Putting Your Team Together

Article #3 in a series on Golf Tournament Planning

By: Judy Knelly, Special Events Coordinator, Sugarloaf Golf Club Inc

We all have strengths and weaknesses and it’s your job to “exploit” those traits in your volunteers. In my previous article (First Things First) I suggested you keep your committee structure fairly simple by keeping your “management” team at you and two “department” heads. Sounds like you’re running a business, doesn’t it? Choose your chairs carefully…you need two people you are comfortable working with and who will persevere. Remember, this isn’t a once and done type of fundraiser and your volunteers will be expected to get out in the community and muster up all the contacts they have. Many things need to fall into place to make a successful event and your first priority should be to draft solid hard-working team members.

Sponsorship Team

Determine sponsorship opportunities
Prepare sponsor letter
Organize volunteers to solicit businesses & individuals
Be sure volunteers “follow-up”
Determine if a hole-in-one contest will be part of the event
Secure insurance or sponsorship for above
Collect gifts
Coordinate any advance ticket sales for prizes/raffles
Secure sponsor signs & advertiser program
Price & order any player gifts (tee-shirts, etc)
Send sponsor thank you letters

Tournament Team

Determine format & price
Prepare tournament flyers
Distribute flyers to volunteers
Determine on course contests and secure volunteers
Prepare a “day of” schedule
Secure volunteers for registration
Secure volunteers for set-up & cleanup
Co-ordinate registration with golf course
Determine when payment is expected
Prepare “goody bags”
Send player thank you letters with “save the date” cards for next year’s event

Once you have chosen committee chairs, give them clearly defined objectives. Here are a few ideas:

Sponsorship Team Chair/Tournament Team Chair
Assign tasks with clear objectives
Communicate progress to you
Reconcile income and expenses

Consider one more position that can make a huge difference in every aspect of your event planning…Call on one of your volunteers who is computer literate and has the time to coordinate your email lists and do any online planning. This person should work with your golf course planner to coordinate joint efforts at internet marketing. I think this could make the difference in so many areas of your planning, from finding sponsors, keeping in touch with your committees and registering more golfers.

FYI …You have a few responsibilities, too!

Follow your timeline! (we’ll provide a sample timeline in a future article)
Communicate with Chairs/track progress
Address any committee concerns promptly
Disseminate information as needed
Communicate with golf course events coordinator
Coordinate Publicity
Prepare documents & final reconciliation of all income & expenses for post-tournament meeting
Thank committee chairs & volunteers

I found this to captivating.  Check it out!!!

“Lessons to the Links”

Golf Clinic

Beginning Monday, June 13^th from 5:30 to 7:30

(No Clinic the week of July 4th)

Finally…a golf package that makes sense for beginners!  Our all-inclusive “Lessons to the Links” clinic will start you off with instructions from our teaching Pro Mike Dulina and take you through the golf swing over the course of the 8 week program.  Midway through, you will begin to learn about the Rules of Golf and etiquette and you’ll move onto the course for on-course instruction that will you’re your game to the next level.  The clinic includes 16 hours of lessons and/or playing lessons, golf & cart for playing lessons, use of the range anytime during the entire framework of the lessons (7 days a week…not just on the day of your lesson).  Bring a friend & a 5% discount is available for both!  Bring two or more friends and your entire group will receive a 10% discount.  The all-inclusive price is $249.00.  Space is limited, so call the pro shop for details and sign up soon!  570-384-4097.

First Things First

Article #2 in a series on Golf Tournament Planning

By: Judy Knelly, Special Events Coordinator, Sugarloaf Golf Club Inc                                                                                                                Expert Author, ezinearticles.com

Your Goals:   RAISE MONEY, get organized, choose committees, gather information

Before you schedule your first official meeting you will need to do some homework.   A little planning can start you off on the right foot and clearly define the contributions you expect from your committee members.  I recommend putting your goals on paper and giving your volunteers a preliminary outline of your strategy.  It might look something like this:

Tournament Planning Outline

1. Select Committees
   1. Sponsorship committee – charged with determining sponsorship opportunities, preparing sponsorship letter,  distributing letter to all volunteers,  obtaining a large prize & insurance (if desired), collecting sponsorships & gifts-in-kind, follow up calls, signage,  post-tournament sponsor thank you letter, assisting event committee with distributing event flyers, finding golfers & participating in day-of-event volunteer needs.
   2. Event Committee – charged with preparing & distributing event flyers, signing up golfers,  pre-tournament press releases, photos & post-tournament press release, obtaining small gifts or tee shirts as handouts to golfers, setting up volunteers for tournament prep, registration  and “spotting” on holes for on-course contests, sending thank you notes to golfers & assisting sponsorship committee with obtaining sponsors, door prizes and gifts.
   3. Communication is key!
      1. Two committee chairs act as Secretary & Treasurer for event.  Treasurer collects all donations & entry fees, pays all expenses and prepares reconciliation for final tournament meeting after the event.   Secretary prepares email list and communicates with all volunteers regarding progress of entries & sponsorship and coordinates press releases.
      2. Email list – all committee members should be kept abreast of progress with a weekly email.  All updates & information should be directed to you as (tournament chair) and you will send weekly email updates to all volunteers.
      3. Select golf course and date

This outline should really help get everyone off on the right track.  Volunteers are usually excited to be a part of a fundraising event and getting them organized at the early planning stages is key (we’ll talk about keeping volunteers motivated in a later installment).  You will need to select your chairpersons carefully.  Probably the best advice is to look for organized people with lots of contacts.   You should also make sure your volunteers have something to offer besides manning a registration table.  Make sure they are willing to talk your tournament up to neighbors, relatives and coworkers.  They shouldn’t be timid about asking everyone they know for sponsorships, donations and players!  They should be available to attend planning meetings and help during crunch time the last two weeks leading up to the tournament.  Remember…..

Your Committee & Volunteer Goals:

#1 GOAL IS TO RAISE FUNDS!

The last task you should do before your preliminary meeting is to contact several golf courses.  Here are some things to consider:

1. What will our golfers be willing to pay for an entry fee?  Green fee & cart packages can vary substantially between weekdays and weekends.  Ask the courses if the offer packages or discounts for off-peak times.
2. Will you have lunch, beverages, prizes & an awards banquet?  Ask for those prices.
3. What dates are you considering?  Ask the course for several options if you aren’t tied into a specific date.
4. What services does the course provide?  What additional charges can you expect?  Many courses offer comprehensive planning assistance and others don’t.  Be careful ~ some courses charge for ancillary services such as scorekeeping and facility fees for banquet rooms.
5. Be specific.  Communicating your needs and expectations with the golf course event planner is important.

Once you have gathered this information, you should narrow the choices to two or three courses based on which fit your needs the best.   I would urge you to read all the articles in this Tournament Planning series BEFORE you have your first meeting.  Future articles will cover topics such as how to choose a venue how to keep volunteers motivated, and how to secure & retain sponsors.

Two hole-in-ones recorded in 10 days!

Gene Grobelny of West Hazleton aced the par three 17th hole on Tuesday May 10th for the THIRD time in his career.  This ace bring Gene’s total number of Hole-in-ones to five!  He used a pitching wedge from 120 yards.  The event was witnessed by Bill Schneider of West Hazleton and Fred Groce of Sugarloaf.

Not to be outdone, Todd Kos of State College PA carded an ace on the par three 7th hole on Sunday, May 15th.  Todd used a 4 Hybrid from 197 yards.  Todd’s ace was witnessed by Dan Youells, Marv Van Duzer and Jim Myers during the 22nd annual Hilltown Sportsmen’s Golf Classic.

It’s almost time for our Junior program to get going!

We will kick off this year’s Sugarloafer Gopher program with our re-organizational meeting on Monday, May 16th.  This year, we will have a picnic on the patio with hot dogs & hamburgers.  Our format will be the same as previous years.  Children ages 5 through 15 are welcome to become members of the Gophers.  The cost to join is $35.00 and the greens fee is $5.00 per round.   We will again offer our clinics this season, but with a few changes we will tell you about at the meeting.

Something New!

Here at Sugarloaf we think it’s important to respond to your needs and always look for ways to improve our business AND your experience here.  Lat year, a new US Golf Little League was introduced in our area.  It offers a competitive format unlike our casual approach to the gophers.   We made the decision to participate in the program this year and will have information available at the Gopher meeting for anyone interested in learning more about the program.   If you want more information before the meeting, please call John at 454-6324.  Registration is Saturday April 30th from 1 – 4 at Mickey’s Golf Center.   You will also be able to wait for our meeting on the 16th of May if you miss the April 30th registration.

Gopher Pre-registration

If you’d like to pre-register for the gophers, please send us an email and we will forward the application and schedule to you.  Questions?  Call Judy at 570-384-4097 or 570-956-0671

Hole-In-One News

DAVE HERRING of Mountaintop carded his first career Hole-In-One on Sunday, April 3rd here at Sugarloaf.  Dave aced the par 3 third hole which was playing at approximately 170 yards.  He used a 6 iron.  Witnessing the event was Joe Janc of Bear Creek.

Congratulations, Dave!

Thanks to all our Facebook Fans!

We just reached 300 fans on Facebook!  Remember for every 100 fans we get, one lucky Fan will receive a dozen TITLEIST PRO-V1 Golf Balls.

Congratulations to CLIFF THOMAS who just won the golf balls!

Don’t forget to tell your friends to “LIKE” Sugarloaf Golf Club on Facebook…we are on our way to 400 Fans and another dozen Balls to give away.

“Down with Brown”

By Patrick S. Knelly GCS

Sugarloaf Golf Club

Why is a golf course supposed to be emerald green? Is golf better or more fun when played on the best possible playing surface for the game, or is it a photo opportunity?  Does a deep, dark green, lush course play any better, or does it simply look a little better?  Golf originated in the fields of Scotland where Sheppard’s knocked rocks into holes in the ground.  Were these fields perfectly manicured and perfect in nature?  These are questions you may have never considered, but they are very important issues in the business of golf course maintenance.  This series of blogs is focused on environmentally sustainable management and this issue is at the heart of that movement.

It is often hard to separate the “look” or color of a golf course from it’s true playability.  I often find that the idea of color and playability are completely and totally separate from one another, despite that fact that most golfers think they are one and the same.  To illustrate my point, as I sit here typing this article, we are amidst another in a long line of horrific spring storms.  The course is saturated, puddles abound, and the ducks are happy!  The course is also green and lush and there is very little stressed turf.  Does that mean it’s in good condition for golf right now?  Most certainly not!  It’s soaked, and it will take us a few days to repair the washouts, drain the bunkers and low lying areas, and firm up the greens before the course will be back into good PLAYABLE condition.  But, it’s certainly green!  On the other hand, in the middle of a typical PA summer drought, the rough may be dry and brown, the turf may be stressed and turning all sorts of wonderful gray/purple/tan colors, it may not look green and lush, BUT the greens may be smooth and fast, the lies tight and crisp and the conditions for scoring may be just right.  So, it’s often hard to separate preparing a golf course for the game of golf from preparing it for a picture.

I struggle with this concept as much as the average golfer at Sugarloaf Golf Club, and I find myself wrestling with the decisions involved with this balance often.  It is difficult to purposely allow the course to not “look” as perfect as possible, even if I know that playability will not be negatively affected in any way.  The decisions to irrigate, fertilize, aerate, etc. all play a role in this balance and at times my eyes tell me to do one thing and my brain tells me another.

The popularity of televised golf events on pristine courses with unlimited budgets has convinced us the green/perfect is good.  While perfection is always the goal, it is nearly unattainable in the real world of maintaining 120 acres of natural terrain.  So, what is more important: looks or creating a great playing surface for golf?   We have made it a goal to put playability and enjoyment of the game of golf above all else.  We think it is important to limit unnecessary practices that only improve aesthetics.  This goal allows us to keep cost low and FUN high (which is why we all play the game!).   Next time things seem to be getting firm, dry, or brown, don’t forget to be “down with the brown” and focus on the great playability you are experiencing.