Corporate Golf Event Planning: How to Maximize Event Revenue at Your Course

Golf is a test of skill and strategy. However, it’s also the perfect arena for conversation and sociability, whether on the green, in the golf cart or over a meal at the clubhouse.

The social aspect of golf makes it ideal for business activities like networking and team building. (After all, you can’t hash out the fine print of a contract through a hockey mask.) Case in point: 90% of Fortune 500 CEOs play golf, and 80% of execs say playing golf enables them to establish new business relationships.

With that in mind, corporate golf event planning should be a top priority for course managers at private and public facilities. In this article, we’ll share a few insights on how to create a memorable corporate golf event while maximizing revenue.

• Why are corporate events important for driving revenue?
• Amazing corporate golf events start with amazing golf experiences
• Nail your pricing structure
• Create memorable interactions throughout the day
• Sponsor tents, pop-up shops and F&B stands
• Leverage golf tournament management technology
• Delight corporate golf event participants with small details
• Maximize food and beverage sales
• Planning corporate events, without the golf

What are corporate golf events?

Corporate golf events are one-day tournaments booked by companies, charities and other organizations. They may have several functions, from networking to fundraising to team building.

A typical corporate golf event involves many attendees and requires a full day at your facility. They usually combine:

• Golf
• Food and beverage
• Reception
• Auctions and charitable talks
• Presentations, conferences and seminars
• Other breakout activities

Because of this, these corporate golf event planning requires a careful coordination of efforts and flawless execution across your facility.

Why are corporate events important for driving revenue?

Corporate golf event planning is an initiative that operates entirely apart from daily-fee golf. Golf facilities can charge a range of flat-rate packages and charge a premium based on the types of services rendered.

Golf managers and executives can build these packages based on several criteria and can market them to a customer base that is willing to spend to deliver an amazing experience for their guests, employees and/or donors.

Amazing corporate golf events start with amazing golf experiences

You can have all the perks and amenities you want, but a great golf event will always rely heavily on the on-course experience.

Event tournament structure

Corporate golf events are all structured in different ways, with common formats including standard, crossover and shotgun starts. For pace of play reasons, it’s rare for participants to play and score exclusively with their own ball.

Generally, groups of fewer than 36 players can follow a standard start, while big groups of 60 or more should use a shotgun start (in which groups start at different holes to save time).

Your tee sheet management software is key to ensuring the tournament runs smoothly, no matter what format you choose. Your software should allow you to easily adjust the play type, number of holes, tee time intervals and more, letting you tailor the corporate event to perfection.

On-course conditioning and set-up

It’s not as if every single golfer is going to be scrutinizing every mowing line, green imperfection and pin location, but a well-conditioned and properly set-up course leaves a lasting impression.

Coordinate with your greens keeping team, maintenance team and superintendent to:

• Aim for the best possible conditioning given the time, preparation window and weather conditions ahead of the event
• Discuss any problem areas on the course and potential workarounds
• Ensure all on-course signage (permanent and temporary) is up-to-date and accurate
• Tend to all teeing areas: functioning ball washers, replacement turf seed, clean sitting areas, empty garbage and recycling bins, etc
• Use easier, accessible pin locations and favorable tees with fewer forced carries to cater to beginners and keep things fun

Marshaling and pace of play

Any serious or casual recreational golfer who has played in a corporate and/or charity tournament knows one thing: pace of play can be glacial.

This is nobody’s fault, but simply the result of having golfers of wildly varying skill levels playing together, many of whom are complete newcomers who don’t know how to manage their own game.

In fact, out of all the golf-related elements of corporate golf event planning, figuring out an effective system for managing pace of play might be the most important. Here are some strategies to consider:

• Use formats like scramble, Texas scramble and best ball to level out the skill level in each group and give them the best chance of holing out more efficiently
• Use a team of marshals to constantly monitor and police the pace of play: prioritize known choke points, kind remind groups to keep pace and communicate constantly
• Ensure all course signage is clear and accurate to ensure that each and every group knows where to go
• Tools like Tagmarshal with golf cart GPS make it far easier for groups to monitor groups in front of them, understand if they are falling behind pace and for marshals to identify problem groups

Nail your pricing structure

With so many moving parts, corporate golf event planning can be financially complex. Major events will often require your entire facility and staff for most of the day, so it’s important to offer packages that cover expenses and justify shutting down daily fee play for the duration of the event.

When pricing your corporate events, be sure to:

• Research the prices and range of packages offered by competitors
• Offer a range of packages to suit different needs: premium offerings might include catering, open bar, practice facility access, valet parking, tiered food and beverage packages and more
• Factor in revenue-generating opportunities you can add on the day of the tournament such as equipment rentals, pro shop promotions, tee time packages for return visits, a cash bar for top-shelf items and more

Create memorable interactions throughout the day

Turning an ordinary corporate golf event into a premium, memorable experience is easier than you might think. It just takes an extra level of planning and consideration, making sure attendees feel valued from the moment they enter your facility to the moment they leave.

While your golf facility may not be the organization running the event, you are still playing host. Because of this, the effort you put in will certainly stand out to organizers as well as individual attendees.

Treat corporate players like VIPs: have greeters stationed at the arrival point to register players, take their bags and welcome them to the facility

Provide a dedicated coordinator: Allocate an experienced member of staff to coordinate the day and provide a sufficient number of marshals to facilitate play

Deck out your carts: Scorecards, tees, fresh towels, bottled water, GPS, Bluetooth speakers, live on-screen scoring and other in-cart perks can make a positive impression

Provide fun hole-by-hole contests: corporate tournaments can be less serious than other tournaments, which allows you to create fun contests throughout the day

Tempt players with prizes and silverware: collaborate with your point of contact from the organization to create a grand prize for the winner (and include a trophy to create a memorable experience)

Show live scoring: Display live tournament scores on TVs around the clubhouse, restaurant and golf carts is an effective way to impress guests. It’s also simple with the right golf course management software

Sponsor tents, pop-up shops and F&B stands

Corporate events and charitable tournaments sometimes have sponsor tents on different holes. And while event organizers handle finding and securing these sponsorships, it’s the golf facility’s job to manage:

• Where can tents/stations be set up around specific tees and greens
• Parking and transportation to specific holes
• Tent/station set up in the clubhouse

But these tents, stations and stands aren’t limited to sponsors! A key aspect of corporate golf event planning is figuring out how your facility can use stations on specific holes (as well as your halfway house) to generate revenue and improve the customer experience.

Food and beverage stands

Having food carts strategically located around your golf course is a great way to make food and beverages accessible while increasing your chances of making additional sales.

With Lightspeed Restaurant, you can take your system outside and have small kiosks or food stands ready for golfers. As is the case with Lightspeed Retail, you can also bring your terminal for a fast and contactless payments experience.

Pop-up pro shop

Putting your pro shop equipment right in front of golfers as they’re waiting to tee off drastically increases your chances of making a sale. With Lightspeed Payments, which is fully integrated with the Lightspeed platform, you can also take contactless payments with the mobile tap terminal.

Don’t waste precious time counting cash and reconciling statements—your energy is always better spent making sure you’re providing excellent customer service.

Leverage golf tournament management technology

Golfers today, especially younger players, have high expectations when it comes to golfing technology. If you want to provide a high-quality corporate experience, leveraging powerful tournament management technology is the way to go. (This will impress players while also making life easier for you, the organizer.)

Your course management software should integrate with a smart tournament management tool like Golf Genius, helping you save time, generate more revenue and deliver exceptional events.

For example, Golf Genius allows you to enhance the tournament experience with live scoring, TV leaderboards and more, bringing a wow factor that golfers won’t soon forget.

Delight corporate golf event participants with small details

Focusing on the overall comfort of attendees should be central to all your corporate golf event planning efforts. Delivering an exceptional customer experience is the surest way to secure future daily-fee bookings and to become a go-to for future corporate golf events.

1. Let golfers warm up at the driving range

Many golfers take tournaments seriously. Those with a respectable handicap will want to show off their skills and let their colleagues know who’s the king (or queen) of the green. To make sure they’re warmed up and ready to go, attendees may want to hit the driving range before they tee off.

Of course, dealing with your driving range while you’re running a tournament can be a bit tricky, but with driving range integrations you can more easily manage your various amenities.

As golfers arrive at your check-in station, you can easily process driving range purchases at the same time, printing dispenser pin codes on a player’s transaction receipt.

2. Offer quick mobile check-in

Corporate events tend to involve waves of attendees arriving at the same time. If your staff isn’t able to properly manage a sea of excited golfers, it can have a serious impact on the tournament experience.

In addition, your pro shop might not be adapted to allow dozens of people waiting in line to check in.

So, how do you prevent this issue? Two words: mobile check-in.

Your golf course management system should allow you to set your check-in outside near the bag drop-off. You can even transform your iPad into a self check-in kiosk to let players check themselves in without using their own device.

A streamlined check-in lets you process golfers at a much faster pace, which will give them more time to explore your amenities and make purchases at your pro shop or restaurant.

3. Distribute cart signs

If you’ve ever worked in a pro shop, you might have occasionally struggled to match golfers with the right cart while hosting a big tournament. This tedious process can waste valuable minutes better spent making the corporate tournament run smoothly.

Your tee sheet software should let you easily print cart signs for the entire tournament so golfers know exactly which one is assigned to them—even if you’ve set up your check-in outside. This helps minimize confusion and makes players feel extra welcome.

Maximize food and beverage sales

With big crowds of corporate attendees visiting your facility, you have an opportunity to make serious food and beverage profits throughout the event.

1. Establish catering partnerships

Your facility and staff might be capable of handling a busy all-day corporate event on its own. However, many facilities prefer to bring in external partners like caterers or food trucks, giving attendees a fun range of refreshment options.

You can leverage aspects of the event to negotiate a better deal with partners. For example, you could create a sponsorship deal with a local brewery or food truck, giving them a strong marketing opportunity while they supply their products or services for the event.

2. Offer pre-ordering

While making food and beverages accessible to golfers during a tournament is a great way to increase revenue, it can also become a logistical nightmare. With so many golfers on the course, the sheer volume of orders can seriously slow down the pace of play.

Providing an order ahead option helps you keep golfers on schedule, letting them pre-order food and beverages from anywhere on the course. You can display QR codes on golf carts, signs and scorecards to direct golfers to the pre-ordering page.

Crucially, letting golfers order from anywhere on the course spreads out demand and gives staff more time to manage orders during a busy event.

Planning corporate events, without the golf

Golf isn’t the only draw for corporate golf events, conferences, weddings and other events. As a golf course manager, you can provide valuable access to nature, tranquility and first-rate catering—attractions for golfers and non-golfers alike.

If your facility has an indoor space suitable for events or boardroom meetings, you might consider renting it out for general corporate events. Companies can have large budgets for such events, making them a great revenue-generating opportunity for your course.

If you’re looking to plan corporate events at your facility:

• Market corporate event services just like you would your golf services, via your website, email marketing, social media and physical media
• Set up the event space with a phone system, televisions, A/V equipment, projectors and screens
• Offer catered packages ranging from hot beverages to use of your restaurant
• Attract future players and members by distributing brochures and offering discounts for corporate attendees
• Collect customer data through your point-of-sale system and paper questionnaires

Turn your golf facility into a dynamic event venue

There’s no doubt that corporate golf event planning and tournament hosting are demanding jobs for golf facilities. However, they are also an effective way to attract new golfers, create word-of-mouth interest in your facility and generate revenue over a short period of time.

To ensure your golf course management system is set up for lucrative corporate tournaments, talk to one of our experts today.