How to Run the Ultimate Golf Tournament
A golf tournament is a great way to raise money. There are, however, several factors that go into planning a successful event. Here are a few tips on how to run the ultimate golf tournament to help you ensure that you reach your goals.
Form a Committee
You’ve been put in charge of planning a golf tournament. While a huge honor, it is definitely not something you want to tackle by yourself. It is important that you put together a group of individuals with complementary skills who are just as devoted as you are to creating a successful tournament. At the very least, you may want to enlist the help of two to three others.
Determine Your Budget
You will need to know how much you have to work with. There are several factors that need to be considered, including green and cart fees, food and beverages, rentals (equipment, halls, etc.), prizes and awards. All of these things will cost money. If you know how much money you have to start with, it will be easier to determine where you can host your event and what you can buy in terms of the other necessities.
Choose the Date and Location
Select a few different dates that you believe will be good. This way, when you start calling golf courses, you have options. Having several dates in mind will also help you to plan for rain or inclement weather. Once you know what dates are good, you can start making phone calls.
When you call potential courses, it is a good idea to have a list of questions ready. You may want to ask about how many tournaments they host (which will help you to determine their experience with such events), what time of day they prefer events to be, and what services they provide. Other factors that you will want to consider when choosing your course are greens fees, the size and difficulty of the course, and the course’s location.
Format, Events, and Food Planning
There are a number of different formats that your tournament can follow. A shotgun format is one of the most common, and is often used when you have six or more groups. With this format, the groups all start at the same time, but in different parts of the course. You may also consider a scramble format, which allows players to work as a team for the lowest score.
While golfing is the main event, it just isn’t a golf tournament without any other events. You can hold a raffle, set up a gambling hole, have a putting contest, and host a silent auction. Not only are these events a way to bring in additional revenue, they are also great fun for participants. Be sure to have some wonderful prizes on hand for the winners. You may consider an arrival package, which could include accessories that can be useful during play. As for prizes, you could do such things as gift certificates for local restaurants or for the course’s pro shop. For bigger prizes, you may also consider a new set of golf clubs, a new golf bag, or a weekend getaway.
Participants are sure to get hungry while they play, so it will be important to have food and beverages available throughout the day. You may choose to make use of the halfway house, have snack carts, or offer a boxed lunch. Unlimited water and soda is also a good idea, as playing outside in the warm sunshine can make players very thirsty. Once the tournament is over, a banquet, which can be preceded by a cocktail hour, can be held to recognize the tournament’s winners and feed your famished participants. A buffet-style banquet is often preferred over a traditional sit-down style, as buffets tend to move quicker.
Lock in Sponsors
Sponsors are critical for success. Call local businesses and ask for their support. A hole sponsorship is one of the most popular sponsorships, where a company pays for their name to be placed at the hole. Goal sponsorships and logo sponsorships can also be quite helpful
Hire Help – BunkerMates
On the day of your event, you are going to be busy. BunkerMates can make it easier. Our beautiful female golf caddies can assist you with all kinds of duties. We can help setup, registration, getting participants signed in and can help with the competitions. Leave attending the halfway house, and driving the refreshment cart to us. We can also help you to generate more revenue with raffle ticket sales and auction bids. We guarantee that our girls can encourage your participants to dig deep into their pockets, helping you to reach, and exceed, your tournament goals.
With the right planning, your golf tournament can be a true success. With BunkerMates by your side, you can rest easy knowing that you are going to reach, and even exceed, your goals. Give us a call today for more information!
