Golf takes too long. It’s difficult to play. Attendees would rather go to the spa…
The list of reasons for avoiding golf at meetings and incentives these days is longer than a five-foot putt.
Golf’s popularity has waned somewhat since the boom years of participation in the 1990s, but it remains one of the best ways to boost morale, foster camaraderie and provide a fresh-air reprieve from meeting rooms, laptops and smart phones.
“Golf has always been a great vehicle for enhancing business relationships and it offers socialization opportunities you can’t get with other activities,” says Bill Colvin, president of Colvin Sports Network, a Cleveland, Ohio-based company specializing in designing and implementing corporate event programs.
Mark Goodwin, director of group sales for Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island, S.C., believes golf events help break down barriers at meetings.
“No other sport can bring people together so quickly and there are so many different types of golf events that don’t require a huge time commitment,” Goodwin says.
To increase participation and create excitement, golf directors, resort executives and golf meeting specialists have developed a wide range of events and activities to address the problem of non-participation in group golf activities.
Enticing Events
The least intimidating part of a golf course is the putting green, and since even the most bewildered beginner can putt a ball, the greens are a popular venue for fun, time-saving golf events that every attendee can enjoy.
“It’s so non-threatening and we often have cocktail hour on the putting green with a bar, appetizers and a light-hearted competition,” says Erin Fitzsimmons, business development manager for PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties, which oversees 32 golf courses in the TPC network. “It puts people outdoors and is a great venue for socialization.”
Resort executives realize most attendees have played miniature golf, so many have created their own hybrid version of the game.
“Typically staged before meals or functions, we turn all the putting greens into obstacle courses,” says Michael Royer, group sales manager for Palmetto Dunes Resort, an oceanfront Hilton Head Island, S.C., property with three 18-hole championship golf courses. “Fun is the main objective and we use props like plastic pink flamingos, planters and trees to create a unique setting.”
Beyond the putting green, other popular events appealing to newcomers and lesser-skilled players are night golf with glow-in-the-dark balls, trick-shot artist demonstrations, golf simulator competitions, two- or three-hole competitions accompanied by an instructor, swing analysis sessions at the range with a computerized launch monitor and golf jargon trivia contests at the clubhouse lounge.PageBreak
Innovative Ideas
Golf is difficult to learn and play proficiently. For many people, it’s a threatening and anxiety-inducing pursuit—and resorts are responding with an interesting mix of activities to combat this reality.
Crystal Springs Resort in Sussex County, N.J., which has seven golf courses, recently introduced Footgolf, a game combining soccer and golf. The hole is expanded to accommodate the soccer ball, players keep score like in traditional golf, and it only takes about two hours to play a round.
“Footgolf is easy to learn and there’s more willingness to play by people who are intimated by the entire traditional golf experience,” says Art Walton, vice president at Crystal Springs Resort.
The most worrisome shot in golf for beginners is the drive off the tee or other long-distance shots. To alleviate anxiety, the Princeville Makai Golf Club in Kauai, Hawaii, offers the EZeeGolf Program. Using a specially designed club, players determine yardages and pull a trigger so the ball is automatically struck. Golfers then use traditional clubs for shorter shots, such as putting and chipping.
For beginners who’ve never even picked up a club, some resorts offer the SNAG Golf system, which uses oversize plastic clubs, tennis balls, Velcro targets and other training aids to introduce the game to newbies in an easygoing, fun, non-threatening environment.
Golf 101
Placing bewildered, anxious beginners on a championship 18-hole golf course is a recipe for disaster. Frustration, not fun, will be the more-likely result.
Before hitting the course in earnest, a casual, but well-planned orientation is a must for golf-challenged attendees.
At Cordevalle in San Martin, Calif., home to the PGA Tour’s Frys.com Open, the staff of seven golf professionals has developed a variety of methods to ease the anxiety for beginners.
“Many of our guests are high-level executives from Silicon Valley who are more focused on work than play,” says Jeff Holland, Cordevalle’s director of sales and marketing. “They simply don’t have time to play golf often.”
Cordevalle offers etiquette lessons on the basics of the game as well as “Sips and Tips” and “Grip, Rip and Sip” events in which attendees venture on to the course with a golf pro, enjoy a libation and camaraderie, and receive hands-on, one-on-one tutelage from a golf professional.PageBreak
At the PGA Village Resort in Port St. Lucie, Fla., home club for more than 27,000 PGA of America Professionals, a “Get Golf Ready” program introduces people to the game through a series of short lessons, about 20 minutes each, starting with putting and ending with the full swing.
“Everyone can putt, but even beginners love to take a full swing with a driver,” says Holly Taylor, director of the PGA Learning and Performance Center at PGA Village. “One good drive and they might get hooked on golf.”
Colvin cautions against over-instruction for new players about to tee up in a corporate tournament.
“It’s well-intentioned to offer a clinic or instruction prior to the event, but you must keep it short and focused or the players will have way too much to think about on the course and the results might be the opposite of what you envisioned,” he says.
Time Issues
“Today, groups take a closer look at spending five hours on the golf course because time is so valuable at meetings,” Walton says. “We’ve adapted by offering golf as an activity that you can play and enjoy as long as you want.”
Increasingly, golf resorts have a creative list of time-saving events that incorporate golf but don’t require a full round that can sometimes take up to seven hours when followed by a lunch or meal function.
Better still, many of the events are entertaining and fun for both newcomers and skilled golfers.
“We do quick group clinics in 30 minutes or less if necessary, and also in casual environments like a group cocktail party or coffee breaks to maximize their time while keeping it fun for the participants,” says Jeffery Ford, director of sales at the Omni Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va. “Having a golf pro available for tips at a group’s coffee break is a great way to promote the game while providing a relaxing break for attendees.”
At Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head, S.C., a telecommunications group of 50 with limited time recently staged a two-hole event on the celebrated Harbour Town Golf Links course, home to the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage tournament. The event lasted 90 minutes and a big-name PGA Tour pro made a surprise visit to play a hole with the attendees.
“It was a huge success and gave people a chance to experience a great course they otherwise wouldn’t have had time to play,” Sea Pines’ Goodwin says.
Edward Schmidt Jr. is an Orlando-based writer who’s better at writing about golf than playing the game.
