OB Sports Golf & Leisure

OB SPORTS GOLF & LEISURE x SUMMER 2016 x obsports.com l HOW TO 2 Organization. Now that you have a location, a key factor (and one that is often overlooked) is the team around you. "We all lead busy lives so it's best to or- ganize and spread around the duties and responsibilities," McChristie said. "Have one person or team handle tournament promotion and getting players, have an- other work on sponsorships and dona- tions, while a third person or group works on day-of-the-event functions." Make sure you communicate with the golf course how many players you are ex- pecting so they can plan accordingly to best accommodate your group. 3 Communication. It's important to get the word out for your event. Years ago it was printing fliers and sending out invitations in the mail. Nowadays, Facebook posts, Tweets, Outlook invitations and E-vites can help you reach your target audience. Timing of the invitations is important as well. "Ideally, you want to give your players plenty of notice to mark their calendars for your event," McChristie said. "How- ever, with our fast-paced lifestyles, a shorter window of perhaps 45-60 days may be better in some cases to get maxi- mum turnout. It can be difficult to keep momentum going for your event over a longer period, as many of your golfers don't know what they are doing next week let alone six months from now." 4 Participation. While tee sponsors, hole-in-one sponsors and event sponsors are great for your bottom line, never lose your focus when it comes to enrolling as many golfers as possible. "With so much funding and budgets being cut in our schools, for our athletic teams, research, etc., there are more golf tournaments than ever trying to fill the fi- nancial void," McChristie said. "With plenty of events to choose from, competi- tion for golfers can be a big challenge." McChristie left us with these reasons why golfers will choose to play in your event: they like the course; they get a nice goodie bag; they can partake in fun con- tests; they have good auction items to bid on; and they feel the event is well run. BOOSTING YOUR BOTTOM LINE 5 When it comes to raising money for your organization or charity, think beyond the golf course for additional ways to raise revenues for your event. Not everyone plays golf, but everyone has to eat. Provide a separate dinner-only option for those who don't play golf or for spouses and others who want to support your event financially. These attendees can also result in more bidders for silent and live auctions and more raffle ticket sales, which will ultimately in- crease your charity's bottom line. One of the more outside-the- box ideas is a helicopter ball drop. As the name implies, numbered golf balls are sold to participants and then dropped from a helicop- ter over a hole, with the winning number getting the ball in the cup or closest to the pin for a grand prize. The beauty of this contest is that you can sell chances leading up to the event, as well as the day of. OUTSIDE THE BOX golfers head to their tees at langdon farms golf club, ranked by the portland business Journal as the no. 1 course to host a tournament or corporate event in oregon.

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