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TOTAL TOURNAMENT TIMELINE Failure to plan… is planning to fail. Benjamin Franklin Click here to download the Event Planner Timeline as a PDF document.  
12 MONTHS PRIOR TO YOUR EVENT Choose a Tournament Director This is the person who will keep all things moving forward. Keep in mind the dedication and time needed to make your tournament a success. Organizational skills should be this person’s strong suit. Director ____________________________ Select a Golf Course, Date and Time Be flexible and prioritize which is more important to your tournament. For example, must your event be held on a particular date or is the course you choose more important? Also giving your team of tournament planners as much time as possible will give them a greater choice of dates and courses. When selecting a date also take note of other events going on in the area, holidays where many could be out of town and even other tournaments. The less competition you have for sponsors and players the more opportunity you have for participation. When it comes to selecting a time you will need to keep in mind what other activities you will have. Most events find a shotgun start to be most effective since everyone starts and finishes and around the same time. A shotgun start also is best if you will be serving any type of meal/snack and/or will be having an Awards ceremony or putting contests. Golf Course __________________________ Date ________________________________ Time _______________________________¬_ Decide on a Theme A theme is not mandatory however it can make your event more memorable. Follow through on your theme in all the aspects of your tournament not just the decorations but also try to include the theme in the prizes you present, the foods you serve and the supplementary activities. Theme_______________________________ Choose A Format The format you select will determine the maximum amount of players that can participate. Listed are the four most popular formats but there are many others to choose from. Keep in mind that you do not want to cause confusion amongst the players with an unusual format with various rules that can be hard to keep strait.
You might also want to choose an option for team formats such as a Pro-Am, Celebrity/Amateurs, Parent/Child, Husband/Wife. Keep in mind your objective since you might be able to use that to decide on a team format, for example Parent/Child might be great for a tournament benefiting a children’s charity. Determine Supplementary Activities This would include offering a meal before or after the tournament, awards ceremony with guest speaker, auctions, raffles etc.
Select Supplementary Contests and Games Contests and games keep things lively and fun! Not to mention, who doesn’t want the bragging rights for having the longest drive? Additional contests can also be appealing to hole sponsors. A potential sponsor might not have the resources to be the title sponsor but they want a way to set themselves apart from the crowd. So offer them the sponsorship for the Closest To The Pin or the Longest Putt. These holes will undoubtedly be the most popular on the course. Make sure you let the players know what holes have the supplemental contests so they can be prepared. Who wants to play it safe and pull a 3 Wood when it is the longest drive hole?
Create a Preliminary Budget When you are setting your budget there are two main ways you can decide upon a rough number. One is you can add up all of your expenses (Green Fees, Food, Prizes etc.) then deduct your income from potential sponsors. The balance will tell you how much money you will need to collect from the players in order to break even or post a profit for your fundraiser. The other way you can set a budget is to figure out what your market is willing to bear and plan all of your budget details around that. As a side note make sure you budget for miscellaneous expenses that can come up. Always better to be safe than sorry not to mention if everything does run perfectly and you don’t have any last minute expenses you can apply the money towards something else. Budget _______________________________________
6-9 MONTHS PRIOR Design Marketing Materials and Entry Forms You will need a variety of printed materials to publicize your event and to encourage sponsorship. You will also need entry forms and sponsor forms. Try to keep things cohesive using the same font and colors throughout. You might want to create a logo if this is an event you plan to do annually, potential players and sponsors will begin to recognize your event just by seeing your logo.
Start Publicizing your Event and Selling Sponsorships Start hanging your posters and send out your flyers to potential players. Post flyers at your workplace, gym, local golf clubs, restaurants, golf shops… think of places you would find golfers. If your tournament is to raise money for a particular cause, make sure that you are promoting your event to people who would support your cause. Finalize your Food and Beverage Arrangements You will need to work on this after you have sold most of your sponsorships so you can try to work within a reasonable budget. Depending upon your location you may need to make arrangements for tenting and electrical. Keep this in mind when deciding upon a golf course. One course may require you to use their food and beverage department at a higher cost for food per person but in the end it may cost less than renting tents, running electricity to the site, renting all the cooking equipment and hiring a caterer. Finalize your Budget Now that you have a good idea of the costs you will incur you can work on setting the entrance fee. You can either set the entrance fee to cover the cost of the tournament or you can set the fee at a price you feel your demographic will pay. Keep in mind that you will want to budget for unforeseen expenses; if you happen to not need it you can always apply it towards the profits.
3 MONTHS PRIOR Finalize Supplementary Events and Games If you are having a guest speaker or a pro teach a clinic make sure you confirm with them. If you have a guest speaker send them a packet confirming the date, time, location and nature of the event. Include a return envelope so that they can sign off on the information and return a copy to you for your records. If you are hosting an auction at the same time, start having volunteers collect items. Send out Entry Forms If you have a list of potential participants mail them forms. Don’t forget to place entry forms at all of the locations where you displayed banners and posters. Purchase Event Insurance You will want to purchase insurance coverage for your contests such as a Hole in One and/or Putting Contests. You might also want to look into weather insurance which will cover you in the event of a rain out.
1 MONTH PRIOR Confirm Food and Beverage Arrangements
1 WEEK PRIOR Assemble Registration Packets Include tournament instruction sheets that explain the tournament rules, pin placement, lists the holes for longest drive, hole in one etc. Prepare all Prizes and Giveaways The fastest way to do this is for your team to meet one evening and put everything together at once. Plus it is exciting for all on the team to get together as the date draws near.
TWO DAYS PRIOR Designate Money Boxes with Petty Cash and Change These boxes will be used to collect money for the sale of mulligans, raffle tickets etc. Keep one person in charge of each box. Confirm Number of Participants with Golf Course You will also need to fax over the list of Foursomes so that the golf course can properly mark the carts. Review contests with Golf Course Make sure that you confirm which holes will have which contest and the proper measuring and recording materials are supplied. Confirm Number of Participants with the Food and Beverage Department
MORNING OF THE TOURNAMENT Set up Sponsor signs and Hole Contest signs Check to make sure that the measuring and recording devices are in place and visible to the participants Set up the Scoreboard Set up the Registration Area Make sure you keep an area set up for selling the mulligans, extra puts, tee ups etc. Set Up Hole in One Contest and/or Putting Contest Depending upon what prize you will be giving you will need to set up a witness and possible recording devices. Also if you are giving away a prize other than cash you will want to set up an area near the tee for the participants to see it. For the putting contest you will need to mark the green so the players will know where they are putting from. Display Contest Prizes, Raffle and Auction Items Try your best to have the participants view the auction and raffle prizes prior to playing. Greet the Participants and Give Last Minute Instructions and Reminders You will want to have a megaphone or P/A system so that all of the golfers can hear what you say.
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TOURNAMENT
Make sure you collect all of the signs and pick up any trash that may have been left around. Try your best to leave the facilities just as you found them, you will want the course to welcome you back next year!
FOLLOWING THE TOURNAMENT Pay Outstanding Balances Depending upon the contract you may have already paid in full. If you have a balance make sure you pay this promptly. Perform an Accounting for the Tournament This will help you to identify any areas that you can improve upon next time. Also you will want to let your participants know how much money you raised! Send Thank You Cards Make sure that all sponsors and volunteers receive personal Thank You cards. Pay Outstanding Balances If your budget allows you might want to send out a flyer to all of the participants in the following weeks. Recap the highlights, winners and money raised. Don’t forget to have them mark their calendars for next year’s tournament!
WHERE TO MAKE ADDITIONAL MONEY: Mulligans – Mulligans are a great way to raise extra money. Everyone wants a “Do Over”! Consider your participants and be reasonable in setting a price, only sell three mulligans per person. Extra Putts – You can sell Puts the same way you sell mulligans. Puts can be sold as “Re-puts” which allow the player to re-put from the original location. Tee Ups – Similar to Mulligans and extra puts in that players should be allowed to purchase up to three and should be similarly priced. Tee Up’s work by allowing the player to move up one set of tees. Keep in mind that Tee Ups cannot be used on holes that are contest holes such as longest drive or a hole in one par three. Insured Contests
You can read all about the insured contests further on www.TotalTournamentGolf.com. "We've got you covered"
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