intense in the number of hours together.”

Sweeney uses Sports Travel and Tours in Hatfield, MA, to make his arrangements. “I deal with Teresa Weybrew and tell her “I’m looking to get myself and three others to Sea Island, GA, or to Colorado Springs, and here are the dates. Sweeney usually picks a spot that “most individuals would not get to on their own. Last fall I took three guys down to Pinehurst knowing the U.S. Open was going to be there this year. Teresa does a great job, getting us first class hotels, and everything else we need.”

New Is Good

Sometimes the attraction is a new course and facility. Michael Brooks, general services manager of RMIC Corporation in Winston-Salem, NC, had a national production meeting at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort earlier this year. The account managers and the operations side get together once a year. Of the 132 on the trip about 80 played golf. Although a team plans the event, Brooks is primarily in charge of site selection.“We had a relationship (with Kiawah) from a previous event, but it was the site inspection, the staff and the quality of the hotel that sold us.” Brooks is particularly impressed with the way the staff handles the last minute problems. “We tend to make a lot of last-minute changes and we’re always looking for a hotel and staff that can take care of our changes seamlessly and transparently. It’s the sign of a good hotel staff.

“Another deciding factor is the five courses there, so there’s no lack of courses. They let us have a shotgun start on our one-day tournament, and then there’s a half-day menu of activities that can include spa treatments, a cooking class in downtown Charleston, or a historic tour of the city.”

Bob Spezialetti, vice president of agency operations of LandAmerica Financial Group in Lancaster, PA, took his group to Marco Beach Ocean Resort on Marco Island, FL. Golf was played at the Creek Course at Fiddler’s Creek, about a 15-minute ride from the resort.

He says he’s not a “professional” meeting planner, but a de facto one over the past 20 years. His events have the obligatory classroom, but there’s a heavy emphasis on the social, dining, and golfing.

He chose the resort because he found the personnel have the same attitude as his company. Additionally,“you want a director of golf that’s connected to the facility or the preferred course. You want to be treated as a good customer,” he says. “We know they have to make room for our outing, they have to budget certain things, and isolate that time when we’re on the course. We try to understand what they need to do to accommodate us and they understand and address our needs and the flow of the program so we look good, too.”

Spezialetti’s meeting included more than 100 attendees. The company had used the resort before, but it was the first time for him. “One of the nice things the people at Marco Beach Ocean Resort did happened during the site tour, before we chose the facility for our three-day trip. They drove us to the course and we met the golf pro and key people in charge. Then, we drove around the course. I was able, from that point, to work with the banquet planning manager but I also had a direct connection and direct line to the person running the golf operation.”

Because the golf course was off property and the company had a “fairly packed agenda, the importance of a shotgun start can’t be underestimated. They served lunch out on the course rather than ham and cheese on the shuttle bus.”

Jack Talmage, director of golf sales at the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort in Tucson, AZ, says the logistics of a golf tournament are easier when the participants are staying at the same property. But it’s not necessary. And when a group is staying at the resort, he doesn’t ask for a down payment for a golf tournament.

He’s also been known to not charge for no-shows. These can be important budgetary issues under any circumstance, but particularly important when your event benefits a charity and those funds can go into the charity’s bank account instead of the resort’s.

When considering rooms at one place and the golf tournament at another, you have to think about transportation. Some golfers will let their bags go on a shuttle while others would sooner part with a spouse than their golf clubs.

After you’ve finished supplying the resort with all the answers to its questions, it’s time to ask some of your own. Who from the club will be there on the day of your tournament? The golf director? One or more assistants? General manager? Maitre d’? Executive chef? Who will be there from the pro shop and what hours will it be open? Will a caddy master be there? Will maintenance people be available to fix the golf carts? How many servers for dinner? How many beverage/snack carts on the course during play? What will be done for those with food allergies or for vegetarians? Who will supervise any AV equipment you need? What happens if a foursome arrives late due to traffic or a delayed flight?

Arthur Crouch, general manager of Woodcrest Club in Syosset, NY, says his details cover some very common sense factors. Everyone must have a caddie, someone who knows the course and suggests which club to use, and will let players know when it’s safe to hit the ball without fear of hitting the foursome in front of them. He doesn’t allow his caddies to ride on the back of the golf carts. Theoretically, someone could hit them from behind (with another cart). He doesn’t allow alcoholic beverages on the course.

Play format is a major decision.

Crouch personally doesn’t like the scramble or its variations because he likes to know how he’s played at the end of the day. However, he acknowledges that if there’s a full field of 144 players, it can take six hours for everyone to get through the course, even with a shotgun start.

Many pros, including Talmage, think the scramble format is a great teambuilding exercise because the foursome has to get together every few minutes to decide which ball to play and what club to use.

Business and office politics can play a major part in pairings, though. Gerard and others usually leave that to the organizing committee. “They know which clients they want playing with which clients or company personnel,” says Gerard. “We do ask them to let us know ahead of time what the pairings are and rank them 1, 2, 3 and 4. That way, we can make signs for the carts.”

On the other hand, the staff at the Omni Orlando Resort at ChampionsGate will tackle the pairings. They obtain the handicaps and pair a couple of good players with a couple who are not as experienced. This also helps with the speed of play. Should there be a complete foursome of non-golfers, then the day might take a lot longer than expected and might not be as enjoyable for the players playing behind the four non-golfers.

Kiawah has player assistants (otherwise known as marshals, rangers, ambassadors, etc.) who carry extra bottled water and ice towels. They introduce themselves, so if there’s a question or difference of opinion, it’s not confrontational. The ambassadors at the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort will help the players along when things are running slow by raking the sand trap, or helping find the ball that’s gone astray.

The End Of A Perfect Day

Almost every golf event concludes with a meal and awards presentation. If you had one or more celebrities that created fivesomes on the course, then have tables for ten, not eight. This is a good time to hire a professional broadcaster to handle the emcee duties.

Make sure that if you have a celebrity, the emcee has a brief bio of the celebrity and is familiar with it before making introductions on the course or at the awards festivities. The emcee should also have a short bio about any organization officers, major donors to the event, and anyone else who would be slighted or you think might be slighted if not mentioned and introduced. Then, make sure the emcee introduces and thanks all the sponsors. Have a photographer handy to take plenty of pictures. Have a program printed with all the sponsor names, company addresses and phone numbers. Include a list of everyone who worked on the committee.

Last, but not least, check your sponsors against the course and club suppliers. If ABC Crackers is a sponsor, you don’t want XYZ crackers sitting on the dining room table.

IMM
INSURANCE MEETINGS MANAGEMENT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2005