ASHRAE’s Louisville Chapter uses Technology to Streamline its Golf Outing & Ensure a Safe, Contact-Free Event
Golf outings are a valuable tool for trade associations—helping them fundraise, engage existing members, and recruit new ones. For the Louisville chapter of ASHRAE (a professional trade association focused on advancing and innovating HVAC and refrigeration technology with more than 57,000 members) this year’s summer golf outing was no exception. To navigate social distancing and safety challenges, event organizer Kyle Browning implemented technology in a few crucial ways. The outcome was not only a safe and successful event, but a ton of unexpected time-savings and efficiency.
Social Distancing & Safety Modifications
To mitigate exposure and align with the golf facility’s safety protocols and social distancing measures, Kyle worked directly with the facility to make adjustments and modifications. There was still a shotgun start, but teams were spread out to keep everyone socially distanced from start to finish. Players were limited to one person per cart, which meant a cap of 25 teams for the event due to a limited number of carts. To eliminate the need for cumbersome mail-in registrations, Kyle launched an event website through GolfStatus.
As a 501(c), ASHRAE’s Louisville chapter qualified for GolfStatus.org’s Golf for Good program, through which nonprofits can receive no-cost access to GolfStatus’s golf event management technology, including a free event website that streamlines registration and live scoring. Event websites powered by GolfStatus are mobile-friendly, include customizable content and imagery, buildable team packages and sponsorship listings, course details, and an easy and secure checkout functionality. With all the key information in one place and an easy way to register instantly, event organizers like Kyle simply include the registration link on direct communications, emails, and other media pertaining to the outing, making it easy to spread the word. “The website was great,” notes Kyle. “We listed a foursome signup, hole sponsorships, and mulligans and were able to collect all the information we needed at the time of registration so we didn’t have to hassle with it. It just made everything so easy.”
The event website also solved another issue; without the expectation of paying before the event, players weren’t always completely reliable. “If somebody signed up two teams and then didn’t show, we were out thousands of dollars because they were planning on bringing a check the day of the event,” explains Kyle.
In addition to streamlining the entire registration process, online payment eased the burden of planning and coordination for Kyle and the event’s other volunteer organizers, while also keeping the day-of check-in process congestion- and contact-free. “In years past, we had used paper forms for registration,” explains Kyle. “We tried to do registration on our website once before, but what we came up with was clunky, slow, and difficult for people to pay through.”
Streamlining Logistics
ASHRAE’s Louisville chapter represents not only the association as a whole, but its member organizations and their businesses. For this reason, it’s especially important that things run smoothly and professionally.
When players registered for the annual golf tournament, their information dropped into GolfStatus’s web-based golf event management interface, so Kyle could easily manage registrations and sponsorships in real time. This is the second crucial piece of the Golf for Good program: access to GolfStatus’s full-service golf event management platform. Organizers like Kyle receive login credentials and are able to jump into the software at any time to manage participants, handle team pairings, organize sponsor logos and links, drag and drop hole assignments, and more. After a quick walk-through from GolfStatus Customer Success Specialist Adam Bouc, Kyle was able to handle what can take days and even weeks of work and coordination between event committees and staff at the golf facility in about 10 minutes. “Once Adam showed me, I did all the team pairings and hole assignments,” explains Kyle, noting that the drag-and-drop interface made things especially easy. “I was also able to professionally format and export all the cart signs instantly, so the golf facility could have them printed and ready to go for the tournament.”
Through GolfStatus, ASHRAE’s Louisville chapter was also able to live-score the outing, offering touchless mobile scoring through the GolfStatus app and live leaderboards displayed in the app and on the event website. “The app was super easy for everyone to use," explains Kyle. “Players just downloaded it for free, entered into the ASHRAE outing with their team code, and they were able to enter scores and check the leaderboards during the event from their phones.” In addition to adding a high-end look and feel to the outing, live scoring kept everyone honest and made for a more competitive tournament.
The GolfStatus event management platform also provided additional exposure to participating businesses, helping them capitalize on the opportunity to network with other association members through the outing. “With the digital sponsorship opportunities available through the app, we were able to wrap digital hole sponsorships into foursome packages and offer each sponsor company that much more visibility,” says Kyle.
A Win all around
In all, instead of having to cancel, the ASHRAE Louisville chapter’s annual outing sold all available teams, even at a higher price point than in years past to ultimately raise more dollars than ever before. At the same time, Kyle and the other organizers tasked with planning the event saved an incredible amount of time and effort.
“GolfStatus just made everything so much easier—from keeping track of information to staying safe and complying with the golf facility’s rule changes and social distancing policies. I just loved it! And, whenever I needed help with anything, the GolfStatus team was there to answer questions and give me a hand. I’ll definitely be using GolfStatus again next year.”
Interested in learning more about GolfStatus’s Golf for Good program? Submit an inquiry here to get qualified or email us directly at