2015 Tournament Guide by Colorado AvidGolfer

S pe c i a l A d v e rt i s i ng S e ct ion

2015

tournament guide

Ace Your Next Event!

Make Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, home of the Colorado Open Championships, the site of your tournament.

Dozens of

Tips and Techniques for planners and players

co l o r a d o a v i d g o l f e r. c o m

Spring 2015 | Colorado AvidGolfer

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Get Creative! Look into how to make your event more fun and profitable. By Todd Hall FLATSTICK FUN: Putting contests bring folks together.

Scramble, shamble, best ball, string: the average tournament coordinator can rhythmically recite these words with the enthusiasm of the economics teacher played by Ben Stein— “Anyone? Anyone?” —in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

ake up, people! Charity golf tournaments aren’t just about the golf. They’re about having fun—and generating as much money as possible for a good cause. That’s why I always tell tournament coordinators to investigate all their options. I tell them to think of all the ways their guests can enjoy themselves and potentially generate more revenue. At Green Valley Ranch Golf Club, we’ve come up with some “out of the tee box” ideas to help you up the fun quotient and fatten the bottom line.

Don’t rely on registration fees and sponsorships to make money. Registration and sponsorships should cover your costs. If you net more,

Colorado AvidGolfer | Spring 2015

consider it gravy. Increasing prices creates barriers to entry you can ill afford to have. Kid around. Stage a parent-child tournament in conjunction with your charity. We do this on our Par-3 course, and they can occur on the same day as your big event or something completely separate. This is a feel-good experience for all involved and something that appeals to sponsors. Let the children play. We are blessed at Green Valley Ranch to have a First Tee Program, so we often have participants in that program on the course to hit shots for people. Charge a small amount. Who can say no to a kid—especially one whose shot will end up closer to the pin than yours will? Get the Group Together. There are a lot of really fun ways to start your event off in a positive, fun direction. Stage a “Putt-Off.” This is one of our favorite contests because it sets the mood for fun. Before the day’s round of golf begins, every participant surrounds one hole on the practice green. After listening to the announcements, sponsor thank-yous, and being told to remember what ball they are playing, the participants on the count of three all putt at the same hole. Mass chaos ensues, balls knock each other away, and whoever holes their putt wins a prize (preferably from the sponsor of this contest.) Ball Drop. It is similar to the Putt-Off except all the balls are dropped down on to

CHILD THINGS: Can make events sing.

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WINED AND ALIGNED: Have each player donate a bottle for auction and receive a pre-round tip or two.

one hole from up above. Helicopters and fire trucks work really well. Whomever’s ball goes in the hole wins the grand prize. Putt for Dough. A lot of tournaments have Hole-inOne insurance but how about raffling off a chance for one or more players to have an opportunity to sink a long putt (40 feet) for $10,000 or more. One person gets rich, each tournament participant gets a small prize and everybody is happy. Remember the nongolfers. Speaking of barriers to entry…Many charityminded people don’t participate in golf events because either they don’t play or they play poorly and don’t wish to embarrass themselves. At Green Valley Ranch, we say, why not include them by staging a golf lesson and then letting them play our par-3 course? They pay the same or slightly lower registration fee than the 18-hole participants, but they don’t have to bring clubs or be out on the course for five hours. That can translate to 30 extra people at your event. Sell a sponsorship to pay for that portion of the day, and you make money and get

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the feel-good halo effect from supporters you would not have had at the event. Line ’em Up. Have members of the golf professional

staff walk the practice range, assisting participants with their swings. Every golfer could use a tip here and there, especially when it comes from a professional instructor. Hurry, hurry. People love fun contests that can save strokes—and, more significantly, save time. Pace of play is vital to an enjoyable tournament experience:

Speed hole: Establish one hole where the amount of time and not the number of strokes determines your score. Players are strategically placed on the fairway and green. The volun-

teer on the tee box has a giant flag (great sponsorship opportunity) that signals the ball has been teed off. The volunteer on the green then starts their stop watch as players try to get the ball in the hole as quickly as possible. A speed hole usually takes less than five minutes to execute. Manhole: Put an 8-inch cup on one or two holes. Eagles

and birdies should follow, especially on drivable par 4s and reachable par 5s. Multiple Holes: Have three holes cut into one or more greens. Players can putt to whichever hole is closest or offers the most direct line. Wine ’em Up. Kevin Laura, my colleague at Green Valley Ranch who runs the annual Jack A. Vickers Invitational hosted by John Elway, suggests having each participant in the event bring a bottle of wine ($25 minimum value) to registration. Each bottle is marked with the name of the donor. During the après-golf activities, the entire lot of wine is auctioned off to one bidder. At a 100-person outing, that $2,500 worth of wine could go for as much as $7,500. These comprise just a few of the many options a course like Green Valley Ranch can provide. Be sure to investigate all the different ways you can add fun to your event and monetize as many of those ways as you can. Todd Hall is the director of sales and marketing at Green Valley Ranch Golf Club. Reach him at 303-371-8725; THall@gvrgolf.com

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Before, During &After Tips for having

a successful event By Zach Patterson

Before lan ahead. Sometimes a year out gives you just enough time. Design and use a written timeline. Stick to it.

Pick the right course. Look at courses that are well known in the marketplace and will draw participants. While this can often up your price per player, you will probably attract more participants. Be detailed-oriented. It’s the little things that will make players come back for the following year’s event. The gifts should be unique; nobody wants another hat, shirt or ball towel. Be sure to go over everything with the course—from dietary restrictions to who puts the water and chilled towel in every cart. Don’t assume the staff “will take care of it.” Advertise. You don’t have to have a PGA Tour event’s budget to advertise through traditional channels. Partnering with a media outlet provides a much greater reach than your event could normally afford. Approach a radio or television station, newspaper, or magazine about being your Title or Presenting Sponsor in exchange for ads promoting your event. Create a memorable invitation. The ubiquity of texts and emails has made the impact of an actual paper invitation far more profound. Then start with the emails and social networking. Use e-tools. Get Facebook friends to

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“like” your event, chat it up and regularly update its status. Tweet about it often, but don’t sell it too hard; rather, communicate enthusiasm and anticipation. Be sure to link to the event on the Website of the host or sponsoring company, charity, golf club, etc. Create a simple one-page Web site for your event. Market to members of the host club or course, offering an incentive (lower entry fee, extra benefits) to participate. Don’t be shy. Not only should you garner support from your company or the charity’s board of directors, but also make sure they are soliciting each of their vendors, boards and everyone else affiliated with them.

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understands their day of responsibilities. This only offers them a greater chance at enjoying the big day! Give specific jobs. Who deals with team no-shows or additions? Who is spotting on prize holes? Who is handing out the goody bags? Look for threesomes. Invariably, one or two people don’t show. Always have a rule in place for threesomes. Depending on the format, make sure your solution keeps things fair.

Collect entry fees upfront. This will ensure players will show up and they are committed to the event. It also prevents long waits at the registration table.

During Have as many prizes as possible. There’s nothing worse than the winning team receiving a prize and everyone else crying in their beers. Try having a contest on every hole—not just “closest to the pin” or “longest drive,” but fun contests like “closest to the water without going in” or “closest to the pin out of a greenside bunker.”

HYDRATE YOUR PLAYERS. Have plenty of water and other liquids available in the cart and on the course. Although a Spanish study claims beer hydrates better than water, we can’t endorse putting a brew in every cart’s cup holder.

After Offer a discount. Before they leave, have your guests pre-register for next year’s tournament. Hold a postmortem. Once the numbers are in, convene the board to review financials and gather feedback for next year’s event. There’s always room for improvement! Don’t go it alone. The biggest threat to the success of any golf tournament is not having people know their jobs on the day of the event. Too many times I’ve seen the tournament head flustered or overwhelmed due to changes, surprises or any curveball thrown their way. Put together a committee and make sure everyone on it

Have a thank-you dinner for volunteers. Show your appreciation for those who made you look good. Zach Patterson PGA is the tournament coordinator at The Ridge at Castle Pines North. Reach him at zpatterson@troongolf.com; 303-688-0100.

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Charity Golf International is a Premier Fundraising, Professional Long Drive, and Entertainment Organization. ZERO OUT OF POCKET COST TO YOUR FOUNDATION. GUARANTEED REVENUE AND ENTERTAINMENT! Charity Golf International has been able to generate over 6.7 Million Dollars in generous contributions at over 1400 Charity Golf events since 2012.

Founder of Charity Golf International

BOBBY BRADLEY

TREVOR CONSAVAGE

VINCE CIURLUINI

1st Round Draft Pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1999

2013 RE/MAX Women’s World Champion

HEATHER LEMASTER

3 Time International Women’s World Champion

8 RE/MAX World Championship Appearances

2014 RE/MAX Women’s Runner-Up

Raised over $1,000,000.00 for charity since 2007

Played college basketball at Indiana State University

Professional Golf Trick Shot Entertainer

MICK YELOVICH

Finished 3rd at the 2009 RE/MAX World Championships

6 RE/MAX World Championship Appearances

2014 RE/MAX Super Senior World Champion

7 RE/MAX World Championship Appearances

9 RE/MAX Final 8 Appearances in 3 Divisions 18 RE/MAX World Championship Appearances

KYLE BLAKELY

2010 LDA Tour Tennessee Shootout Champion 2012 APG Tour Master of Long Drive Champion

Founder of Mutant Golf

JOSH CREWS

5 RE/MAX World Championship Appearances Participated in over 250 charity golf outings since 2012

www.charitygolfintl.com

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Bombs for the Greater Good

Charity Golf International literally drives revenue.

magine scoring a doubleeagle with a sand wedge—or maybe even a putter—on a 520-yard par-five. That rare opportunity often awaits guests at events in which a representative from Charity Golf International participates. Even better, what also awaits the event organizer is a nice windfall of contributions to the charity. Co-founded in 2012 by seven-time RE/MAX World Long Drive finalist Bobby Bradley, Charity Golf International is a professional long drive entertainment company that helps raise money and provide entertainment for 501(c)3 organizations. Thirteen long drive champions— with more than 50 trips to the RE/ MAX World Long Drive finals between them—currently comprise the CGI team. That includes Heather LeMaster, a three-time Women’s Long Drive champion, as well as Trevor Consavage, Vince Ciurluini, Josh Crews, Rob Oristaglio, and Kyle Blakeley. Last year they participated in 780 tournaments across the United States and Canada. In the company’s three years of existence it has raised more than $7 million in charitable donations. “The beauty of our business is there is no cost to the charity,” says co-founder and owner Chris Carey. “Our appearance fee is usually covered by hole sponsor or a share of the proceeds of what we generate on the tee box. We’ve generated as much as $30,000 at one event. That’s found money for the charity.” How it works is straightforward. One or two TGI entertainers position themselves on the tee of a long par-

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five and announce to each group that they’re there for the charity, will hit for the group and there’s no obligation to make a donation. But after watching the long driver crush a ball more than a quarter-mile, and then hearing that holing out the second shot from the fairway will result in a free vacation for two at, say, Pebble Beach, participants find themselves opening their wallets to the charity representative stationed by the tee. And if the charity doesn’t want to hit up guests while they’re out on the course, CGI makes an arrangement that’s “financially advantageous” for all involved. As you’d expect, the CGI entertainers have big, engaging personalities and nicknames like “Macho Man.” Most will also do a trick shot or two. The company has also hired performers such as the inspiring trick shot artist and five-time cancer survivor Ben Whitter to perform his 30-minute show for a flat fee he then donates to charity. Last year CGI did 25 events in Colorado, a number Carey anticipates increasing. “Denver’s one of the top five charity golf markets in the country,” he notes. The other benefit of enlisting CGI, Carey says, is that “It absolutely speeds up play for the day. It would take most groups three shots to equal one of these guys’ drives. In a scramble format, that’s huge.” Reach Charity Golf International (charitygolfintl.com) at 800-818-0901 or events@ charitygolfintl.com.

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Proceed With Caution

e all want to distinguish our tournaments. But sometimes, in the name of novelty, tournament directors think too far outside the box.

Worst Ball

Format: Reversing the normal scramble format, players must play from the worst, rather than best, shot at each turn. Hilarity should ensue, as four players will be inevitably be hitting from behind trees, out of cattails and deep rough. Good players will feel challenged; novices will feel compassion. Reality check: This might be funny on one hole during an event, but not 18. If a best-ball scramble averages around five hours, a worst-ball one could turn into the longest day of your life. Besides, who wants to hit from bad lies all day?

Three-Club Scramble

Format: Each player is only allowed to play with only three golf clubs, including put-

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ter. You have to plan and execute a shot with an unusual club (i.e. hitting driver off the fairway). The idea is to have players pick the clubs with which they are most comfortable—should long hitters bring their driver or 3-wood? Which iron or wedge? Should you bother bringing a putter?—and preferably not duplicate what’s in a teammate’s bag. Reality check: This format, which potentially could help players develop creativity, teamwork and shot-making skills, could lead to more frustration than fun, depending on the group. The pressure will be on each player to bring the skill inherent to his or her club selection. The one bringing the driver had better be long and straight; the one with the putter had better drain everything.

Club Draw

Format: Print the name of each of the 14 clubs on a piece of paper and place them in a gift bag. For each shot, have one player draw one of the names. That is the club each player will have to use for that particular shot. This results in some really challenging shots, such as trying to tee off with a putter. Reality check: It has great potential— until you consider the logistics of having each group carry a bag containing 14 pieces of paper

and drawing from it before every shot over the course of 18 holes of golf. However, employing this format on one or two holes creates a nice diversion as well as a potential sponsorship and a prize opportunity for the teams with the lowest score.

Peoria and Callaway

Format: These aren’t as much formats as they are one-day handicapping systems used when most of the field does not have legit indexes. Both systems are based in certain part on luck and allow a “handicap allowance” to be determined and then applied to each golfer's score. The Peoria involves the tournament organizer secretly preselecting holes and, after play, comparing the team score on those holes to par to create a team handicap then deducting from the gross score. The Callaway employs something akin to an actuarial table. Reality Check: Most hate the Peoria system because it’s all about luck of the draw and only accounts for a team’s performance on secretly selected holes. The Callaway, which complicates things further with its chart, compresses the spread of gross scores but usually the team with the lowest gross score finishes with the lowest net, which leaves many to think, why bother?

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Excellence An OldExists at Red Hawk Ridge A Golf Digest Top 100, Jim Engh course minutes from the Denver Tech Center, in Castle Rock

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Along I-25 in the Front Range.

Fashioned BarnRaising Raccoon Creek’s new event space is “upscale country.”

ere you raised in a barn? Probably not, but now you can certainly get married in one. Known as one of the Denver Metro’s better public layouts, Raccoon Creek Golf Course in Littleton this May will unveil The Barn, an elegantly rustic structure that can accommodate as many as 200 guests in a 3,200-square-foot reception area appointed with exposed wood walls and beams, tasteful chandeliers and market lights. The Barn’s fully outfitted commercial kitchen will cater events— which can spill onto the adjacent lawn—and the structure features a private “groom’s loft” as well as a perch in the structure’s hayloft from which guests of honor can address the attendees. Regulars at the course might remember the big red building, located on the south side of the property, as home to the golf carts. Before that, however, it served as a milking barn on the Grant Ranch, a property purchased by James B. Grant in 1878, five years before he became Colorado’s third governor. After selling and then repurchasing the property during the Great Depression, the Grant family still owns the vast acreage, including the 1983 Dick Phelps-designed golf

Let us host your 2015 tournament Call 720-733-3504 to schedule a visit or for more information. For tee times and other information: 720-733-3500 or redhawkridge.com.

Colorado AvidGolfer | Spring 2015

course, clubhouse and Grove Restaurant. Two years ago, Raccoon Creek General Manager Don Allen went to Newell Grant and members of the family with the idea of converting the big red barn into “an upscale wedding venue in a country atmosphere.” The carts would relocate to a new home on the north side of the property, closer to the clubhouse. His plan—which also called for razing the barn’s unattractive lean-to and constructing a separate Bridal Cottage next to an outdoor area to stage ceremonies—met with enthusiastic approval. Work began in earnest last September; the facility will open in May. “We’ve always said Raccoon Creek is a unique property in the city,” Allen says of the scenic idyll at Bowles and Wadsworth. “Nobody understands how beautiful it really is.” They will this summer, when The Barn at Raccoon Creek starts hosting some of the 43 weddings and events (basic pricing ranges from $1,500 to $5,500) that sales director Abby Nurre has already scheduled for 2015. “The Barn’s rustic yet elegant atmosphere is perfect for any Colorado wedding,” Nurre says, “and the interesting history behind the property truly makes it a one-of-a-kind, visually stunning experience unique to the Denver Metro area.” In addition to The Barn, the property’s other original farm buildings—such as the richly textured granary across from the Bridal Cottage—and objects like wooden wagons suggest the area’s agrarian heritage. They also make the perfect props for cool wedding photos. The Barn at Raccoon Creek welcomes charity golf tournaments as well, but both Allen and Nurre aren’t counting on too many of those. “Golf is on the north end of the property, and The Grove does a great job catering to golfers and tournaments,” Allen explains. “Weddings and events at The Barn will take place on the south end. It’s a one-stop shop with its own kitchen. It won’t tie into the tournaments too much.” For more information, contact Abby Nurre (303-932-0199 x257; events@raccooncreek.com.) or visit TheBarnatRaccoonCreek.com.

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Questions to Consider

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ore than 200 charity golf tournaments take place every year in Colorado—many on the same day. What’s a philanthropic golfer to do? To keep a realistic tournament schedule, he or she needs to consider the following. WHERE? Charity tournaments often provide the only opportunity many of us get to play exclusive courses like Castle

Pines Golf Club, Sanctuary, Cherry Hills or Colorado Golf Club. That opportunity won’t come cheaply, but how often will it come up, especially in the name of a good cause? (We’re talking the charity, not your bag tag collection.) CAUSE? Did you lose a close friend or relative to heart disease? Does someone you know have Parkinson’s? Do you want to help wounded veterans or end homelessness, poverty and child abuse? Support something to which you have personal connection. PRICE? Tournament entry fees cover more than a green fee. Look for the biggest bang for your buck. Does the price include one or two meals? A box lunch or buffet? Is the event known for its gift bag? Is the experience worth the price of admission? CONNECTION? Playing an event among prospective or current business contacts can advance your career. Declining one that benefits a friend’s favorite cause may create a rift. One option: Play in the business one and donate to your friend’s charity. STATUS? Certain tournaments carry more prestige than others do. Whether it’s for networking purposes, bragging rights, or just to add some high-status swag to your collection, don’t pass up a coveted opportunity. FORMAT? If you’re a competitive golfer, the scramble format can be frustrating and painfully slow. You’d prefer a best ball, where everyone plays his or her own ball, or even a shamble, where players play their own ball from the best drive of the group. TRADE? Never underestimate the value of in-kind donations. Tournament organizers often accept these in exchange for entry fees, making barter a great way to stretch your charity tournament dollar. FUN? Does the tournament offer anything quirky or distinctive that makes it more than 18 holes of golf? A unique format? A reputation for awesome gifts? A trick-shot artist? Entertainment? Nongolf activities for the family? TRADITION? Whether it’s to support a cause, spend time with good friends, or out of sheer force of habit, many people play in the same tournaments every year. If you like the event and the people, there’s nothing better than teeing it up with friends in the name of a worthwhile cause.

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