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Golf outings are a great way to raise money for organizations
and charities. With all the competition today, good planning is
essential. A golf outing consists of three parts: Registration,
the golfing itself and the award banquet. If this is your first
golf outing, you should allow at least 9 months to a year for
planning. It's great to have a positive attitude but golf
outings require a lot of work. The less efficient your committee
is, the more money you need to spend out of the profits to run
the outing. Not only should you be looking for golfers and
sponsors, but the more prizes and food you get donated, more
profit goes to your organization.
One of the first things you want to do is form a committee. If
this is your first outing, your committee should consist of 5 or
6 members. You'll want to have members who are effective and
will get the work done. It is helpful if some of your committee
members are golfers. For the outing that continues each year,
keep in mind that all too often committees have the same
members. Having the same members year after year can cause your
organization to be stuck in a rut. Adding new members can bring
fresh ideas and energize your committee. Don't be afraid to try
new ideas. When presented with new ideas, ask yourself "why not"
instead of "why".
Committee Responsibilities:
*Determine the format for the outing
*Set up a budget
*Select a course and negotiation pricing
*Set up a schedule
*Create and distribute your flyers, application, sponsor letters
and donation requests
*Solicit for participants, donations and sponsorship
*Track the progress of the event
*Finalize the set up and implementation of the outing
It takes a lot of planning to create a good golfing experience.
Registration will be your first contact with the golfers. Making
a good first impression will require you to be well organized
and ready. Have your committee members play the course
beforehand. This will be a great way to evaluate the movement of
the course. Talk with the course management for their input on
which holes are better for the skilled games, which holes run
slower than others, etc. One of the biggest complaints from
golfers in outings is poor organization. Make sure your
volunteers know their duties before the day of the event. Have a
dry run set up to go over the procedures. You want to make sure
your event starts as scheduled. With that said, there will be no
time to teach volunteers their roles the day of the event. Make
the day fun for golfers. If your golfers are happy, they tend to
stay around for the awards banquet which in turn can generate
more money for your organization. Be sure to let your golfers
know the rules as they are checking in. You can also post a rule
sheet in each cart but be sure to announce the rules just before
the start of play.
A great way to thank the golfers attending your golf outing is
with a golf goody bag. These bags are given out at registration.
You want to include a gift of appreciation for their support to
your organization. Some of the common items are golf shirts,
golf towels, golf tees and golf balls. Although tees and balls
can be useful, most golfers don't want a golf shirt with a logo
on the chest. Try to be creative with your gift. From articles I
read on golfer's reactions to giveaways, here are a few ideas
that were well received: a divot tool with switch blade action,
a beverage cooler shaped like a golf bag, golf tee bag, a
folding beach chair with carry strap, golf umbrella, for the
outside of your golf bag or logo golf balls. A golf event I'm
planning now for a Boy Scout troop will be giving out pocket
knives. It's a gift that fits that organization. Along with the
gift, you can also solicit businesses for promotional products,
coupons, snacks, etc. to include in the goody bags. If a golfer
pays a hefty registration fee to support you organization, make
sure the gift is not junk. A good gift can be a big reason the
golfer will return the following year. If you need assistance in
looking for that perfect gift ideas, visit our website GolfStuffCheape
r.com.
Once the golf has begun, make sure you offer ample food and
drinks for your guests. Your golfers won't complain about the
amount of time they are spending with you that day and will more
than likely stay around for the banquet with plenty of food and
beverage. By budgeting a few more dollars for food and beverages
will more than likely guarantee your golfers to be happy. And
remember, happy golfers spend more money.
If your outing is in the morning, a suggestion of a breakfast
snack, coffee and juice is recommended at registration along
with a hot dog, chips and drink after the 9th hole. For an
afternoon outing, offer a luncheon snack with drink at
registration. Make it something easy that they can take with
them so it doesn't hold up the golf starting time. (Box lunches
are good but through research, a lot of golfers don¡¦t prefer
them.) If you don¡¦t want to do hot dogs, some suggestions could
be taco in a bag or finger foods. You can set up beverage
stations throughout the course or have carts drive around
offering beverages. This is especially important if you have a
hot day.
If there is a hole that is generally slow and can cause backup
of players, have some sort of station set up, whether it be
entertainment of some sort or a food and beverage station. If
you can cut 45 minutes off a 6 hour round of golf, you not only
increase banquet attendance, but everybody¡¦s in a good mood.
Having skilled contests such as Closest to the Pin, Hole in One,
Longest Drive, etc, gives golfers a chance to win prizes.
Finding companies to sponsor the skilled prizes could save a lot
of money for your organization. Example: See if a travel agency
or cruise line will donate a trip in return for advertisement at
your event. That would be a great prize for a Hole in One
contest. Some fundraisers will sell mulligans. This is pure
profit for the organization and golfers like to have a do-over
when in trouble. If you want to try something different, sell a
mulligan and a throw. Keep your pricing reasonable or you will
create a bad impression.
As golfers finish and return to the banquet site, have your
raffles and/or Chinese auctions running. Put names on the
tickets for a quicker call back of winning prizes. Be careful
not to "Nickel and Dime" your guests. That could create a
negative lasting impression. Once the last foursome has
finished, have the luncheon or dinner ready. Start into your
award ceremony as your guests are eating. Avoid having too many
speakers. Everyone has been away from their families for most of
the day now and the last thing they need is a prolonged ending
program. You¡¦ll want to give awards to the foursome in 1st
place, 2nd place and 3rd place. Remember to have enough awards
for all 12 individuals. I remember the feeling of joy I had when
I won a first place trophy. It has been almost a year now and
the trophy still sits out on my shelf. A good gesture is to also
offer some sort of prize for the foursome who came in last
place. Make sure you also have door prizes as these little
things golfers remember. A nice ending touch is to thank the
families for allowing their golfer to spend the day with you
supporting a good cause. Have them take a flower as they are
leaving for their significant other.
What will that golfer remember when the outing you held is over?
What will make the golfer decide to return the following year?
In short, golfers want:
*a well-organized check-in that in turn produces the golf to
start on time
*A nice goody bag without a lot of junk
*A representative from the organization available for their needs
*Fast golf
*Ample food and drinks
*Accurate honest scorekeeping
*A brief and rewarding awards banquet
If this is what you give them, then the answers to the above
questions will be positive. With this, I wish you a successful
outing!
About the author:
Cheryl Manzella is a co-owner and Marketing Manager for GolfStuffCheape
r.com.
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