20 MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT GOLF TOURNAMENTS

Questions from Golf Tournament Association of America members and answered by Phil Immordino, President of the GTAA.

1. How many golf tournaments are there in my area?
There are over 1 million golf outings in the US. On the average each golf course has 50 tournaments per year. Multiply the number of golf courses in your area by 50 and you will have a good average in your town.

2. How much does the average golf tournament raise?
The average event raises $5,000 net. There are events that raise $100,000 to $500,000 but it takes special ingredients.

3. What should be the goal of our first event?
It all depends on your needs and your potential. A conservative approach would be $5,000 but if you have big sponsors, set your sights bigger.

4. How can we raise big money?
The key to raising big money is big sponsors and big auctions and that starts with high demographics of your golfers.

5. How many volunteers should I have on my committee?
There are a lot of responsibilities. It is important to have 1 person in charge of each area; Chairman, Sponsors, Golfers, Gifts, Operations and marketing. Having other volunteers within each committee is recommended.

6. How do we motivate our volunteers?
Show them the vision, train them, hold them accountable, reward them and most important show them that you care about them.

7. What is the best tournament format?
There are 100 different ways to format a golf tournament. It depends on your objective and the caliber of your golfers. Beginners like scrambles, advanced golfers like best balls and Golf-A-Thons make the most money.

8. How do you keep a fast pace of play?
Many factors determine pace of play. Formats, course difficulty, course rangers, but the best thing is caddies.

9. How do you find the best golf course?
Golfers like something special, a course that they don’t get to play, a course in good condition and with good service. Try private if you can.

10. How do you get a good deal on a golf course?
If you bring a golf course other tournaments, they will make you a deal. Try the middle of the week in the off-season and in the afternoon.

11. How do you sell sponsors?
All companies want a return on investment. Turn your event into a marketing tool for sponsors.

12. How do you fill your field with golfers?
It’s all about relationships. Get 9 committee members to ask 4 friends to bring a foursome.

13. How many golfers play in the average event?
A sell out is 144 for an 18-hole course. 40 players is considered an event. The average number of players in an event is 80.

14. What is the average tournament fee?
We have seen tournaments as low as $45 and as high as $7,500. The average event is $125 per player.

15. How much should you charge to play in a tournament?
The goal is to sell out your tournament. Try to keep the fee as low as possible yet still cover your costs per golfer. Once you have sold out, then in future events you can raise the fees.

16. What if you have more than 144 golfers?
This is a nice problem to have. With more than 144 golfers you must either raise the rates, go to a course with 2 – 18 hole courses or do a morning and afternoon shotgun.

17. What is the best way to promote a golf tournament?
The key to promotion is networking. The more relationships that you have the more exposure you will receive.

18. How do you get really great gifts for golfers?
Buy any gifts that you want by putting a sponsors logo on it and including the cost in their sponsor package.

19. How long should it take to produce a golf tournament?
Give yourself 6 months to produce a golf tournament. You are working with volunteers and they only have limited time to give to you.

20. What if it rains?
Golf is an outdoor sport. If it really rains hard the golf course will reschedule it, but have a back up plan. Have some indoor activities planned.

For any other questions write pimmordino@gtaaweb.org