THE GOAL: Generate interest in golf events by adding lighthearted twists to the tournament calendar.
THE PLAN: Tapping into the creativity of its staff, Sedgefield CC started hosting a series of themed tournaments.
THE PAYOFF: The members participate more actively in new and interesting golf events.
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Any tournament is cause for celebration, but the staff at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., often goes the extra mile to entertain its members. One of the staff’s favorite activities is to hold theme-based golf tournaments, such as a Cinco de Mayo tournament in May or the annual Flag Day bash on the Fourth of July. Everyone gets involved in the planning, says Head Golf Professional Rocky Brooks.
For a Thanksgiving tournament one year, the first-place teams received turkeys, while the runners-up garnered hams.
Brooks relies on the creativity of the food and beverage staff to come up with special menus for the events, and the “ladies who work in the clubhouse” offer decorating ideas and tips.
“The golf part of it is pretty easy,” he adds.
The pins sport red, white and blue flags for the Fourth of July bash, and golfers find red, white and blue towels in their carts. The menu features hot dogs, apple pie and other patriotic desserts. The Cinco de Mayo tournament, meanwhile, will feature sombreros on the tee boxes and piñatas hanging near the sixth and 14th tees.
Even with the club’s growing reputation for creativity, Brooks and his staff still make sure the members know what’s coming up. “We blast e-mails. We put signs in the golf carts and theme-based signage throughout the club,” he explains.
Often, in fact, those signs in the golf cars have special significance to the golfers. For the Fourth of July tournament, a group of middle schoolers, who also happened to be the children of members, made signs and drew pictures to promote the event. Personnel start placing the signs in golf cars a month ahead of the tournament. The staff put each child’s sign in his or her parent’s golf car, notes Brooks, “and we made sure [the golfers] knew who made the signs.” C&RB
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