From tees to awards, the imprinted
products distributed to participants in golf meetings and
tournaments help these events create a lasting impact. Of the $20
billion a year Americans spend on golf equipment, clothing and
products, about $25 million is spent on gifts and prizes for
corporate golf outings, meetings and incentive programs, according
to the National Golf Sales Reps Association.
Are you tapping into this burgeoning market?
A Centerpiece Event
Golf-related products run the gamut from useful accessories such as
visors, towels and golf balls to lavish awards such as high-end golf
clubs, trophies and crystal vases. Particularly for corporate
meetings where a golf tournament is the centerpiece event, meeting
organizers should give careful thought to the gifts and awards that
will be distributed. Quality items make an important statement when
valued customers or vendors are participating in the tournament or
when the event doubles as an incentive reward.
“Instead of just taking back memories, the players take back
something tangible, and it continues to remind them of the event and
the company that hosted it,” says Bill Hoffman, executive director
of the National Association of Golf Tournament Directors. Tim Maret,
golf program manager for the National Kidney Foundation, adds,
“The quality of a golf tournament is weighed by the quality and
the amount of stuff the players get for participating.”
What To Use
Imprinted items can be given before, during and after the event.
They generally fall into the following categories:
- Teasers. These are meant to
generate interest in the event (or in an incentive program to
motivate employees to achieve their goals) and are often mailed
to participants beforehand. They’re usually smaller items,
such as a logoed golf ball, tee pack, towel, etc.
- Tee gifts. Tending toward
utilitarian, they’re given on-site before the golf outing or
tournament begins. They’re meant to be used by participants
during and after the event. They can, again, include logoed
balls, tees, towels, divot tools, spike cleaners, etc.
- Awards and prizes. Of
greater value than teasers and tee gifts, awards are given to
tournament winners (always the first-place foursome, but often
the second-place finishers and other runners-up as well),
usually at an awards ceremony. Sometimes the ceremony is held in
conjunction with the meeting’s closing banquet. Awards can
also be given for things such as longest drive, longest putt or
closest to the pin.
Always Think Logo
Merchandise associated with a golf meeting usually has a corporate
identity. Many gifts and tournament awards bear dual logos – those
of the company and the event or the resort where it takes place.
They may also bear the logo of an organization “sponsoring”
particular items (i.e., underwriting the cost). Sponsors appreciate
the visibility they receive via their logos on golf merchandise used
during the event or displayed afterward.
A key point: It almost always pays to go through your counselor and
not buy products at the last minute at the club/resort pro shop; in
addition to the knowledge and experience your counselor provides,
you’ll pay a lot less than at the pro shop – and you’ll have
the items imprinted and delivered on time.
More On Tee Gifts
Participants generally get tee gifts at the beginning of a golf
outing. They can be given the morning the golfers hit the links or
the night before, as a pillow gift left in guests’ rooms. Some
meeting organizers like to have the tee gift waiting for
participants in the golf cart. One executive vice president from a
California firm thinks it’s best to give tee gifts at
registration. That way, if the gift is a basket of items such as
sunscreen, golf balls and the like, attendees can take out what they
plan to use during their stay and stash the rest in their luggage.
At the PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, a popular tee
gift is a range bucket pail filled with items such as a cap, golf
balls and a divot-repair tool.
Quantity and quality of tee gifts vary according to the nature of
the event. The most lavish offerings are found at
corporate-sponsored golf events and golf incentive programs. But
lavish or not, tee gifts should always include items attendees will
use during their stay. One suggestion from a corporate golf planner:
instead of a sleeve of balls, give them a dozen. Another planner
says one of the most popular tee gifts she’s used is a thermal
bottle designed to keep drinks cool all day, no matter how hot it
gets on the course. If you plan on giving apparel, query
participants about sizes before the event, perhaps on the
registration form.
Prizes and Awards
To recognize members of winning foursomes and individual contests,
you have a variety of options:
- Trophies and plaques come in all
shapes, sizes and colors and are the most popular form of award,
but they’re by no means the only option. Just about any
high-end merchandise – crystal, artwork, clocks or sculpture
– can double as an award. Displayed in recipients’ homes and
offices, they provide a tangible reminder of their
accomplishment. Popular items have included framed and engraved
golf course prints and antique golf club replicas mounted in a
shadow box.
- Major golf equipment is much
appreciated, but some golfers prefer the option of choosing
their own equipment. Doing some research in advance can be a
major help here, given the added PR of giving recipients logoed/personalized
versions of their preferred equipment.
- Gift certificates (in logoed
envelopes) valid at the pro shop and/or shops at the resort are
another option. Advantages: They’re easily obtained, even at
the last minute, and recipients can select whatever they want.
Disadvantages: They won’t generate memories of the tournament.
- Cash (also in logoed envelopes) is
even easier to give, but is considered impersonal and, again,
won’t instill memories.
A word to the wise: Order trophies
and prizes at least two months out. Your counselor can advise you as
to what will fit your requirements and how to get it logoed – or
more likely, engraved. Engraving usually consists of the name of the
event, location, date, company name and/or logo, and the category.
Individual winners’ names aren’t typically engraved, but can be
if you wish. Check the awards a week or more prior to the event to
make sure there’s no breakage or errors. That way if you find
something wrong, you’ll have enough time to replace it.
Hole-In-One Prizes
Your firm may choose to offer prizes to golfers who make a
hole-in-one on a designated par-3 hole. Hole-in-one prizes are
usually of great value, such as an automobile provided by a local
dealership or a lavish vacation, but can be augmented by a nice
logoed item. You can even buy hole-in-one insurance from specialty
companies that pay up in the unlikely event of a hole in one.
The thought of receiving a large cash gift, a new car, or luxury
vacation for making a hole-in-one on a designated par-three hole
adds a dose of excitement and energy to any golf tournament.
Insurance providers specializing in hole-in-one coverage will insure
just about anything. Judy Sokolic, administrative director of the
National Hole-In-One Association in Dallas, has seen some unusual
prizes offered for a hole-in-one. The association has underwritten
policies for an 18-wheel truck, jewelry, plastic surgery, a pallet of single-malt
scotch, a race horse, boat and even – for a funeral directors,
association tournament – a very expensive casket.
The cost of hole-in-one insurance is usually between 2% to 4% of the
value of the prize offered. The insurance premium is based on the
value of the prize, yardage of the designated hole and number of
golfers in the tournament. At a recent America Online employee golf
tournament in Virginia, the hole-in-one prize was a $20,000
Volkswagen Jetta. AOL meeting planner Beth Thurston says the company
paid $500 for its policy.
Again, any hole-in-one prize can be accompanied by a piece of logoed
golf or golf-related equipment. Something along the lines of the
items used for awards is most appropriate. But don’t expect to
give out a lot – the average chance of someone bagging a
hole-in-one on the designated hole at your tournament are between
one in 11,000 and one in 20,000.
When you tally it up, using imprinted golf items at your golf outing
will almost guarantee good memories of both the event and your
company.
Helena Faith Miel is a freelance writer based in New Milford, NJ.
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