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Helicopter ball drops, such as this one hosted by Arizona's Sedona Miracle Golf Tournament, are becoming popular event fundraisers.
Current economic conditions aren't going to end the golf event as we know it, but they are putting a crimp in planners' and organizers' styles. For your next outing, take some pressure off the bottom line by including some simple revenue boosters that your players will enjoy, too.
Mulligans, scratch-off games or raffles are all easy and inexpensive for planners. More importantly, they add to golfers' fun, too, which increases the likelihood of a successful event, both in perception and in monetary terms. Mike Steinkamp, creator of a scratch-off game for golfers, says, "These are social events and the more you can get participants involved, the more favorably they will view the overall event."
For example, mulligans have been such an ingrained part of charity events for decades that your participants would probably be surprised if you didn't offer them the chance to buy a do-over or two. So, look at your pricing: Are you charging enough? Raising the price of your mulligans slightly might put some extra money in your group's pocket without inconveniencing your golfers.
Regardless of what you charge for mulligans, though, be sure to consider them in context: Are you charging for other add-ons? If so, are you making it easy for participants to purchase mulligans, raffle tickets and the like, both in terms of where they have to go on the course and what they have to do once they get there? Can you gauge your participants' interest in other types of add-ons based on how they react to your mulligans?
Scratch Off, Add On
Perhaps your group would like to expand into scratch-off games. Steinkamp, whose Savage, Minn.-based company is called WannabeGolfer, specializes in novelty items intended to inject a little humor into the game. "In my experience, golf outings are a lot more fun if they're social, so I created this game as a way to get people talking on the course," he says.
Steinkamp's Scratch Golf game is sold in packs of 100 cards for $12.99. Each card offers one "prize" and each scratch-off pack has the same breakdown:
- Mulligan (30 cards)
- Sorry (30 cards)
- "Gimme" Putt (20 cards)
- "Free Drop" (10 cards)
- "Move Ball" (10 cards)
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If you're looking for a different type of revenue-booster for your next outing, a nine-hole mini Golo dice game might be the answer. In Golo, each of nine dice represents one hole and the goal, as in real golf, is to score as low as possible. The game is simple enough to learn easily, yet also contains some elements of strategy, as these directions show:
Step 1 Roll all nine dice.
Step 2 Remove your lowest score. You must remove at least one die, but you may remove as many as you wish.
Step 3 Place the remaining dice in the cup and roll again.
Step 4 Continue to roll until all nine dice have been removed.
Step 5 Add up the scores for all nine dice to get your nine-hole score. (To play 18 holes, repeat the process and add both nine-hole scores together.)
JimmyDee Dowsett, president of Clarkston, Mich.-based JD Group, which markets Golo, says the game appeals to a variety of people. "Within minutes, total novices will understand the scoring of golf, and experienced golfers love Golo, too,"he says. He typically recommends running a full 18-hole Golo elimination tournament either instead of golf or in conjunction with a multi-day golf event.
But he also thinks running a 9-hole Golo game in the clubhouse as part of the evening's entertainment following a single-day outing can work well. "When I run Golo tournaments, I charge $25 per player to the organization, and they charge each player $50 to $100,"he says. "Or they can buy copies of the game and run it themselves."
Golo retails for $15 and is widely available; Dowsett says he would give event organizers a special rate. His only caution? "When groups only do nine holes of Golo, people so often want to do more,"he says. "It really is golf in a cup." |
The game adds a new twist on the mulligan while encouraging repeat sales, says Steinkamp: "Nearly a third of the players won't win anything, which adds to the fun on the course," he says. "If somebody is really intent on winning something, they'll just get back in line and buy another ticket."
Steinkamps says outings usually buy between 300 to 500 cards on the assumption that many players won't stop at just one, and he offers a similar game, Mulligan Mania, just for mulligans. Another handy use is that many groups use the scratch-off cards as their raffle tickets, instructing their golfers to write their contact information on the back of their game cards and turn it in on their way into the clubhouse. "That gives people a nice incentive to buy more scratch-off cards, because it increases their chances of winning the raffle prize," he says. "The games generally bring some fun and chance to the day."
A Scratch-off Package
Professional Golf Events in Nashville and Orlando has a somewhat different take on the golf scratch-off game. Each card is played hole-by-hole, thanks to the bird's-eye view of an entire course depicted on the card, which the player scores like a real scorecard. Plus, PGE has contracted with various sponsoring companies, so that each card purchaser receives:
- A three-day/two-night lodging certificate at selected hotels nationwide
- National car rental coupon
- Sleeve of golf balls
Vice president Chris Piciacchia says the scoring format and the prize package ensures a high level of interest: "We tell golfers to bring back their scratch cards for scoring, and then we work it down until we've got the three lowest scores." Each of the top three winners receives a five-day/four-night hotel voucher, plus the low-scoring player also wins a Nicklaus Golf Hybrid golf club. "All this stuff together has a high perceived value, but even the guys who don't win are still walking away with a travel voucher, car rental coupon and a sleeve of golf balls," he says. "We thought it was important to get more perceived value to the end user in order to boost revenue to the sponsor."
For 2008, PGE charged $15 per individual ticket, with a minimum order of 60. "Say you have 120 golfers at your event—we would send you 120 packages, you pay for what you sell and return the rest to us after the tournament," Piciacchia says.
As far as player pricing, PGE leaves that up to the purchaser. "We recommend that the tournaments feel out their player demographics—we have purchasers charge $30, $40 or even $50 per ticket if they think the interest is there," Piciacchia says. "Knowing your demographic helps you price it properly."
PGE encourages its customers to get creative in marketing the game, too. For example, the card's back is blank but can be customized. "If you plan ahead, you can sell sponsorships for that space and get the sponsor to pay for 50 percent to 100 percent of the program, leaving your group with 100 percent profit," Piciacchia says. "Some groups have bought the scratch card as the gift for their players and found it worked better than another shirt or towel due to the high perceived value versus a $60 golf shirt."
Raffles for Fun and Profit
Raffles are an old standby, and with good reason: they generate interest and cash. Done creatively, they can even become a signature part of your event, as the planners of the Sedona Miracle Golf Tournament have learned.
In 2006, the Sedona Miracle planning committee decided to try perhaps the ultimate raffle: having a helicopter drop numbered golf balls en masse over the practice green at the famed Seven Canyons Golf Club in Sedona, Ariz. The owner of the winning ball received a new Lexus. "It's become an annual feature in Sedona that even non-golfers look forward to," says 2008 tournament chair Jim Ousley.
Sedona Miracle has refined their ball drop in those three years. For example, they sold 10,000 balls at $10 each in 2006, which complicated the logistics since their combined weight taxed the helicopter and the numbers are written on each ball by hand. In 2007, the committee tried to streamline a bit by doubling the price to $20. Ousley says there was a slight drop in revenue that year, perhaps because the prize was a motorcycle, before hitting its stride in 2008. "We charged $100 per ball and sold a limited number of balls," says Ousley. "We've made about the same money each time, but the limited ball sales increase the excitement and mean less work for the organizers." (One year, the prize was donated; most recently, the event has purchased a Lexus to give away.)
Sedona Miracle has used their resources wisely; for example, given Sedona's picturesque setting, several helicopter companies fly tourists around the red rocks, giving them an incentive to donate their flying services for publicity. But despite hosting nearly 3 million tourists per year, Ousley says they've decided to stop promoting the ball drop to them. "They're not invested in the community and might be willing to spend $10, but that means selling more balls. Local people are willing to spend more to benefit our local organizations," he says. "Helicopter ball drops would also work in other locales—they're more appealing with beautiful scenery, but there are lots of beautiful golf courses around the country."
50/50 and Fabulous
The 50/50 raffle, in which the sponsoring organization splits the pot with the owner of the winning ticket, is another popular fixture. Loren Shapiro, president of Fortune Marketing Unlimited in Westwood, Mass., finds that his clients get the best results when they build excitement into the raffle. "There's absolutely no thrill for anyone except the winner in just pulling out one winning ticket right off the bat," he says. "If you do a reverse raffle, everyone gets involved and the excitement builds, which means you make more money."
Specifically, Shapiro recommends drawing the losing tickets first in a relatively small drawing, so that the last name drawn wins the biggest prize. When more tickets have been sold, he recommends drawing 25 "live" tickets and discarding the rest. "With a reverse drawing, you'll keep people standing around longer, because they feel more invested in winning or finding out who wins."
A good emcee can help things along, too, by encouraging spectators to offer to buy finalists' tickets for the chance at winning it all. "The charity basically brokers between attendees in allowing someone to sell their ticket to someone else for a 20-percent premium, which goes to the charity, of course," he says. "There are lots of people who would gladly take a one in five chance to win a large cash prize—say $10,000 or more—and they're willing to pay extra for the privilege."
Additionally, finalists in a reverse draw can agree to share the grand prize, which is also sure to get a reaction from the crowd. "We do one tournament where three people agreed to share the prize last year, so people were kind of expecting that again," Shapiro says. "This year, one of the three finalists was not present, so the drawing had to continue to pick one winner—it's almost more interesting when you get to see a small group of guys try to work something out."
The key, says Shapiro, is to make your attendees passionate about the raffle's outcome. And large amounts of money will do that. "Know what your groups will bear," he says. "If at all possible, charge at least $50 in a 50/50 raffle because otherwise the prize will be too small to get much attention. "That's the beauty of the lottery—spend $1 and win millions, versus playing the slot machines and winning a few hundred." And, if many players bring guests to your event, don't be afraid to pitch to them, too, at a healthy price: "Remember, players' guests haven't really reached into their pockets yet all day, so they can be very eager to play a 50/50 raffle."
Nickel-and-Diming Your Players?
It's always a good idea to consider the overall effect of all your revenue-enhancing schemes. That's because it's hard to have a good time when someone is constantly asking you for money, so consider how your revenue add-on ideas will affect your players' enjoyment.
Jacques Bitton is a California meat executive who enjoys planning six to seven charity outings per year. He favors traditional, affordable pricing on raffles and mulligans: "I like to give one raffle ticket free as part of the goodie bag, then sell more for $5 apiece or three for $10," he says. "I don't think people will feel nickel-and-dimed if it's a quality event, and all the extra revenue is profit for your group."
Piciacchia is wary, however. "We encourage our tournaments to show consideration for their guests and just hit that person up one time during the event," he says. "Whatever you're trying to sell, locate them all together: raffles, mulligans, scratch-off games right next to each other. A lot of people don't want to have to dig in their pocket again and again."
Shapiro thinks this caution is warranted. "We want our clients to make their events all-inclusive so people don't have to keep buying drinks and snacks and lunch and who knows what else," he says. "But as long as you're doing that, the reality is that people don't mind paying for raffles [and games] on top of that. It's easier to buy a $100 ticket when you didn't have to buy four drinks over the course of the day."
Award-winning freelance journalist Darcy Lewis, based in Chicago, is a frequent contributor to Golf Event. She last wrote about incentive outings in the fall 2008 issue. |
