Once you have decided on the date, purpose and format of the tournament you need to start thinking about costs. You should create a budget, plan your meals, and decide upon how you will go about getting sponsorships. Be sure to check out our Planning a Tournament: Part 1 before reading this. We have outlined these steps in detail to create the easiest planning process possible!
4. Cost and Budget
When planning an event it is important to keep your budget in mind. You should try to take advantage of cost-effective deals such as discounted course rates, sponsorships, donations or food and beverage packages if available. Keep in mind the cost of prizes, trophies, and promotional costs. There are several ways to reduce your tournament costs, which we are happy to discuss at length! Willow Valley's Advantage Package Program provides reduced green fees for your tournament. You can discuss this with the manager at the course for more details.
5. Food and Beverage
When planning your tournament, it is important to take food and beverage needs into consideration:
- Does the course have the required means to provide for the number of golfers? - Will there be a breakfast or lunch before the tournament begins? - Will there be a dinner provided afterwards? - If dinner is included, will it be on site or are there restaurants nearby that can accommodate your group? - Are food and beverage carts available at the course? If so, can the golfers run a tab? - How will the costs of food affect the registration fee? Can non-golfers pay for dinner only?
6. Sponsorships
Many, if not most, golf tournaments include a fundraising aspect. When planning, your local community can be a valuable resource in gaining sponsors. When contacting sponsors to contribute to your event consider:
- Should I form a committee to contact potential sponsors? - Is the sponsor able to contribute a prize, or donate towards the cost of the tournament? - Do I want to provide goody bags to each participant? If so, what will be included and how will they be distributed? - Will I need sponsorship signs? If so, how many? - Am I going to promote this event? If so, can social media play a role? - Do I want to contact local media outlets to help promote the event?
Naturally, there are many factors when planning meals for your event. Willow Valley is willing and able to help you plan, and have a large dining area adjacent to the clubhouse that can accommodate up to 200 guests. Willow Valley has the facilities to support whatever types of meals you wish to include in your tournament package, and is sensitive to individual and special dietary restrictions. We are also more than capable in assisting you to effectively promote your tournament, as well as decide on sponsorship sign placement.
To inquire about booking a tournament give the pro shop a call at (905)-679-2703. The full 10-step guide is available for download! Simply click 'download attachment' below to download your copy!
