Hole In One Insurance News from Hole In One International

Dec
4

Holding an Auction at Your Golf Tournament

Posted by Kristen Hansen

Wondering how some golf tournaments are managing to fundraise hundreds of thousands of dollars? What if we told you it has to do with the inclusion of an auction? That’s right — unless you’re holding a major Celebrity-Am or Pro-Am which includes big-time sponsors, it can be extremely difficult to fundraise large amounts. Adding an auction to your golf outing is the key to achieve those big figures. In fact, many times auctions will make more money than the actual golf tournament itself!

Auctions are not only extremely popular, but it also gives participants the opportunity to buy an assortment of things that they would not normally buy. It’s ideal for a time-filler as well — not all of your golfers will finish their rounds at the same time. By holding an auction, you’re able to provide those who finish early with an activity to that will keep them on-site. It is also a great opportunity for golfers to get to know one another and network. But most importantly, at least to those looking to fundraise, it generates major moolah.

The key to generating “major moolah”, however, lies in the items.  While it’s essential that you acquire some big items, it’s also important to have several smaller items as well to ensure that you’re catering to everyone’s various budgets.  Some popular auction items consist – but are not limited to – the following: vacations, rounds of golf, jewelry, sports-related items, etc.  To obtain your items, you can buy them, have them donated, or acquire them from auction companies on consignment.

Be sure to have a designated Auction Chair whose sole duty is to focus on the auction and make sure it’s a success.  Make sure to start in advance when running your auction – post it [on your website] and promote it!  Allow non-golfers to join in and place their bids.  Its a good idea to work towards having credit cards accepted at the event and, be sure to collect the money that evening, if at all possible; otherwise, it becomes a hassle to collect after the fact.

More questions about running your golf event?  No problem!  Give Hole In One International a call today at 800-827-2249 or email us if you need more pointers!

Nov
30

Golf Tournament Committee Tips

Posted by Kristen Hansen

Even if you’re not a first-time golf tournament planner or organizer, chances are there are some suggestions and tips when it comes to organizing your golf tournament committee that you had never thought of before.  Luckily for you, Hole In One International is here to give you some pointers!

 

Committee Tip #1 – Size DOES Matter!
Let’s face it: the last thing you want or need is for your golf tournament committee to be short-handed or over-staffed.  If you don’t have enough people, then your team will be stretched beyond their means and easily worn out.  Seeing as how volunteers are a golf outing’s most important asset, you’ll obviously want to make sure they’re treated right — especially since they’ll be dedicating their time and efforts towards the golf tournament.  Too many people, however, and it makes it difficult to get any decision-making done.  For most golf tournament committees, anywhere from 6-12 people are typically sufficient; however, if your committee is feeling overwhelmed, it’s still easy enough to add 1-2 more members into the mix!

 

Committee Tip #2 – Contacts, Contacts, Contacts!
Before bringing on any volunteers, first make sure that they already have their own external contacts.  Having leads and contacts is crucial if you plan on having a sufficient amount of sponsors and a successful turnout of golfers at your golf tournament.  The less leads you have as a committee, the less likely you are to reach your fundraising goals, sponsorship goals and other important benchmarks within your golf tournament.

 

Committee Tip #3 – Everyone Does Their Part!
Make sure everyone in your committee is contributing either money, contacts and/or time.  Don’t let anyone onto your committee with the impression that they’ll be able to gain recognition via any of your golf tournament’s literature/advertising.  Only allow an individual to be on your committee if they are adequately contributing in some way, shape or form.   Be sure to divvy up responsibilities accordingly — for example, who will be in charge of keeping track of expenses?  Who will be responsible for creating/acquiring the proper advertising materials, such as golf contest and sponsor signs?

 

Need more suggestions and tips?  Give Hole In One International a call today at 800-827-2249… or email us at any time!

Nov
21

Golf Tournament Formats: Which Best Suits Your Outing?

Posted by Kristen Hansen

Decisions, decisions! There are so many to make when it comes to planning a successful golf tournament… including which golf tournament format to choose!

Hole In One International is here today to give you the scoop on some of the various golf tournament formats and explain the unique aspects of each. Hopefully by the time you’re finished reading this blog post, you’ll be ready to make an informed decision as to which would best suit your golf tournament!

2-Day Event
Turning your golf outing into a 2-day event really gives your players the sensation of being “one of the pros!”  Use this one-of-a-kind format to your advantage and be sure to acquire more sponsorship money!  Running a 2-day event also means giving players a whole other day to possibly win a grand prize if a hole-in-one insurance policy is being utilized!

Celeb-Am
Give your golfers the amazing experience of playing with a local — or even national — celebrity!  This is a surefire way for your golf tournament to get the attention it deserves!  Be sure to invite the celebrities to be on your committee.

Golf Marathon
Possibly one of the best tournament formats as far as fundraising is concerned… so all you non-profits, listen close!  Recruit 40 golfers to help your organization’s cause by raising money from friends and colleagues and play 100 holes of golf the day of your golf outing.  Not convinced of a golf marathon’s potential?  Look at it this way: Should all 40 golfers manage to raise $10/hole and play 100 holes that day, then you will have fundraised $40,000!  Now imagine increasing the amount the golfers fundraise and, well… you do the math!

Pro-Am
Find a local golf professional that shares the same devotion for your cause and/or that you know well.  Having your players golf with a golf professional means that, chances are, your golfers will be more than eager to pay more for it!  This is a great opportunity to insure a grand prize using hole in one insurance; chances are, the golf pro will tell their other pro buddies and you’ll end up with one heck of a turn-out!

Night Golf
Hold your golf tournament during the night hours and play with glowing golf balls — it’s sure to be a big hit among your participants!  For additional fun, award your best (or perhaps even better, your worst) performing player at the end of the tournament.  One thing’s for sure: No one’s going to be playing at their absolute best when the visibility is low!

Snow Golf
Don’t let inclement weather steer you away from holding a golf tournament — instead, simply hold a “Snow Golf” or “Ice Golf” tournament! Imagine the fun your players will have as they skirt around the snow/and or ice, attempting to get their ball on the green (or in this case, the “white!”)

Looking for more creative ideas for tournament formats? Subscribe to our blog and watch for Outing Formats … Part 2!

 

Nov
15

Different Committees Within Your Golf Tournament

Posted by Kristen Hansen

Whether you’re a first time golf tournament planner or you’ve been coordinating your golf outing for years, it never hurts — nor is it ever too late — to make some major improvements in your planning!  Today, Hole In One International is here to not only stress the importance of assigning different committees within your golf tournament, but also to explain the different types of committees and the responsibilities of each one.

 

1) The Marketing/PR Chair
While the Marketing/PR Chair’s main focus may appear blatantly obvious to us, there’s one thing to keep in mind: Connections, connections, connections!  Make sure the individual you choose to fill this role has plentiful connections within not only your community, but in the media as well.  The Marketing/PR Chair should actively seek out and seize any/all available promotional opportunities, including activities such as a hole in one contest or putting contest.

2) The Tournament Chair
The Tournament Chair is your golf tournament’s ‘leader.’  Make sure they’re well-connected within your community and are prompt and reliable when it comes to deadlines.  The Tournament Chair is oftentimes also the contact person for people interested in participating and need more information.  Feel free to list their contact information in any brochures, online advertising or any other marketing materials your golf tournament commitee produces.

3) The Sponsorship Chair
Make sure your appointed Sponsorship Chair has sufficient connections within the business community and is a top-notch, experienced salesperson!  This individual will be in charge of acquiring sponsors for the golf tournament and selling them the sponsorships.

4) The Logistics Chair
The Logistics Chair will ideally be responsible for not only budgeting, but managing operations and personnel as well.  The Logistics Chair should ideally be very detail-oriented by nature.  After all, the last thing you or your golf tournament committee want or need is oversight on the Logistic Chair’s part — especially when it comes to your budget and money.

5) The Honorary Chair
This individual will be duly recognized at the golf tournament… and not only through marketing and advertising!  Make sure the person you assign as the Honorary Chair is a prominent figure in your community.  You don’t want just any average joe representing your golf tournament, do you?  Of course not!

6) The Golfer Chair
The Golfer Chair should ideally be a golf enthusiast and will be responsible for recruiting players for the golf tournament.  Being an avid fan of the game and being able to network with other fellow golfers is always helpful when it comes to recruiting players for a golf tournament.

7) The Gift & Prize Chair
The Gift and Prize Chair will be responsible for creating various sponsorship packages and finding deals on the prizes and gifts being offered to them.  Make sure that the sponsorship packages/offers are appealing and that your sponsors are being adequately rewarded for the money they’ll be putting in.  For example, it’s always a good idea to recognize your sponsors with golf sponsor signage.  Remember to clue in the Sponsorship Chair about what your final gift and prize packages will be — it will hopefully make for an easy sale for them!

 

Have more questions about golf tournament committees?  Call us today at 800-827-2249!

Nov
13

How-To: Filling Your Field with Golfers

Posted by Kristen Hansen

As you likely already know, golfers today have a variety of golf outings to choose from and participate in, so it’s important that you give them every reason to choose your golf tournament over another.  If you’re finding it a difficult task to sell out your golf event and/or need some tips on how you can acquire a full field of 144 players, then you’re in luck!  Hole In One International is here today to explain how to do just that.

First of all, it’s important to get a good idea as to who participates… and why.  These people might be individuals that believe in your cause, acquaintances, people you work with, sponsors and/or vendors and all of these people may want to participate in a golf outing for a variety of reasons.  Perhaps they’re looking for a great golf course to play at… or maybe they’re wanting more value than the entry fee they’re paying for (tee packages, contests/activities, food, and beverages, etc).  For many participants, it can be as simple as your cause, particularly if it is something they really believe in.

Here are some suggestions for recruiting more golfers for your golf event:

  • Create a webpage for your golf tournament.  This will allow you to promote your event and sponsors, as well as give your players the opportunity to register and pay for the tournament online!
  • Network!  Have friends ask other friends if they’d like to participate.  (P.S. Word of mouth will never become an ineffective method of free advertising!)
  • Advertise via direct mail, brochures, email campaigns, editorial and/or media coverage, etc.  Make sure all of the advertising you send out reaches a target market; you don’t want to be advertising to individuals who have no interest in golf, after all.
  • Be sure to create appealing sponsorship packages.
  • Contact returning golfers!  If they had fun at your previous outing, they’ll likely want to participate again.  You should have their information from the previous sign-up/sign-in sheet.
  • Offer the chance to score incredible prizes! Check out a few of the suggested prize ideas that are sure to help you capture attention.

Need more ideas on how to recruit golfers to your golf outing?  Give us a call at 800-827-2249… or feel free to email us for additional information!

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