Spring is here and now is the time to plan your outdoor events. Golf events are among the most popular corporate sponsored events. A golf event allows the host to conduct business meetings outside of the office, often times reducing the prospect’s defense walls and commanding the attention of the decision maker for an entire day. Most importantly, a golf event allows you to further build relationships with clients and employees.
Just as you would for a meeting, establish an agenda to include a formal business message delivered prior to anyone getting into a golf cart. Most attendees would expect to hear a relevant presentation, but do attempt to keep the message brief. General rule of thumb is that this is the event kickoff and shouldn’t exceed 30 minutes.
When planning a golf event, the following should be considered:
• Set a budget. Your budget should be considerate of green fees, event promotions, food and beverage, the cost of any non-playing attendees and any prizes you wish to give away.
• Determine the maximum number of attendees. Include your guests and individuals you intend to invite from your organization. This should include your host players and non-golfing staff.
• Select the location and time of your golf event. The most popular tee times are 8AM and 1PM. Be considerate of travel times to and from the golf course and ensure that the facility has an adequately sized clubhouse for your event.
• Develop an agenda. Build in time for your welcoming message and closing ceremonies, if applicable. If your event includes 18-holes, make sure to build in time to break for lunch.
• Send out invitations. You’ll need to present a final count to the course, so make sure you state all of the details of the event, provide the event agenda, and an easy way to RSVP on the invitation. Many hosts choose to elect an online event registration form.
• Determine food, beverage and prizes. Continental breakfast and boxed lunches are among the easiest choices. Popular prizes include a sleeve of golf balls, golf shirts, golf accessories and trophies.
• Select the event format. Scramble and Best Ball are the most popular formats for golf events. Scramble allows each player to tee off and the play continues from the best tee shot. Best Ball allows each player to play their own ball, but the best score in a foursome is recorded.
• Invite guests and determine pairings. A host player should be included with every foursome. Pairings are typically due to the golf course 24 hours prior to the event.
Looking for ways to make your golf event one-of-a –kind? Try adding a theme to your event to encourage the fun!
GUEST POSTING BY: Melissa Gutschmidt, programs coordinator at Proforma
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