GolfStatus’ golf event management platform powers golf tournaments and events of all types and sizes—even mini golf tournaments.
GolfStatus’ golf event management platform powers golf tournaments and events of all types and sizes—even mini golf tournaments.
Leaning on the tournament planning resources available in its online resources library and working closely with the in-house Client Success team, the GolfStatus marketing team planned a brand new mini golf tournament, using the tasks outlined in the golf tournament fundraiser timeline and checklist, to give back to our community and raise money for a local charity. The tournament raised over $9,200 for the Capital Humane Society in our hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska.
A big THANK YOU to our tournament sponsors!
Presenting Sponsor
Sponsors
Golf Ball Sponsor
Dinner Sponsor
Koozie Sponsor
Pin Flag Sponsor
Batting Cage Sponsor
19th Hole Sponsor
Swag Sponsor
Game Sponsor
hole sponsors
Post-event update
Lessons learned: The to-do list doesn’t stop once the tournament is done! Post-event follow up and engagement with attendees is super important for ensuring a great experience and building momentum for the next year’s event. Using GolfStatus’ messaging app was a simple way to reach out to everyone in one fell swoop to say thank you, provide a final update, and announce that Putt Putt Fore Puppies will be back again in 2024! Once all of the tournament accounting was reconciled, we were able to present Capital Humane Society with a check for $9,208.15 (which was THREE TIMES what we set for an initial fundraising goal).
- ✓ Sent a thank you to all attendees via GolfStatus’ platform
- ✓ Sent handwritten thank you notes to sponsors
- ✓ Provided hole signs to sponsors
- ✓ Updated the event website
- ✓ Reconciled final expenses and income and presented a check to Capital Humane Society
- ✓ Debriefed with the planning committee
- ✓ Renewed with GolfStatus for 2024!
OCTOBEr Update
We did it! And it was an amazing day. We hit the jackpot in terms of weather—low 80s, plentiful sunshine, and a slight breeze. Set up and check in both went smoothly. People were eager to buy the games package and raffle tickets through the event website, and we raised $1100 the day of the event just in add-on purchases! Best of all, we were able to make a big check presentation to Capital Humane Society for over $8000! We heard from so many golfers and sponsors about how much fun they had and how they hoped we would do it again.
Lessons learned:
As much as we tried to plan ahead so the week of the event wouldn’t be hectic, there were just some tasks that had to wait until close to the event, such as printing alpha lists and making hole assignments.
It’s a good idea to avoid mentioning a specific time for post-golf happenings, since the round might take longer than anticipated. We planned an hour for golf, but the round on the Backwoods course (which is significantly more difficult than the Blue course) took close to an hour and half. Those on the Blue course finished in just over an hour, and thankfully were content to mingle, enjoy dinner or a drink, hit the batting cages, and soak in the beautiful weather while waiting for the raffle drawing and awards presentation.
Having QR codes for folks to buy raffle tickets and the all-in games package made it super easy to do. We also had QR codes to download the GolfStatus app for live-scoring, since we didn’t use paper scorecards. Live-scoring was a big hit, and sponsors loved seeing their logo in the app.
Giving ourselves plenty of time for setup was helpful—we arrived at Adventure Golf about 12:30 so we weren’t pushed to get everything ready before registration opened at 3:30.
Running everything through the GolfStatus event website was so helpful in reconciling expenses. Some golfers preferred to pay via cash, but that added a level of complexity for accounting purposes.
Getting proofs for printed items is imperative to ensure there are no errors and all items are up to our high standards and make sponsors look good. We had some difficulties getting accurate proofs from a vendor, but our persistence paid off and everything turned out fine (though it did add some unnecessary stress).
We truly couldn’t have done without GolfStatus. From easy registration, instant sponsor exposure, premium sponsorships, and the hands-on help from the client success team, GolfStatus was a key part of our success.
- ✓ Held bi-weekly meetings with the planning committee to discuss logistics
- ✓ Re-opened registration for waitlisted teams
- ✓ Created QR codes for golfers to purchase raffle tickets and all-in games and to download the GolfStatus app
- ✓ Created a rules sheet outlining the format and rules for each of the on-course games
- ✓ Assembled pin flags, hole signs, and golfer swag bags
- ✓ Worked with our GolfStatus client success rep to make hole assignments
- ✓ Confirmed and communicated volunteer assignments and committee roles
- ✓ Finalized the event day schedule
- ✓ Wrote talking points for the welcome
- ✓ Pulled together registration table supplies and odds and ends
- ✓ Communicated with sponsors and registrants to remind them of all-in games packages and raffle tickets
September Update
Lessons learned: Our tournament date is rapidly approaching and we’re in final prep mode. Our promotional push paid off, as we officially sold out the event! It was super exciting to see every sponsorship and team slot sold. As our GolfStatus client success rep had explained to us a few months ago, the majority of teams tend to register in the month or so leading up to the event, and that was the case here. We had a few additional teams inquire about registering after all the slots were filled, so we opened a waitlist. There are currently nine teams on our waitlist, so we’re figuring out a plan for potentially doubling up teams on some holes or even opening the third course at Adventure Golf. As we plan for all the final details and logistics, some of our sponsors have stepped up to provide things like tote bags and swag for player gift bags.
- ✓ Sold out our teams!!!
- ✓ Opened a waitlist for additional teams
- ✓ Held our monthly tournament planning meeting and set bi-weekly meetings through the tournament date
- ✓ Worked on recruiting volunteers to run games
- ✓ Designed and ordered a bunch of items: sponsor banners, hole signs, pin flags, koozies, and golf balls
- ✓ Checked with Adventure Golf on logistics like A/V equipment and tables
- ✓ Tracked donated game and raffle prizes
AUGUST Update
Lessons learned: Our summer focus on sponsorships has paid off, as we are officially sold out of sponsor packages! We worked with a couple businesses who were interested in participating in the event to create custom sponsorships, based on their goals and capacities for being part of the tournament. We’re super excited about selling our presenting sponsorship to Sinclair Hille Architects! The presenting sponsorship included GolfStatus’ exclusive Technology Sponsorship. With less than two months to go until event day, we’re working on determining details for on-course games, soliciting in-kind donations for prizes, and most importantly, pushing team registrations. Our team has been posting flyers around Lincoln, reaching out to friends and family who have expressed interest, pushing out email promotions, and utilizing targeted ads and organic social media to get the word out.
- ✓ Sold out our slate of sponsorships (shout out to Sinclaire Hille Architects, Ross Eickhoff State Farm, 402 Creamery, Allo Fiber, Raising Cane’s, Luly Motors, Pioneer Greens Dentistry, Nexus Marketing, Amigos/Kings Classic, Vanicek Dental, Yankee Hill Veterinary Hospital, Prairie Dental, Armature)
- ✓ Sold 10 teams
- ✓ Continued posting promotional flyers at businesses around Lincoln
- ✓ Worked on a promotional strategy to drive team registrations
- ✓ Held our monthly tournament planning committee meeting
- ✓ Created a spreadsheet to track volunteers, on-course games, prizes, and donations
- ✓ Started recruiting volunteers to help run the tournament
- ✓ Got to know some of the furry friends available for adoption at Capital Humane Society
- ✓ Continued outreach for in kind prize donations
July Update
Lessons learned: The team focused on securing sponsorships over the past month, relying on personal and professional connections to reach out to businesses. We’ve heard from a couple of potential sponsors that their charitable or sponsorship dollars have already been allocated for the year, which has reinforced the advice to start sponsor outreach early! We’ve been using our new budget spreadsheet template to track revenue and expenses, which has been helpful to reference, and started outlining volunteer needs and the details of the extra games we’ll have on the course.
- ✓ Onboarded five new sponsors (shout out to Upland Software, Global Golf Post, Five Nines, Nicki for Nebraska, Allstate Agent Ty Shearman)
- ✓ Sold 11 teams
- ✓ Dropped flyers off at businesses around Lincoln to promote the tournament
- ✓ Held our monthly planning committee meeting
- ✓ Got to know some of the furry friends available for adoption at Capital Humane Society
- ✓ Continued sponsor outreach and asks for prize donations
- ✓ Selected a photographer to capture images of the event
June Update
Lessons learned: While we were initially discouraged about the lack of team registrations thus far, we’ve discovered that folks are interested in playing in the event—they just don’t want to commit this far out from the tournament date. Our Client Success team assures us that most team registrations occur within 30 days of the event, and since our tournament isn’t until October 20, we’re still in good shape. That being said, we’re continuing promotion to keep the event on people’s radars and hopefully drive some early registrations and sell additional sponsorships.
- ✓ Finalized a promotional flyer
- ✓ Held a monthly committee meeting
- ✓ Sold an additional sponsorship (thanks Vanity Fur)!
- ✓ Determined on-course games
- ✓ Added a registration package for on-course games to the event website
- ✓ Continued to reach out to potential sponsors
- ✓ Continued promotion on social media
May Update
Lessons learned: It was exciting to put on the finishing touches and launch our event website! GolfStatus’ platform made it easy to add graphics, customize verbiage, and set a donation goal. We also worked with Cash, our Client Success rep, to add watch emails so members of our planning team are notified whenever someone registers a team, makes a donation, or purchases a sponsorship. A custom form was added to each registration package to collect preferences on which golf course folks want to play (Adventure Golf has three courses, one of which is definitely more challenging!). We knew that the software was easy to navigate, but have now experienced it firsthand! Now we shift our focus to promoting the tournament and approaching potential sponsors.
- ✓ Held our monthly planning committee meeting
- ✓ Finalized and launched our event website.
- ✓ Sold our first two sponsorships. (shoutout to 402 Title Services and Certified Piedmontese!)
- ✓ Had our first team register.
- ✓ Finalized team registration costs.
- ✓ Sent our first promotional email.
- ✓ Started working on a tournament flyer.
April Update
Lessons learned: Divvying up the labor has helped keep planning moving forward at a brisk pace. Monthly committee meetings have been a great checkpoint and opportunity to brainstorm and bounce ideas off of each other. Each planning committee member took ownership of a sponsorship package and determined costs, pricing, and benefits, and will also take point in selling the sponsorship.
At this point, we have two of the three courses booked at Adventure Golf, but are working to price sponsorships so they’re still profitable if we need to scale up to include all three courses (which would be a great problem to have!).
- ✓ Field trip to Adventure Golf to scope out the courses’ layout and where we can place signage, registration, tables, etc.
- ✓ Added imagery and custom text to the event website.
- ✓ Finalized the tournament logo (and it’s super cute!).
- ✓ Finalized sponsorship packages.
- ✓ Finalized team registration costs.
- ✓ Added details to the budget worksheet to track income and expenses.
- ✓ Started fleshing out a promotion schedule to implement once the event website is launched.
March Update
Lessons learned: As a first-year event, we’re creating and documenting processes as we go. Without past years’ experiences to draw from, it’s necessary to make educated guesses on a number of components, like fixed costs, expected revenue, sponsor packages, or the number of participants. We also don’t know what we don’t know, but have found that GolfStatus’ online resources and our Client Success team are filling in the gaps. Cash, our dedicated rep, is essentially an extra planning committee member, sharing his experience and expertise.
The good news is that we’re ahead of the game with planning. Cash shared that most tournaments open up registration 60-90 days out from the event date, and we’re on track to open registration sooner than that timeframe, once we determine some details about format and further flesh out sponsorship packages. Our committee members, like most golf event organizers, are trying to balance planning tasks with our full-time jobs and lives.
- ✓ Finalized a date and locked it in with Adventure Golf (October 20!)
- ✓ Divided up sponsorships among committee members
- ✓ Received an education session from our GolfStatus Customer Success rep
- ✓ Worked on a draft of our event website
- ✓ Submitted fundraiser information to name Capital Humane Society as a beneficiary
- ✓ Started working on the tournament logo
- ✓ Started brainstorming promotion ideas
- ✓ Created a budget tracking spreadsheet
- ✓ Started creating a budget
- ✓ Practiced our putting skills (we do this a lot)
February Update
Lessons learned: Even with a mini golf tournament, there are a lot of moving parts and important things to consider, but the checklist has kept us on task. We’re finding a lot of fun possibilities for a mini golf tournament in terms of add-ons, sponsorship options, and games. After discussions with the planning committee, the original tentative event date needed to be reconsidered due to a conflicting event—which is why it was important to loop the entire team in to help consider decisions from all angles.
- ✓ Finalized the planning committee
- ✓ Set dates for all remaining committee meetings
- ✓ Reviewed pricing options for facility rental
- ✓ Revisited potential event date options
- ✓ Brainstormed sponsorship and package ideas
- ✓ Determined a tournament name (Putt Putt for Puppies)
- ✓ Narrowed down a list of local animal-related beneficiaries
- ✓ Reviewed several GolfStatus client mini golf events and websites
- ✓ Started creating a budget
- ✓ Practiced our putting skills (again)
January Update
- ✓ Set a tentative event date in October 2023
- ✓ Checked local event calendars for conflicts
- ✓ Met with the golf facility (Adventure Golf Center in Lincoln, Nebraska)
- ✓ Received a GolfStatus demo
- ✓ Brainstormed event ideas with the planning team and our GolfStatus Account Manager
- ✓ Practiced our putting skills
