Golf Meetings: Overview

Golf is the most popular form of recreation at meetings. For some groups, in fact, a golf outing or tournament is the meeting's highlight. This article tells how to incorporate golf in your meeting, what to look for in selecting a golf course, and how to run a tournament.

WORLDWIDE POPULARITY

Golf is booming. Some 30.3 million Americans over the age of 12 play golf, reports the National Golf Foundation, and 12.8 million are considered "core golfers," playing an average of 37 rounds a year. Women comprise 25 percent of the total number of golfers. Since 1990, the number of golfers, men and women, has increased from 27.8 million to 30.2 million, and the number of golf courses has grown from 12,846 to 16,057. As a result, the business of golf has exploded: Consumer spending on green fees, equipment, and golf-related services has grown tremendously to a whopping $24.3 billion in 2002 alone.

Golf is enjoyed worldwide, but nowhere has it taken hold on a scale comparable to that in the U.S. The states with the most golf courses are Florida (1,073), California (925), Texas (857), Michigan (852), and New York (822) . An executive charged with planning a golf meeting will find a wide selection of courses in those states, as well as in many others, notably Arizona, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.

GOLF, HONOR, BUSINESS

Many people believe that proficiency in golf--or, at least, cheerful participation--is one key to achieving success in the corporate world. A study by The New York Times gives credence to that. The newspaper compared the golfing abilities of corporate CEOs with the performance of their companies' stock and concluded that the CEOs with the lowest handicaps (the lower one's handicap, the better the golfer) were more likely to deliver above-average returns to stockholders.

The leisurely pace of golf lends itself to forging stronger relationships with clients or co-workers. That is why so many people in business make the time to golf during the workday or while out of town at meetings. "Golf is challenging to the individual, and the camaraderie of golf is something you can't buy in most other environments," says Tony Ciabattoni, owner of Fairways Corporate Golf Services, Inc., a Pittsburgh company specializing in corporate golf outings. "To spend five hours with your peers or your customers on a golf course is the ultimate quality time. You can talk pleasure, you can talk business, you can mix both. You can learn more about your golfing partners in five hours than in a month's worth of meetings with them."

Bruce Gietzen, vice president of Planning Professional Inc., a meeting management and special events firm with offices in McKinney, TX, and Atlanta, concurs. "Golf is a game of honor, integrity and sportsmanship," says Gietzen, who organizes golf meetings. "If a person you're golfing with plays by the rules in golf, he'll probably be straitlaced and considerate in business as well."

MATCHING GOLF TO YOUR MEETING GOALS

The objective of your meeting--and the golfing enthusiasm of your attendees--will determine the type of event you plan. Your options:

• A recreational round. You send attendees onto the golf course in the midst of a business meeting without setting up group scores or determining who should golf with whom. Golfers play in groups of four but keep their individual scores.
  
  
• A tournament. Here, thought goes into the composition of the golfing foursomes because each foursome is a team. Team scores are kept and prizes awarded. Rules are more likely to be enforced. Sometimes, sponsors are sought to underwrite facets of the tournament. It is not difficult to find a tournament format that is both in keeping with the goals of the meeting and within the capabilities of the group. For example, the tournament most often used at meetings is the Scramble, because it instills teamwork (see Tournament Formats). A Best Ball tournament is one in which all members of the foursome play their own ball, but only the best score for each hole is recorded as the team score. This format would appeal to the competitive nature of high-caliber golfers.

SELECTING A GOLF SITE

Will you use a resort course or an off-site country club or public course? If off-site, bear in mind that you'll probably have to pay for transporting your attendees from hotel to golf course and back. If the course is, say, 30 miles from the hotel, that could wreak havoc with the meeting, particularly if the meeting is running on a tight schedule.

When choosing a venue, consider the size of your group. Theoretically, an 18-hole course accommodates 144 players at a time, but, in practice, that many golfers would result in an excruciatingly slow pace of play. Depending on group size, you may want to consider a facility with 27 or 36 holes.

No two golf courses are alike. Does golf course architecture matter? That depends on the nature of your group and the objective of your outing. Is the goal merely to give attendees an afternoon of recreation in between meeting sessions? In that case, you probably can get by with a low-key (and lower-priced) course. Is the outing or tournament designed to reward your sales force or bring together the salespeople and key customers? In those cases, a prestigious layout by a top-name architect, such as Robert Trent Jones, Pete Dye, or Jack Nicklaus, might be in order.

Consider, too, the course's slope, which determines its difficulty, and any honors or rankings it has received. If your group is not all that serious about golf, there's little point springing for a highly challenging course. What makes a golf course challenging? Narrow fairways flanked by woods, for one thing. Also, lots of water hazards and bunkers. Length is critical, too. A 7,100-yard, 18-hole layout is more difficult than a 6,100-yard layout. (You can compensate for a long course by having golfers tee off from the forward tee markers, rather than from the championship tees. Most courses have at least three sets of tees on each hole.)

Brian Howard, national accounts manager for The Earthgrains Co., a St. Louis specialty baker, cautions against choosing a golf course that is too difficult for the players. "With a tough course, the scores will be higher and so will the frustration level," says Howard, who regularly organizes a golf tournament as part of his company's sales meetings. Flat golf courses devoid of water hazards are appropriate for novice golfers.

INSPECTING THE COURSE

Whether you're considering a workaday public course or an acclaimed resort layout, ask the golf staff for names of two or three corporate groups that have recently held outings there, then call those meeting planners. You'll also want to inspect the course, paying careful attention to the maintenance of the fairways, putting greens, tee boxes, and sand traps. Be on the lookout for divots (spots where turf has been dug out by duffers) and soggy areas, a possible indication of poor drainage. If you or a golf-savvy member of your organization can play the course beforehand, go for it. "Chances are, someone in your company is a good golfer, so have that person play the course," says Ciabattoni. "Otherwise, you'll have to get feedback from other sources."

Important point: What is the maintenance schedule? You won't want to play a course less than two weeks after the greens have been aerated. "It's a worst-case scenario," says Ciabattoni. "You're running a high-profile golf outing, and the greens were aerated three days before you get there. They have pockmarks all over. At that point, they're horrible to putt on, and because most golfers spend 40 percent of their time on the putting greens, this is not going to make for a very enjoyable day."

CHECKING OUT THE FACILITIES

Be sure the golf course has all the amenities that make for a successful golf outing. These include:

• Golf carts; you'll need one for every two golfers.
  
  
• Equipment and shoe rental for attendees who won't be bringing their own clubs and shoes.
  
  
• Sufficient staff for setting up the course, loading clubs onto the carts, and greeting attendees.
  
  
• Food and beverage operations; you'll need at least two beverage carts per 18 holes, more if it is very warm.
  
  
• Rest rooms, permanent or portable.
  
  
• Locker rooms (necessary only if the golf outing takes place away from the hotel or resort).
  
  
• Clubhouse; this serves as a meeting place before or after the golf outing, as the venue for a post-tournament awards ceremony, or as refuge from rain.
  
  
• Tournament services, such as scorecards, scorekeeping, and scoreboard updating; there usually is an extra per-golfer charge for this service.
  
  
• Pro shop.

PEOPLE TO CONTACT

Expect to broaden your circle of supplier contacts when you add golf to your meeting. At most golf resorts, you may be able to book the golf event with the same salesperson with whom you line up the guest rooms and the meeting space. Otherwise, you'll be put in contact with either the director of golf, who oversees all golf operations at the property, or the golf sales staff. In most cases, the director of golf and his staff will be your point of contact for planning the golf program. At a private country club or a public course, the head golf pro will most likely shepherd your golf outing from the booking process through the event itself.

For groups planning a high-profile corporate golf tournament (one involving an organization's key clients, for example) or a tournament involving hundreds of participants on several golf courses, outsourcing the tournament to a company that specializes in golf outings might be a smart move. Such golf management companies will oversee all aspects of the planning process and run the event on-site. To find these companies, check the ads in the major meetings magazines or ask other meeting planners for the names of companies they've used successfully. Many of the management companies are members of the National Association of Golf Tournament Directors (see Associations).

BUDGETING FOR A TOURNAMENT

For group golfing events on resort, country club, or public courses, the cost is usually on a per-person basis. This cost, which typically includes the "green fee" and the cart rental, varies widely by geographic region, time of year, and the prestige of the golf course. In addition, golfing on the weekend is generally slightly more expensive than on weekdays. The green fee/cart costs generally start at about $30 per person and can exceed $150 at the finest golf courses. At resorts, this figure may not include tournament scoring services. Also excluded are food and beverage costs.

In formulating the budget of a golf outing or tournament, you'll need to account for the elements listed below.

In all cases:

• Green fees and cart rentals; as noted above, most golf resorts and off-site golf courses will quote you a per-person fee that can vary widely;
• Food and beverage; for box lunches before the outing and roaming beverage carts;
• Transportation to and from the golf course (if the course is removed from the hotel or resort);
• Gratuities for staffers who are serving your event.

Depending on the nature of the outing:

• Tournament services for scorecards, scorekeeping, and scoreboard management; usually, this is a per-person fee (for a purely recreational outing in which scores are not being kept, this item is unnecessary);
• Photography and videography;
• Clinic with the resort pro or a touring professional;
• Tournament prizes;
• Hole-in-one contest insurance;
• Signage and banners to recognize tournament sponsors.

GOLF AT CONFERENCE CENTERS

Because conference centers are in business primarily to service meetings, their personnel are well suited to structure the golf in a way that will contribute to the group's overall objectives. "We rely on the meeting planner to tell us the purpose of the meeting, and then we help the planner decide whether this should be a group golf event or individual play, an early morning event or an afternoon event," says Dawn Cleboski, director of corporate services at Del Lago Golf Resort and Conference Center in Montgomery, TX. "We consider golf to be an integral part of the meeting. The communication, the camaraderie, and the relationships built on the golf course carry through to the business world."

At a resort conference center, golf is usually priced separately from the guest rooms, meeting space, meals, and other meeting-related services. Conference centers typically offer a complete meeting package (CMP), a per-person price incorporating meeting and sleeping rooms, meals, coffee breaks, basic audiovisual services, and gratuities. At Del Lago, Cleboski says, a group purchasing a large number of CMPs may be in line to receive a discount on the per-person cost of the golf outing. (For a closer look at this type of venue, see Doc. 5312, Golf at Conference Centers.)

FITTING GOLF INTO THE MEETING SCHEDULE

Of all recreational pursuits associated with meetings, golf is the most time-consuming. A round usually takes four to five hours, depending on the number of golfers. You'll need to pencil in additional time on either end, too, for attendees to change into their golf attire, wolf down a lunch (most likely a box lunch), and maybe take some practice swings on the driving range. After the golfing, allow people time to shower and change for the group activities that follow. If the golf course is apart from the hotel, you'll need to figure travel time as well.

The most popular time for a group golf outing is after lunch. That way, attendees can get in a morning of meetings, say, from 8 to 11:30 and grab their box lunches on the way out. They'll have time to change before the 1 o'clock tee-off time. The golfing will usually be completed no later than 6, after which the players should be given at least an hour to freshen up for dinner.

This schedule is not carved in stone. Hold your meeting in Texas or the Arizona or California desert between May and August, and it's just too hot to have your people on the golf course for five hours in the afternoon. When the afternoon heat is an issue, you can schedule golf for 8 a.m., follow up with lunch, and then hold the meeting sessions.

Because some golfers play slow, it's best to build in a time cushion between the golf outing and the event that follows. If timing is a concern, go with a shotgun start, in which all the foursomes tee off at the same time but at different holes. That way, everyone ends at about the same time, rather than have some golfers wrap up an hour or more after the early finishers.

With most multiday meetings, the golf outing or tournament is held on the first or second full day, although this is a matter of group preference. At the annual sales meeting of The Earthgrains Co. at the Lakeway Inn in Austin, TX, the company tournament was held on the afternoon of the first full day, a Tuesday, following morning meeting sessions. Staging the golf early in the meeting, says Howard, sets a tone of camaraderie for the rest of the meeting.

Earthgrains also gives its salespeople the option of arriving early on the first day and golfing on their own. That courtesy can, and should, be extended to those for whom one round of golf during the meeting is not enough.

PLANNING FOR INCLEMENT WEATHER

There is no way to safeguard your golf outing or tournament from being washed away or curtailed by rain. It is possible to play through a light, steady drizzle, but a raging downpour is another matter. Warning: At the slightest crack of lightning, all players should be rushed off the course.

What's a meeting organizer to do when the weather threatens? At the very least, line up access to the clubhouse or a ballroom at the resort; possibly, the facility staff can arrange indoor putting competitions. You can even make a rainstorm an excuse for a happy hour.

Monitor the local weather forecast in the days leading up to your golf outing. If the weather and forecast are ominous the morning of your outing--and the meeting schedule is flexible--you could arrange to postpone the golf by a day. Of course, the golf course will need to be available, so stay in touch with your contacts at the course and your convention services contact at the resort.

Where rain is concerned, Gietzen of Planning Professional Inc. has succinct advice : "Pray." Beyond that, he says that different courses have different rainout polices. "Inquire about their rainout policies when you sign the contract," he says. "Usually, refunds are prorated [by how many holes the group has completed]."

PROGRAMS FOR NONGOLFERS

Even though golf is the most popular sport in the business world, that doesn't mean everyone plays it. Attendees who won't be participating in the golf outing can be given free time while their colleagues are on the greens. An elegant option at a full-service resort is to arrange spa, massage, or beauty treatments for nongolfers, or provide transportation to an upscale shopping center. Don't leave this to guesswork; well before the meeting, query your nongolfers on what they prefer to do, and accommodate their wishes.

PROVIDING FOOD AND BEVERAGE

For golf outings teeing off at 1, a box containing a sandwich, fruit, a small pastry, and juice or spring water is the most convenient meal. It can be eaten on the run between the meeting and the golf course or in the golf cart once the action has started. Your food and beverage obligations don't end with the box lunch, however. Beverages are a must on the golf course for comfort and health considerations. Deploy beverage carts (at least two per 18 holes) stocked with a selection of juices and spring water. The hotter the day, the more carts you'll need. Consider providing light snacks, such as fruit. Stocking each golf cart with water is a smart idea, as sometimes thirst can't wait. Coordinate all your food and beverage needs with your resort or golf-course catering contact.

THE GOLF DESK

If a golf tournament is an integral part of your meeting, set up a staffed golf desk in a conspicuous place, such as the hotel lobby or the meeting room area. There, attendees can check in to confirm or change their pairings for the tournament, find out what hole they will be starting at (in the event of a shotgun start), and discuss other details. They also can book extra rounds if they are staying on after the meeting.

TOURNAMENT FORMATS

Tournaments are open to golfers of all playing levels, and there are many different tournament formats. Some work for the very skilled player as well as the beginner, but others are best left to those who take the game seriously. Players of different levels are often thrown together at meetings and conventions, and there are a number of ways to deal with this. Each foursome can be made up of golfers with varying abilities, providing talent is distributed equally across all the groups. Handicaps are important in tournaments and are generally accepted as a standard that enables golfers of different ability to compete fairly with one another. In addition to the one described below, there are dozens of formats that make golf a hit with most attendees (see #5311, Golf Formats for Meetings and Conventions).

The Scramble is the most popular format for group tournaments because it encourages teamwork. Foursomes are constructed so as to compose an A player, a B player, a C player, and a D player, each letter indicating the participant's skill level. In putting together the teams, the tournament organizer needs to know the golfing ability of the participants; it may be necessary to ask the golfers for their handicap. Certainly, an attendee who has never golfed would be categorized as a D. In a scramble, each team member tees off, but the team plays its second shots from where the best drive landed. Play continues in this fashion through putting. A scramble helps develop camaraderie among the players, eliminates embarrassment over poor shots, and allows everyone to make a contribution.

STRATEGIC PAIRINGS

Golfing abilities, of course, are taken into account when teams are formed, but business considerations, too, come into play. For networking purposes, for instance, you may want clients golfing with certain sales representatives or even with the CEO. Advice: Forming teams should not be left for the last minute; it is an integral facet of the tournament and should be done carefully with input from upper executives.

MAKING SPONSORSHIPS WORK

Enlisting sponsors is a proven method of defraying the cost of a golf tournament and generating good will with the industry partners and suppliers who'll be participating. Everything associated with the tournament can be sponsored: each hole, tee boxes, greens, box lunches, beverage carts, sun visors, items in the gift bags given to the golfers, and the awards ceremony. "The sky's the limit," says meeting planner Joann Hoffman, president of the Meeting Industry Ladies Organization, a golfing group. "We've even 'sold' the portable bathrooms on the golf course." Be sure that attractive signs or banners recognizing the sponsors are displayed prominently throughout the meeting, and thank sponsors at the awards ceremony as well as in follow-up letters.

SPECIAL COMPETITIONS

Special competitions add interest and suspense to a golf tournament. Consider awarding individual prizes for the longest drive, the longest putt, and, on par-3 holes, the closest drive to the pin. Note: These special competitions tend to slow down a tournament.

On a grander scale is the hole-in-one competition, in which the corporation awards a significant cash or merchandise prize to any golfer who makes a hole- in-one on a designated par-3 hole. Hole-in-one prizes can be cash (commonly $10,000 and up), a new car, or a luxury vacation. For hole-in-one competitions, the corporation can purchase an insurance policy that, in the extremely rare event of a hole-in-one, pays for the prize. The premium the corporation pays is based on the value of the prize being offered, the number of golfers participating in the tournament, and the distance of the hole. For most corporate golf outings, premiums start at about $200. There are two major hole-in-one insurance providers (both provide basic signage promoting the hole-in-one competition):

• American Hole 'n One. Call 770-932-6584 or 770-271-1065 or 770-271-4189.
• National Hole in One Association. Call 972-808-9001.

TOURNAMENT AWARDS

Prizes are an integral part of golf tournaments. You'll want to award the first-, second-, and third-place foursomes. Many corporate groups, with tongue in cheek, give gag prizes as well, for, say, the last-place foursome or the shortest drive. Caution: Know your group before doing gag prizes; there's no point risking hurt feelings by singling out ineptitude, especially that of a key customer or vendor.

Prizes can be:

• Cash;
• Gift certificates to the pro shop;
• Golf equipment, such as a bag or a driver;
• Trophies and plaques bearing the name and logo of your organization and the date of the tournament;
• Specialty merchandise, such as a crystal bowl or decanter bearing the same information as you would include on a plaque. Meeting planner Hoffman suggests this creative option: "If you're playing at a really neat course, you can commission a painting of the course's signature hole, affix a plate to the frame, and give that as an award."

Prizes can be given on the golf course, inside the clubhouse following the tournament, or as part of that night's banquet. A special awards banquet is advisable for high-profile tournaments, such as those in which customers and vendors participate or where the participants are avid golfers. Remember to thank all sponsors effusively by name at the awards banquet.

HIRING PROFESSIONALS FROM THE TOURS

Hiring a professional golfer to mingle with attendees on the golf course makes for a rare treat. Many members of the Professional Golf Association of America (PGA), Senior PGA, and Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) do corporate outings, and their presence can elevate the annual company golf outing into something special.

Most corporate groups use a professional golfer to conduct an informal clinic before the outing or tournament, usually focusing on the basics of the golf swing. Then, the pro is stationed on a specific hole so all foursomes have the opportunity to play that hole with him or her. Tip: Have a photographer or a videographer on hand to capture the pro interacting with attendees; your people will want images as keepsakes.

With many professionals, you're getting an entertainer and a storyteller in addition to a star golfer. Senior PGA Tour member Chi Chi Rodriguez, for example, is in demand as much for his effervescence as for his golf skills. "With Chi Chi, you get a half hour to an hour of being totally entertained by a showman, by his ability to hit a golf ball in different ways and to teach golf swings in his inimitable style," says Ciabattoni of Fairways Corporate Golf Services. "Then he'll spend time on the golf course with your attendees."

Hiring a pro is a lot like hiring a speaker. The golfer, like the speaker, has a set fee; travel and accommodation costs are extra. You may even have to deal with such details as portable sound systems, because you'll want the touring pro miked to address a large group on the golf course. Fees generally range from $3,000 to $50,000. On the low end, obviously, are the lesser known touring professionals. On the high end, according to IMG, a sports management agency that represents many touring pros, are such luminaries as PGA Tour player Mark O'Meara, who won the 1998 Masters, and the legendary Arnold Palmer.

To hire a PGA, Senior PGA, or LPGA touring professional, you'll need to work through his or her agent. Start with the following organizations:

• PGA Tour has a booklet listing PGA and Senior PGA touring professionals and their agents. Call 904-285-3700; go to http://www.pga.com.
  
  
• LPGA Tour has a listing of LPGA touring professionals and their agents. Call 386-274-6200; go to http://www.lpga.com/.

RUNNING A GOLF CLINIC

You needn't bring in a high-priced Tour professional for your clinic. The head pro at the resort or a full-time golfing instructor can fill the bill. Clinics are best held before the outing and kept to about an hour. Consider focusing the instruction on one segment of the game. A clinic can serve as a tune-up or as an effective icebreaker for attendees who rarely have the chance to golf together, such as sales representatives from far-flung offices.

Ask the director of golf at the resort or the head pro at the golf course about their staff and instructional services. Golf resorts with on-site "academies" can provide more extensive instruction. If you're using an event management firm to handle all aspects of your golf outing, your contact there can make the clinic arrangements. Or call the PGA section office nearest to your meeting site for the names of member instructors. (Go to http://www.pga.com for the PGA's Web site; from there, you can access the phone numbers of its section offices nationwide.) As with hiring other suppliers, ask the instructor for references.

PILLOW GIFTS

A sleeve of golf balls is the most popular gift item for your golfing attendees; even nicer is a top-quality golf shirt or sweater with the company logo (you must know the group's sizes). Visors and golf towels will come in handy during the event, as will sun block. A framed photograph of the attendee taken during the golf outing, or a group shot, can be presented on the final night. The pro shop and resort gift shop are reliable sources of last-minute gifts, but you'll have to plan ahead for gifts bearing your company logo or the meeting theme.

INTERNATIONAL GOLF

Golf is played in more than 90 countries, and, in general, the same logistical planning required in the
U. S. applies overseas. But, depending on the country, there could be fundamental differences in the golfing experience. Example: The shotgun start, where all players begin simultaneously on different holes, is not permitted at some golf courses in Europe and the Caribbean. That could mean that a round of golf will take longer.

Amenities that groups take for granted in the U.S., such as golf carts and beverage carts, are by no means a certainly on overseas fairways. "In Scotland, in fact, there are no golf carts at all," says Ciabattoni of Fairways Corporate Golf Services, citing the nation considered to be the ancestral home of golf. In the absence of golf carts, caddies are the norm. Or you could wind up carrying your own golf bag, something few corporate golfers would tolerate. Weather, too, is often unpredictable, more so for an American planner who has little experience with the destination.

Before embarking on an overseas outing, speak with others who've held golf meetings in the destination. Ask the resorts or courses you are considering for the names of U.S. golfing groups they've hosted, and bone up on local golf protocol. The national tourist office and local destination management companies can provide much of this information.

ASSOCIATIONS

Click here for a listing of industry associations.

CONFERENCES AND TRADE SHOWS

For a list of Industry Events, go to #9510, Calendar of Industry Events.



BOOKS

There are enough volumes out there to fill your golf bookshelf several times over, but these offer valuable insights into golf's place in the larger scheme of things:

Planning & Conducting Competitive Golf Events. National Golf Foundation. 94 pp. $50 for nonmembers, $40 for members. Call 561-744-6006 or fax 561-744-6107; go to http://www.ngf.org.

Fund Raising with Golf. A great reference for planning charity golf events. National Golf Foundation. 89 pp. $50 for nonmembers, $40 for members. Call 561-744-6107 or fax 561-744-6107; go to http://www.ngf.org.

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Golf, by Michelle McGann with Matthew Rudy. McGann, a veteran of the LPGA Tour, has written an indispensable book that covers everything from the rules of the game and how to swing a golf club to how to conduct business on the greens. There's a glossary of golfing terms and a chapter on golf publications and organizations. $2.15 through Amazon.com. $19.95 through Barnes and Noble.

The Wisdom of Harvey Penick,by Harvey Penick with Bud Shrake. This is the collected writings of Harvey Penick, the closest thing to a philosopher golf has ever had. A renowned teacher of golf who died in 1995, Penick wrote the seminal Harvey Penick's Little Red Book. One can glean lessons about golf--and life--from Penick's words. $17.16 through Amazon.com. $26 through Barnes and Noble.

Birdies, Pars & Bogies: Leadership Lessons from the Links, by David R. Cottrell. Cottrell illustrates 44 leadership principles that can be applied to the workplace and also offers tips on becoming a better golfer. $17.95 through Amazon.com.

Return To Top

MEETING PUBLICATIONS

Click here for a listing of industry publications.

GOLF PUBLICATIONS

Click here for a listing of industry publications.




ON THE WEB

• www.golf.com, is affiliated with NBC Sports. Clicking on "Travel and Courses" brings you to databases of golf courses and golf resorts.
  
  
• The site at www.golfweb.com has a golf locator that helps you select golf resorts based on your desired destination, hotel rates, and course style. The locator is geared mainly to individual travel, however.
  
  
• A notable feature of www.worldgolf.com is its listings of golf products and services, including such categories as business services, art and photography, golf-related gifts, books, and golf schools and training. It also has a section on golf course development.
  
  
• The National Golf Foundation, the repository of facts and figures on the sport, maintains an authoritative Web site at www.ngf.org.
  
  
• Not just a site but also an ISP, www.golfersweb.com not only supplies you with fast and easy Internet access but is a source of golfing information, which includes golf course info, up-to-date weather, golfing vacations, golf chat rooms, bulletins boards, unique golf products, etc.

RELATED SMN ARTICLES

For more information about golf meetings, see #5311, Golf Formats for Meetings & Corporate Events, and #5312, Golf at Conference Centers. Other articles that may be helpful are #5010, Meetings Overview, and #5020, Plan a Great Meeting!

Return To Top