Golf tournaments are impactful events because their footprint reaches far beyond the few hours that players are on the course. When executed correctly, a golf tournament can be a positive force for your organization well before and long after the event itself. 

To make sure that happens, however, you need a plan. You’ll need to have the ability to connect with your audience throughout this process, and you’ll need to know what to say and when. In this post, we’ll go over some of the ways you can stay engaged all the way through the lifecycle of your golf outing. 

On the technology side of this puzzle, Partaake is your ideal partner for such an endeavor. Our software removes the pain points associated with running a golf tournament and puts everything you need at your fingertips in one simple interface. Work with us right away to make your tournament a huge hit!

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Setting the Stage for Success

There are a couple of goals you’ll have in mind for the time leading up to your event. For one thing, you need to get the word out about the tournament. Information you’ll want to share includes the date of the event, the location and cost, and what charity or cause it will benefit (if applicable). Without the ability to effectively market your tournament, it will be difficult to fill up the field and have the type of event you envisioned. 

Beyond marketing, you also need a practical way to register players and accept payments. This should be as smooth and streamlined as possible. Once people find out about the tournament and decide they want to play, it should take no more than a few moments to complete their registration. Removing as much friction from the process as possible will maximize the signups you receive. 

Partaake will be a huge help in both of these areas. We make it a breeze to quickly get a great looking website live online for potential participants to visit and learn more about the tournament. You will get your own unique URL for the tournament site and can start marketing in a matter of seconds. If they want to play, registration will be completed and money will be accepted right then and there. It couldn’t be easier. 

Our built-in social sharing also gives a boost to your marketing efforts. Blast messages out on social platforms, point people to your website, and funnel them into registration. Just like that, you’ll have a proper marketing funnel that gives your event the best possible chance to sell out. 

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Take the Stress Out of Tournament Day

For the participants, a golf tournament should be a day filled with plenty of fun. Sure, there will be a few missed putts along the way, but the day will be a great one in the end. 

For tournament organizers? Things might look a little different. Without the right tools and preparation, you could find yourself scrambling to pull it all off in the days leading up to the event. 

One common issue is dealing with changes to groups and pairings at the last minute. While Partaake sends out an event reminder 24 hours before the tournament, it’s still likely that there will be some changes to manage. This kind of thing is inevitable, as real life tends to get in the way of the best-laid plans. Whether someone is sick or just can’t get out of the office to play, some changes should be expected.

This is why we’ve made it possible to quickly adjust pairings to balance out groups and keep the event on track. You’ll also be able to process refunds and fill up the field by drawing from a waitlist when people drop out close to the event. You don’t have to stress the last-minute changes thanks to the flexibility built into the Partaake platform.  

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Staying In Touch and Building Toward Next Year

There will be a sense of relief when everyone heads home happy from your first tournament. You did it! This is a great accomplishment and you may have raised some money for a worthy cause at the same time. 

Of course, next year’s event is now less than 12 months away, so it’s never too early to start planning. As a first step, it’s a good idea to send out a recap email that thanks everyone for their participation. When using Partaake, participants will be able to upload pictures to an event photo album, so you can include a link to this album in your email to share the memories.

Also, now that you have a list of players who had a great time, you can leverage those connections to make upcoming years even easier to manage. Use Partaake to send out email blasts periodically over the coming months to stay engaged with your audience. You might even want to offer an early registration discount for next year’s tournament to keep the momentum going. 

Want to make sure your upcoming golf tournament has the maximum possible impact on your organization? Partnering with Partaake is a great first step. The full suite of tools we offer will make running your event a breeze, including staying in touch both before and after the day on the course. Connect with Partaake today to learn more!