Event Planning and Tournament Management: Core Skills in Golf Management
By Frank Longabucco, Keiser University College of Golf Professor and PGA Certified Professional
Tournament management skills are valuable to students in the golf industry because all golf courses manage tournaments. These tournaments have a profound impact on the players and the facility. Some of the skills needed include leadership, advanced planning, organizing staff, attention to detail, developing a checklist with a timeline, and a deep understanding of handicapped tournaments to ensure fairness.
Responsibilities for Planning Golf Tournaments
The tournament committee is responsible for the competition. After the committee has determined the purpose of the competition, the committee must establish the conditions of the competition. These conditions include timeline, format, entry fee, budgeting, tee-times, prizes, eligibility, and handicapping. The committee must consider the purpose of the tournament and the playing ability of the golfers. The most important rule for the committee is to establish these conditions of competition in advance and publish them in writing. Failure to establish the conditions of competition in advance opens the committee up to ridicule and accusations of favoritism.
Course Set Up
The committee that oversees the competition is responsible for setting up the golf course. This includes the yardage being played, green speeds, bunkers, the height of the rough, and pin locations. The committee should consider the playing ability of participants, the condition of the golf course, and the speed of the greens. The course setup should be fair. For example, one bad pin location can ruin a tournament (see video link below).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEtE5TII76E
Marking the Golf Course
The committee in charge of the competition is responsible for marking the golf course. It’s critical to ensure the entire golf course is completely and accurately marked. This includes penalty areas, out of bounds, ground under repair, and drop zones. When the course is not marked correctly and completely, the players are unsure how to proceed regarding the rules of golf. This puts the committee and the players in a different position.
On Course Administration
The committee oversees making on-course rule decisions, pace of play, assisting golfers on the course, and deciding when to stop and restart the tournament. Failure to keep the tournament on time will result in long rounds of golf, delayed awards presentations, and unhappy golfers.
Marketing the Tournament: How to get the players?
None of the above tournament skills are applicable if you don’t get the players. Promoting the tournament is critical to its success. Developing visually appealing marketing materials is critical to recruiting players. The materials are then distributed through social media, websites, email blasts, posted around the facility, and by word of mouth. Promote the purpose of the tournament on all materials to attract participants. Without the players, tournaments are unsuccessful.
What makes a tournament successful?
All the above, along with dozens of other tasks, need to be completed to ensure a great tournament. The players are keenly aware of how the event is conducted. A few other areas of importance to the players are the condition of the golf course, quick and easy registration, setting up the driving range, a detailed rule sheet, food and beverage, gift bags, prizes, scoring, and the awards presentation. It’s important that the tournament is well run, stays on schedule, is fun and/or competitive, and is handicapped fairly. Otherwise, players will not return if they have no chance to compete.
