Golf Incentives: Go for the Green
January 10, 2008
Watching, playing or learning the game of golf is a prized incentive
By Edward Schmidt, Jr.
Is there anything better for a golf enthusiast than strolling along the lush, verdant, azalea-framed fairways of Augusta National Golf Club in April at the Masters?
"Absolutely not," says Robert Tuchman, president of New York City–based TSE Sports & Entertainment, a firm specializing in sports and entertainment hospitality and corporate events. "To golfers, it's nirvana and the ultimate incentive reward."
Tuchman says the Masters—along with other major golf events like the Ryder Cup, U.S. Open, PGA Championship and British Open—as well as participation in pro-ams at professional tournaments and playing at big-name golf resorts, are productive incentives. They give companies dream-come-true venues to reward important customers and clients and bring together people to network in a relaxing, outdoor environment conducive to great communication.
Golf's Biggest Draw
"The Masters is the ultimate golf incentive, because it's arguably the most difficult ticket in any sport to obtain," says Tuchman. "Beyond the history, magnificent setting and the best golfers in the world, the fact that not everybody can attend adds to the luster and appeal."
Since 2000, TSE has executed an annual Masters incentive program for Bayer Environmental Science, a division of the Bayer Company, whose product line includes pesticides and insecticides for turf and ornamentals, aiding in weed control at golf courses, sports fields and public gardens. The program runs eight nights, with different groups of key senior executives and top distributors rotating in and out of Augusta every two days. Last year there were 42 people in each two-day group. "We rotate the groups so we can maximize the passes," says Jeff Weber, TSE's vice president of golf. "Some groups attend the practice rounds; others midweek tournament play, and others on the final day."
Tuchman says a key component of the program is housing attendees in local, luxurious private homes. "We do it because Augusta has limited high-end hotel options, but, more importantly, because the private home experience encourages socialization and camaraderie between executives and clients." In addition, attendees participate in a private golf outing at an area course and receive Masters logo gifts, limousine transportation and a private chef for all on-site dinners at the TSE Executive Club, a 12,000-square-foot, company-owned event facility near the Augusta National Golf Club main gate. In past years, the program has featured appearances by PGA Tour players Raymond Floyd, Doug Sanders and Craig Stadler and celebrities like NASCAR superstar Jeff Gordon and CBS-TV golf broadcaster David Feherty.
Pay to Play
For those who want to actually tee up with tour pros, there are several options provided by the major American professional tours. Events staged on the Wednesday preceding a tour tournament—generally referred to as pro-ams—allow amateur golfers to play the tournament course and socialize with players during a round of golf.
Pro-am slots for the PGA Tour range in price from $5,000 to $10,000. Typically, a tournament in the Fall Series costs less than a high-profile event like the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Groups with budget restrictions have an option with the PGA Tour's Saturday Series Pro-Am offered at about 25 tournaments, costing about two-thirds less than the Wednesday series, which is more likely to involve the top-name pros.
The Champions Tour (formerly known as the Seniors Tour) features some one-day pro-ams starting at $2,000 per player and some two-day pro-ams starting at $5,000 per player.
With the arrival in the past few years of star players like Lorena Ochoa, Paula Creamer and Morgan Pressel, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour has become increasingly popular. Slots for Tuesday or Wednesday pro-ams range from $2,500 to $5,000.
Corporate groups can buy individual slots or purchase a sponsorship package, which often includes a number of pro-am slots. To research various possibilities, go to the professional tour Web sites, click on the tournament section, and then click on the individual tournament of interest for pro-am information.
 It Takes a Village
Playing with big-name touring professionals is a thrill for any amateur. Bill Sellmer, president of SMI Travel in Tampa, Fla., a corporate events and incentive planning firm, says playing well-known golf resorts is also a valued incentive prize. "Golfers can't seem to get enough of playing so-called trophy courses at big-name resorts," says Sellmer. While many luxury golf resorts cater to groups with enviable budgets, he says there are still many value-priced alternatives.
"One of the resorts I use that can handle groups on a variety of budgets is the World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Fla.," says Sellmer. Set in a 400-acre resort/residential complex, the World Golf Village encompasses the World Golf Hall of Fame, an upscale shopping center, PGA Tour Golf Academy, two championship 18-hole golf courses, PGA TOUR Spa Laterra, and hotel and condominium accommodations.
Recently, Sellmer coordinated a three-day program for a Florida-based heating, ventilation and air-conditioning company to reward high-producing retailers. The group of 150 people enjoyed an itinerary filled with golf, sport fishing in the Atlantic Ocean (about 20 miles away) and spa treatments. Sellmer likes the World Golf Village "because it's one of those rare places that combines history—the World Golf Hall of Fame—with championship golf, spa, nearby fishing and affordable accommodations." Attendees stay on-site at the 300-room Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village, which overlooks the Slammer & Squire golf course.
Depending on budget, groups can expand a program to include lessons at the golf academy, special functions at the World Golf Hall of Fame and personal appearances by World Golf Hall of Fame inductees, says Sellmer.
The golf incentive menu is an ever-increasing one, with a long list of other options, including programs at resort golf academies headed by the sport's great instructors such as David Leadbetter, Butch Harmon and Rick Smith; stays at intimate luxury lodges like The Lodge at Sea Island Golf Club in Sea Island, Ga., and the Lodge at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore., which have the feel and exclusivity of private golf clubs; or travel to new, emerging exotic golf destinations like China, Dubai and South Africa.
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