The following is an interview with Chris Obert.  Chris is PGA member and head golf professional at Millwood Golf and Racquet Club in Springfield, MO.  He has run over 500 corporate and charity related golf tournaments.  He knows his stuff when it comes to making people happy on the golf course.  I hope you enjoy.  

What common mistakes do you see people make when organizing their golf tournament?

They pay too little back to players or to not enough players.  Committees can sometimes get caught up on the present event and how much they are raising for their charity and do not stay focused on the future of their event.  If they keep future participation in mind and give back to those participating, they will continue to grow their event year after year. 

Do you see the same problems with corporate events? 

Corporate events rarely have this problem since the host company usually doesn’t charge an entry fee and covers all expenses for a wonderful day of golf, food and beverage.  At times I have seen corporate events cut corners and not host beverages on the course, this can be a disappointment to clients they are entertaining.  If you plan on winning over your current or future customers, don’t cut corners.  Make a great impression on your clients by giving them a small gift on their cart seat (Preferably a Towel, Repair Tool or Sleeve of Balls) with the course logo you are playing that day or your company logo.  This always makes a great first impression.   

What common threads do you see with events that do well year after year? 

Tee gifts, big or small will immediately get your participants attention.  But remember this, if do it once, they will expect it in the future.  Keep this in mind when deciding how much you want to spend and don’t try to over impress every year.  Keep the gifts simple and consistently priced from year to year.  Make sure to give a gift that will not be left in the cart and thrown away at the end of the event by the course staff while cleaning carts.  Players will tend to hold on to course logo items, accompany the course logo with your company or charity logo.  It will cost a little extra for the second logo, but your items will not be left behind. 

Can you typically get what you need at most pro shops? 

Yes, you can consult the PGA Professional or Course Tournament Director for ideas, pricing is usually better through them since they are making profit on guest fees, food, beverage and gift certificates.  Most courses will make only 10-15% or less on these extra tee gifts as a service to you and to keep you returning to their facility for years to come.  After the first year, the course will have your logo on file for the future gifts to make this a simple process from year to year.

What is the best time of year for groups to hold their event? 

It is very important to contact your desired facility to book your event before the first of the year.  Most courses that host events will book up prior to the end of January.  Expect to have a Monday event day if you choose a private facility.  If you are starting a new event, it is best to get into a good facility and be less demanding on the date, rather than allowing your exact date to determine the course.  In the years to follow, you can advise the Professional or Tournament Director that you would like to move your event to a different date if one opens.  Most courses will have repeat tournaments that will have preference on their date. 

Is it that tough to get a date you really want?  

Once you establish that you are viable event with good participation (100+ Players) you soon will have the date you desire at a great facility.  Once you have established a desirable date at a good course, try to keep it on that same date from year to year so that your participants and sponsors can anticipate it. FYI:  Some charities prefer to take early dates in the year so that corporate donations they are looking to acquire will not be depleted.  You must contact those companies as soon as you have an established date, time and location to best achieve your charity goals.

     
Given that groups ultimately want to raise money, do you ever discourage people from signing up too many players/teams which may really slow down the pace of play?

First of all, charity events must realize that the majority (90%) of their goal must come from corporate and individual contributions.  They must promote these sponsors as much as possible to get them to sponsor their event in the future.  If you are promoting these companies or individuals you must have as many players participating as possible to make their donation viable.  I do see events make this mistake and their events are usually short lived.  Committees have an obligation to these companies sponsoring their event to get as much participation as possible.  Most sponsors will be participating in or will be at the event, therefore impress them by getting adequate participation and recognizing them.  Most companies sponsor a lot of events throughout the year; they will choose the best events to sponsor in the future.  With that said, I see events that consistently have 100+ players rarely having a problem getting sponsorships from year to year.  Promote, Promote, Promote your sponsors and follow up with them after the event to thank and inform them of your success in raising money for the charity.  This is a great time to get verbal commitments for the next year.

What complaints, if any, do you consistently hear from players regarding their day?

Complaints are rare; after all, they just spent the morning or afternoon at the course instead of the office. But, they don’t want to spend too much time at the course. Pace of the entire event is crucial to get repeat participation. Having a barber at the turn is not a good sign that your event runs smoothly. Here are a few things to avoid at your event to make sure the day does not drag on for your participants:

 

1. Long Drives, Closest to Pins, Longest Putts are okay to have as long as you don’t have a volunteer out on the course nickel and dimming each player and slowing down the pace of play.  Put out your self service signs (Provided by the Course) on the green and move on.  Having players pay to hit extra shots on holes is an obvious pace problem.  If you want to collect extra dollars for these special contests, have a package for $20 at registration.  Slowing down play with volunteers is mostly disruptive to the event.  Volunteers are best used to deliver cold towels to players, spotting balls on difficult holes to help with the pace or just driving around thanking the players for participating.

2. Photo shoots are great but please do it on a Par 3 Tee that most players will have to wait at anyway.  Ask the course Professional what hole this could be.  Your participants will appreciate it and will have better smiles for the pictures.

3. Start on time.  Registration for your players before the start in a timely manner will make this possible.  Make sure when your players sign-up to play they understand the start time and that this is the time play will begin.  You would be surprised how many think this and act surprised when they pull up and carts are leaving the staging area.

4. Having food and beverage after golf is essential to a successful event.  Make sure you pick good food, this is your last impression of the day and you need these players back next year.  They must go away from your event “With a Good Taste in Their Mouth”.   If you have more than 50 – 60 players at your event, demand to the food and beverage staff to have a double sided buffet.  This will move your players through quickly and get them on their way.  Although sit down plated dinners are nice, players want to eat, find out who won and be on their way.  I find that double sided buffets get this accomplished swiftly.  FYI:  If pace of play on the course is too slow, some players will not stay to eat because of time restraints and that is money you are wasting and those players are disappointed.

5. Don’t drag out your awards presentation.  Make sure the course staff gets the results completed as quickly as possible and please don’t choose a game for the day that will take a lot of time to determine the winners.  Ask the course staff their opinions on your game choice to make the event run smoothly.