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Allison George Talks Tournaments, Fundraising, and More

Posted On: April 2, 2018 by ClubProcure in: Pro Shop

Allison George Talks Tournaments, Fundraising, and More

In our Pro Shop Newsletter, we asked what VGM Club could do to help you and your club put on great tournaments this golf season. We found that respondents were most interested in learning about the best practices used within our community. At VGM Club, we strive to not only offer solutions and savings, but also a community where members come together for thought leadership and innovative business practices. To deliver on our question of the month, we bring you one of the true all-stars in the golf industry: Allison George.

About Allison George

Known as the “Wizard of Fun” at her family’s course Allison George has managed Toad Valley Golf Course in Des Moines, Iowa since 2004. Since she has taken over, she has maximized her course’s potential by increasing the amount of rounds played at her course over the span of the past ten years. In 2015 she was even rated as the 8th most innovative person in the golf world by Golf Magazine.

We all know that participating in golf tournaments, golf outings, or other events is always an enjoyable experience. Maybe you sink the longest putt and win yourself some cash, or maybe you win a brand new golf bag at the raffle afterwards. However, organizing and managing one of these events can be challenging. For help on this, we brought in an expert to help clubs like you manage and organize your golf outings effectively.

Organizing and Planning a Golf Outing

As a result of her success, she has decided to start sharing her ideas and helping other courses manage and market their events.

“I probably have done thousands of golf outings in my life, whereas someone organizing an outing probably has done one. So what feels natural to me is completely not natural to other people. I try to put on that mindset of ‘If I have never done this before, what would I want to know before I start.’”

She focuses on golf outings and is an expert in helping outing coordinators not only run a golf outing, but also raise funds for the outing’s cause. Here are a few of her keys to success:

  • Know that most golf outing golfers only play once a year. They are not a normal golfer, so cater to that persona.
  • Build a strong donator database by requiring donators to give their information before they receive a donation. This gives her a list of contacts for potential leads to her golf course. If they are asking for a donation, they clearly need to raise money.
  • Teaching outing coordinators to not rely on hefty entry fees, but rather experiences, sponsorships or events within the golf outing to raise funds for the golf outing’s cause. If the outing’s golfers are having fun, then they will return to her course.

What Allison Does to Help

Allison writes and blogs about her thoughts and ideas on her own personal website at, www.theallisongeorge.com.

Her goal is to aid the organizers of these events and make them feel comfortable.

“I try to make people feel welcome, at ease, and that it is completely okay that you don’t understand all of the nuances of golf and golf outings. What I really care about is whether you are able to market, sell, and attract golfers. I don’t care about their actual golf skill set.”

She provides anything from creating mulligan tickets to providing important reminders and updates via automated email messages leading up to the day of the event. These updates keep an event coordinator on-task and remind them what they need to be focused on in order to be ready for the day of the event.

Allison has also refused to remain stagnant in her offerings, noting that she does what she can to create a really fun and relaxed environment for the golfers. She has even incorporated a new app that will allow golfers to check leaderboards throughout their day on the course with up to the minute results. “The app adds a level of gamification to the event which outing coordinators love.”

Don’t be afraid to use her tips and key takeaways during your course’s tournament season, and also don’t be afraid reach out to Allison for any help you may need with coordinating events at your club!

To learn even more about Allison George and how she assists golf courses and their events, visit her webpage at www.theallisongeorge.com. For more information on how VGM can help, visit our website at www.vgmclub.com or call 800-363-5480.

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