General Ideas                                                             back to 1001 ideas


Some ideas to think about when you start to plan your golf event:



How much golf? Before you organize 36 holes a day, be realistic about how much golf your group can handle and is interested in. Ask people’s opinions. Your crew may be studly enough for a 36 hole a day marathon but patterns like 36-18-36-18-36 give guys a chance to recover and also enjoy non-golf activities or relax by the pool.


Know your group's interests. Make sure you match the level of competitiveness with the interests of the participants. Serious bettors have no fun in a group that is more intent on loading up from the cart girl and looking for fun and laughs in the sun. On the flip side hackers have no fun when the bets are cranked up and tension is ratcheted up and every 8 inch putt needs to be lined up.
Comfortable Budgets. Make sure you match the budget interest of your participants. A luxury resort, fancy dinners, great wines in the hospitality suite, top courses with caddies and a big betting pool are all fun if that’s what the group wants. But if there is pressure at home not to run up the credit card while you’re away with the boys it can turn off participants and potentially keep them from signing up. Survey folks on their priorities and what a comfortable budget is.


Time driving on Course, Not on the road. Be realistic about how much driving around you want to do. Sure it is great to play every course within 50 miles of where you are staying. But time crammed in a van, in traffic, worried about making a tee time is not a benefit to anyone.


Early Birds or Sleep ins? Be realistic about how early people want to tee off. If everyone in the group is psyched to be up at 5 am and on the tee at 6:15 to kickoff a 36 hole day, that’s great. But 5 am comes very early after a night out partying or late night cards or having fun at the local Gentlemen’s Club. Maybe that mid-morning tee time doesn’t look so bad. It is all about understanding the expectations of your group so everyone has the experience they hoped for.
 

More Budget thoughts. Balance within your budget to match the group’s priorities. Are they willing to eat at burger joints because they want the name courses? Do they want top shelf booze in the hospitality suite? How many fancy dinners out do guys want or do they want a better hotel/resort? Are individual bedrooms a must or would people rather have a roommate and put the extra dollars into more golf? There is not a right answer, just the right answer for the folks in your group.


Communicate early and often. Not only does a steady stream of emails get the group psyched for your event. It sets expectations and gives plenty of time to react to questions or issues.  Ask for ideas and opinions (and give credit), it makes the participants feel a part of the event. Steer folks to your event’s OYGE web site whenever there is new information.


Express yourself! You need to give your participants a way to express their opinions. You will hear plenty during the event but a formal survey after the event gives you (hopefully) honest feedback on what worked and what needs improvement. It makes your group feel part of the process and their voices are being heard, and it  helps you plan for the next event. We share all the survey results with the entire group so everyone knows what the group is thinking.
               Click here for a sample survey OYGE events have used, obviously tune it to your event and needs.