Tournament Talk Takeaways

In April we were fortunate to bring PGA Professionals David Engram of Mirabel Golf Club, Casey Brozek of Crystal Lake Country Club and Brian Crowell of Silo Ridge Field Club onto the podcast to talk about some of their best practices when it comes to hosting everything from a Monday corporate outing to a larger scale special event. Included below are a few answers transcribed. Listen to the full podcast here:

On communication with staff:

Brian Crowell: I think not only is communication key, but also involving them. Rather than telling the superintendent how you see the shotgun unfolding, involve them in the process earlier by saying, ‘What do you think is going to provide the best product?' It all comes down to the result of the event. Whether it is the superintendent, or the chef, or the general manager, the bottom line is you need to get all of their creativity involved. It is surprising how many great ideas come from other departments. Rather than saying, ‘This is what we are going to have for dinner.' - The chef could consider asking all of us what we would like to see. Another example is instead of the golf pro saying, ‘This is the prize I am going to give.' Maybe they should say ‘What would you like to see if you were going to an event like this?' I believe that everybody getting on the same page and sharing ideas will lead to the strongest event.

Simple additions to create more revenue for the client:

Casey Brozek: The other thing that we do often, especially if it is a charitable event, is my staff or I will go out and hit shots on a par 3. Just a simple beat the pro... We often get feedback saying, “We have been to other clubs and have never gotten that type of involvement from the staff. This helped us raise another $5,000.”

Outside the box events:

David Engram: I have two events I would like to speak about. Maribel has started a college event in September every year. That is the tournament I always look most forward to running. I have a passion for college golf and I think our members do too - I think every one of our members is a college graduate from some place so it is an opportunity for them to fly their colors a little bit. Then two days after that tournament is over in September I will be escorting a few of our members over to Italy. We do a big international trip every other year. I am sure we will have a skins game - and it ends up being a fun event. I am fortunate to be able to travel and see the world with my members.

Outside the box gift ideas:

Brian Crowell: One of the things I think of as a great idea is - instead of offering a $50 gift card to the pro shop, clubs could offer a $50 gift card for a delivery of a bouquet of flowers back to your significant other. This ties that other person into the whole experience and it shows appreciation to that significant other for letting the golfer sneak away and participate in that event. Because I know that I am speaking to a lot of people who perhaps don't need another golf shirt, but could really get a lot of mileage out of sending a bouquet of flowers to their spouse. Many times you can work it out with a local retailer so there is still some margin.

Learn how VGM Club can help you prepare a tournament package by contacting your VGM Club rep or visiting www.vgmclub.com.