Golf Event Management: How to Organize Successful Tournaments
By Frank Longabucco, Keiser University College of Golf Professor – PGA Certified Professional
Golf Tournaments have a profound impact on participants. The players are keenly aware of how the event is organized and managed. Well-organized, fair tournaments impact member retention, member expectations, attracting new members, and revenues. All golf clubs organize and manage golf events. This article will help you plan, organize, and run a successful event. However, it will not include all the countless tasks required to run a successful event.
How to Organize Successful Golf Tournaments
Begin with the 5 P acronym of Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance, and plan your event well in advance of the date. Start your checklist of tasks that need to be completed with the date of completion and who will complete the tasks. Early in the planning stages, a tournament committee is assembled. The committee is in charge of the competition. Each member of the committee has certain responsibilities. The most important task for the committee is to decide their position on all issues in advance and publish those positions in writing.
Define the Purpose of the Tournament
Early in the planning process, the committee will decide on the purpose of the tournament. Once the purpose of the tournament is decided, the committee can then decide on the conditions of competition. These conditions include but are not limited to format, eligibility, date, handicapping, prizes, and entry fees. The purpose of the event will affect these conditions of competition. The committee must consider many factors before deciding on the conditions. For example, if the purpose of the event is to raise money for a local charity, the format would most likely be a four-player scramble.
Developing a Budget
The committee will develop a budget for the tournament. This will include an estimate of the number of players multiplied by the entry fee, sponsorship sales, and other ways to raise money to determine revenues. Then, the committee will find a golf course and evaluate the cost of golf, food, beverages, prizes, advertising, and more. For a charity fundraiser, the event will have a positive income. Other events may just break even.
Golf Tournament Marketing and Promotion
An organized well-run event requires the proper number of players. All members of the committee are tasked with finding the golfers. An event information brochure is designed months in advance of the tournament and is distributed accordingly. The committee will design a specific plan, targeting the demographic market they seek to attract to the tournament. This may include advertising in golf magazines, at golf courses, on social media, and through local businesses. Word of mouth is also effective in getting commitments from golfers.
Golf Tournament Operations
The committee ensures the golf course is set up properly. Getting the yardage, green speeds, and hole locations right is the responsibility of the committee (with help from the PGA Professional). One bad hole location could ruin the tournament. Handicapping the event is critical to allow all the players in the tournament to have a fair chance to compete. Other tasks include but are not limited to putting out the proximity markers, hole signs, banners, morning announcements, setting up the driving range, and staging golf carts, just to name a few. Tasks should be broken down into a timeline.
Timeline
A timeline should be developed well in advance of the tournament. Prior planning prevents poor performance. Tasks should be assigned six months before the tournament and continue throughout the weeks and days leading to the event. Checklists are used the morning of, during, and after the tournament. Post-tournament activities include an awards ceremony, cleaning, and an after-action report.
Conclusion
Running a successful golf tournament requires a committee that is knowledgeable and experienced. I suggest seeking a facility with a PGA Professional. Ideally, the committee will secure a golf course with an experienced PGA Professional to guide them through the process, manage the tournament operations, suggest ideas, and answer questions.
Learn more!
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