Following a Timeline

If you’re a first time tournament host, you'll quickly learn that there is a lot of work involved with hosting and planning a golf tournament. Typically, first time tournament organizers attempt to throw together a tournament in a few months, which makes the process a lot more stressful.  

While it may not seem like a lot of work, it takes months of structured planning to successfully host a tournament.  

We recommend that beginners begin the planning process at least 6 months in advance.

 

While it is important to focus on the larger tasks involved in planning a tournament, don’t neglect the smaller tasks, as these help to make your tournament truly successful. The main goal is to create a unique and enjoyable experience for players who will look forward to returning year after year. Things like:

  • Sponsorship letters

  • Hole-in-one insurance

  • Invitations

  • Sign up Process

  • On-Course Food & Beverages

Creating and following a timeline of tasks allows you stay on track and ensures all items, big or small, are completed. If you’re lucky enough to have a committee assisting you with the management process, you can also use this timeline to delegate various tasks to each member, equally distributing the weight and lightening the load for all.  This will allow you to keep up to date on progress and ensure accountability for each individual task.

Being organized prior to your tournament will minimize mistakes and make your event more enjoyable for everyone involved!

Example Timeline:

planning calendar

planning calendar

planning calendar

planning calendar

planning calendar

Download these templates and golf tournament resources by clicking here.

Budgeting

Your tournament is designed and planned with the participants in mind. We want players, sponsors, and everyone involved to enjoy a great day on the links, but we all know the main objective: to make as much profit as possible!

One of the best tips we can give you: treat your tournament like a business!

The overall goal of your event isn’t much different than that of a business and the purpose is to turn the maximum profit.  With this in mind, it is crucial that you prepare for this event by budgeting accordingly.  Keeping track of absolutely all income and expenses and staying conservative when it comes to expenses can help ensure a successful event.

 

Staying Under Budget

Staying under budget is not the easiest of tasks. Here are a few suggestions that may help:

Sponsorships: Offer sponsorship opportunities to cover some of your expenses. For example, you could offer a website sponsor to cover the cost of a registration website.  You can also offer sponsorships to cover the cost of gifts (hat sponsor, ball sponsor, etc.) that would of course include the sponsor logo on all gifts which is great free advertising.

Donations: Donations are key to staying on track, the more gifts, prizes and auction items you can have donated, the less you will have to spend.  Reach out to local businesses and as many companies as possible to see if they are willing to help out.  Also make sure you have a donation option and remind those golfers not able to attend.

Prizes: There’s a good chance you will have to purchase some gifts and prizes for your event.  The key is to be conservative. Often the most practical gifts tend to be some of the cheapest (golf balls, hats, shirts, etc).

Planning a golf tournament isn’t easy, but effective time management and budget planning eliminate stress to make the process a lot easier! Try using Event Caddy to simply organize your next golf tournament.