Okay, so you're an occasional golfer who can hold your own when invited to a business golf event. In fact, your boss knows that's the case, too—which is why you're chosen to attend those day-long business golf outings at the nice country clubs a few times each year.
But at some point, there's going to be a price to pay for that privilege. Because of your prowess, you might well be asked to create the golf itinerary for one of your company's off-site meetings. And if you aren't concerned about the complexity of such a task, well, you should be. You may not know this, but there is plenty of detail that goes into what seems as simple as sending everyone out on the course after the day's meetings are done, and then gathering them afterward for food, drink, entertainment, and prizes.
Taking Care of Business
If you're unlucky enough to pull double duty—meaning that you must assist with the business side of the meeting as well—it would be wise to contact not only a salesperson at the resort but a conference services manager (CSM) there, too. The job of a CSM is to help executives hit their meeting objectives by utilizing all of the features the resort has to offer, while staying within the meeting's budget. While you surely have some idea of how you want your meeting to run, remember that CSMs know their property best, and have seen what's worked and hasn't worked at meetings in the past.
Speaking of the past, if you can obtain records from similar meetings your company has run in previous years, it will help you decide how many guest rooms and meeting rooms to book, what kind of audiovisual equipment and props you'll need, how much food and drink to order, and most importantly, how much you'll want to spend on each.
Do keep in mind, though, that your negotiating clout increases if the meeting keeps most of its money within the property. In other words, if you are hosting nearly all of your food and beverage events at the resort, drinking at the bar and in hospitality suites, using the spa, and playing golf and tennis on property, then you may well be able to negotiate a substantial discount on your room rate and other aspects of the meeting.
Once the line-item budget is prepared, the CSM will help you create an itinerary for your event. With most events, there are afternoon arrivals on day one, followed by an opening reception that evening. Then it's time to get down to business.
On the advice of many CSMs and pro shop staffers at resorts around the country, any meeting that wants to squeeze in sizable helpings of golf should start early each morning. There are two ways to approach scheduling: For one, the group can secure a seven a.m. shotgun start, followed by a working lunch and an afternoon of meetings. On the other hand, the group can have a seven a.m. breakfast, a half-day of meetings, either a quick sit-down lunch or a prepared boxed lunch handed to attendees, and then it's off to the course for a one p.m. shotgun start.
For days when you want to present leisure options other than playing golf, or for evenings when you must create a special event that sticks in people's minds, using a local destination management company (DMC) is a wise idea. A DMC can help planners organize just about any off-site event, and the transportation that goes with it; they know all the options an area has to offer. In fact, DMCs can even set up terrific themed events right at the resort where your group is staying, which means there's no need to book transportation.
Put More Greens in Your Diet
At this point, you might be thinking, "Forget circus tents, rodeos, jeep tours, and all the other themed stuff—my people want golf." Well, okay, but remember that this still won't be a walk in the park for you. On the bright side, though, most resorts are ready to help you with this task just as readily as they will help with the business portions of your meeting.
So the first thing to do once you book your meeting is to contact the pro shop at the resort, because the more time you give the tournament directors to create your golf itinerary, the better. The first rule of thumb: If your event is 36 or more players, you should give the pro shop at least 90 days to begin coordinating your event. Especially if you are going to a resort in high season, you will need to give that much advance notice in order simply to secure tee times, never mind coordinating the rest of the details.
Most resort pro shops will assist a group that has 16 or more players, and can accommodate as many as 144 players on a course for a single event. Groups generally need to have at least 64 players to secure a shotgun start on a course, though the figure can be flexible depending on the season and the time of day. Otherwise, there will be a staggered start from the first tee, or a dual start from the first and 10th tees if the event begins early in the morning.
There are two considerations to make when pairing foursomes for the event. The first is individual handicaps. By submitting everyone's handicap early in the process, the pro shop can determine which format would be best for your group (scramble, modified scramble, low ball, etc.). It also lets the shop figure out who should be paired with whom so that the event is competitive, or at least so that no groups consist of four novice players, which can ruin the pace of play.
The second consideration with pairing groups and assigning the playing order for a corporate group is more subtle, but very important. One meeting planner for a major pharmaceutical company notes that with the many off-site meetings and golf events she creates, there are always political overtones she must be aware of.
"With a shotgun start, you have to be mindful of whom you send out to particular holes," she says. "Your VIPs should start either on hole number one or number 10, so their round begins and ends at natural points on the golf course. You don't want them to have to drive their cart for 10 minutes just to start their round, and then do that again when they finish." And with a staggered start, where each group tees off on hole number one 10 minutes apart, the planner advises that VIPs be among the first few groups to go out. "It's just not a good idea to make them stand around the range for an hour while others have already started," she says.
Another observation she makes: "Senior execs don't necessarily want to be booked into a particular foursome before the meeting. They often want to see who asks them to play, or they'll wait until the last minute to see who they'd like to play with." So remember to ask the bigwigs before the event whether they'd like to keep their playing options open until the day of play.
With the format and pairings established, it's time to get to the rest of the details. The reason that you'll need about 90 days to coordinate the event is because you must gather information from attendees and relay it to the pro shop on the need for rental clubs and/or shoes, and everyone's golf shirt size and hat sizes, so you can create giveaways with your firm's logo on it.
Three months also gives you time to secure prizes not only for the event's winning foursome, but also for the winners of the long drive, straight drive, and closest-to-the-pin contests. Plaques and crystal can be customized with your firm's logo, the year of the event, the name of the resort, and the category for which it was won, but these must be ordered a minimum of eight weeks in advance.
A safer bet with prizes, though, is to simply use the resort's pro shop as your source. "A lot of people buy prizes through our shop; it's quite convenient because you don't have to worry about awards and prizes being shipped late or with mistakes," says Stuart Evans, corporate sales manager for the 620-room Westin Innisbrook Golf Resort in Palm Harbor, FL. "Also, if you give gift certificates, people can choose whatever they want—clothing, shoes, equipment, lessons, whatever." What's more, you can be fairly sure that the pro shop staff will look after you and your group extra well if your prizes and awards are coming mostly from their inventory.
Next, you need to plan for providing food and beverage to your players. Most resorts have refreshment carts roaming the course, though players sometimes won't see one for several holes. In light of this, contract with the pro shop to have enough carts on the course so that players don't go more than three holes without being offered food and drink. Also, let players know either that the organization has a running tab, or that they must pay for what they consume. Be careful with the first option, though, since any on-course accident or injury that occurs due to consumption of alcohol could leave you and your company liable.
Once play ends, there should be a post-tournament cocktail reception and dinner where you'll be doling out the loot to winners. It's best that these events are informal; the cocktail reception should start right after the last group comes in, and be close enough to the scoreboard that players can eat, drink, and mingle while the pro shop staff posts the scores. Then, rather than having a formal sit-down dinner and awards ceremony, something like a buffet or a barbecue with carving stations would be a better idea, especially since folks won't have much time to freshen up or even change out of their golf attire. Besides, they're probably going to be a bit tired.
Don't Overlook Plan B
Remember that all of this planning will go out the window if the weather doesn't cooperate on the day of the event. To combat this, you must have backup plans to keep people occupied. For instance, a resort's ballroom can quickly and easily be configured to become a putting course where you can run a mini-tournament. Or the pro shop staff can set up mats and nets in the ballroom, and critique players' swings and give personalized lessons as they watch folks hit balls into the nets. At the same time, have the pro shop bring into the ballroom a few televisions with DVDs, and show highlight videos of memorable pro tournaments.
In the end, expect to pay anywhere from $150 to $250 per person for what resorts call the "tournament services" package, which includes greens fees and carts, player pairings, tournament scoring, complimentary range balls, access to member locker rooms, and assistance in the event's coordination. Of course, the awards and prizes, refreshment carts, and other amenities will cost extra, though they are negotiable.
So there you have it—a blueprint for both work and play that's sure to make the boss happy, and sure to make you look good to the boss.
SIDEBAR
Quick Tip
With time being a valuable commodity during a resort meeting, don't forget the option of having a nine-hole event over one or more days. Many business groups will meet from nine a.m. to three p.m., then play nine holes afterward. Or, in desert and tropical locations, many groups will tee off at seven a.m., then start their meetings at 10 a.m. One more idea: night golf. Many courses will string lights in the trees along the first and 18th holes and break out the glow-in-the-dark balls, so golfers of all skill levels can have fun together, all while drinks and hors d'oeuvres are served.