Are non-golfing women in your organization fed up with the annual golf tournament? While golfers in your organization are looking forward to a day of fun with clients and colleagues, some women may dread the annual affair. They might not play golf and feel left out, or they possibly resent having to take on the workload of those co-workers who are out of the office playing, rather than doing their jobs.
What if those complaining are women whose careers could benefit if they did play golf? For example, sales executives or account managers could increase their productivity and success if they played golf with their clients, prospects and referral sources. Or, do they wish they could play golf, but are intimidated by the game and playing in a tournament? In either case, you may have some women in your organization who are not all too happy when talk of your upcoming event starts.
Here are some tips on how to get the ladies interested in playing in your tournament and possibly smooth some ruffled feathers. The tips include before-the-event activities, as well as how you might structure the outing to get beginners interested in playing.
Clinics
Some of my clients have asked me what they can provide to women who don’t play golf, so they can get interested in playing and even entering the next golf tournament. I recommend that they hold a business golf clinic during the tournament or even a couple of months before the event, so attendees have time to prepare for playing in the tournament. During the business golf clinic, I present factors as to what makes golf the premier client development activity. As I outline in my book, On Course for Business—Women & Golf (Wiley, 2002), those include the amount of uninterrupted time together, a chance to share one’s family and background information and an ability to examine a person’s character and integrity. They’ll learn how playing a round of golf beats doing lunch for building relationships and rapport with clients.
To ease their anxiety about playing in a tournament, I explain what occurs during the event, so women will be prepared and can look forward to having fun. If the tournament is a scramble, I emphasize that they don’t need to worry about their individual scores and their playing ability, since scoring is based on a team effort. I allay their fears about playing with more experienced golfers by explaining how if they play with proper golf etiquette and are fun to be around, they’ll be welcome in most foursomes. I also give strategies on how they can be the star player of their team, such as putting first so they can give a good read of the break to their teammates, and suggesting that they let the others know when they have had a drive that is the best they can do.
As a result of the clinic, beginners look forward to playing in the upcoming outing and experiencing the camaraderie and fun with clients and colleagues. In addition to the business golf clinic, I recommend that clients hold a one-hour swing clinic from golf professionals at a local course. By having some initial success in pitching, chipping and putting the ball, they may then have the confidence and enthusiasm to enroll in a series of lessons to prepare for playing in the tournament.
Be Specific
The format of the tournament can also help encourage female players to join in on the fun and festivities of the day. Here is a list of things that you can do to make women feel welcome playing in the outing.
On the announcements or invitations for the tournament, state specifically, “Beginners and women are welcome to join in on the fun and play!” I suggested this language to a tournament planner and he was concerned it might make beginners and women think they’re second-class citizens or inferior in some way. I understand his concern and appreciate that he’s sensitive to how they might perceive that language. I explained, however, that for some women and beginners it can be very intimidating to play in their organization’s tournament. Seeing an explicit invitation to play may help them overcome their fear of participating.
It would also be helpful to announce if the format is a scramble and explain how it’s a team format and individual player scores are not kept. If a woman is a beginner, this may also help encourage her to participate, since she doesn’t have to worry about how far she hits the ball or what she shoots. If players don’t need a handicap to play in the outing, then the invitations and announcements should also state that is
the case. Beginners and women new to the game are likely not going to have a handicap, and if they know not having one doesn’t disqualify them from playing in the event, you’ve eliminated yet another obstacle to participating.
Other Incentives
To encourage women to play in your tournament—whether employees, organization members or clients—offer some perks for women players. You can have contests, such as longest drive, closest to the hole and most accurate drives, for women only. Perhaps, you can have women count the putts that they sank and whoever has the highest number can win a prize. Offer tee prizes with a golf theme specifically for women—jewelry, purses, fashion accessories such as pins or scarves, books and the like.
If there are plenty of women who could play in the event, you might also require at least one woman in each foursome. This may be tricky or even risky, since you’ll likely receive some complaints about this requirement. But if your organization is serious about including women in its golf tournaments, then requiring a woman in the foursome should be considered. If women are integral in your organization’s operation and success, whether they serve on committees or make up half of the sales team, then give those stats to everyone who might be asked why one woman in each foursome is required. Armed with this information, they’ll be prepared to support the importance of including women. And if the same foursome always wins, the other players may be silently pleased with the requirement, since everyone will have a
more fair chance of winning.
Many tournaments require players to register as a foursome. Some women may not know three other players to invite or prefer to instead focus on being a gracious host to only one guest. Women may be less intimidated to enter if they only need to find one other player. With this format, players will have a chance to meet different people and network with one another.
Select a golf course of moderate difficulty, so beginners are not too intimidated by a challenging one. And to lighten up the event, have some fun and silly games on the putting green, such as needing to putt with a miniature putter or a rubber mallet. You want people to have fun and look forward to next year’s outing, rather than becoming competitive and serious about the day.
If you’re going to give a gift certificate to the pro shop of a course, make sure there is a relatively nice selection of apparel and items for women to purchase. To keep women coming back to your client’s tournament, they’ll be more likely to return if they know that they have an opportunity to select prizes that they can use for themselves, rather than for their husbands or sons.
To show non-golfers what they’re missing out by not playing in the tournament, include a business golf seminar and a short-game putting clinic so they can learn and prepare for next year’s event. Have the clinic end about the same time the golfers are getting off the course, so they’ll be able to enjoy the awards ceremony and the after-golf festivities, such as dinner, a raffle or a silent auction.
I hope these tips will get more women playing in your upcoming tournament. If they don’t play this year, then they will have time to get ready for next year’s fun on the course!
Gifts for the Gals
Here are just a few ideas for gifts, giveaways and contest prizes to consider for your women participants. If you have selected your gifts and awards prior to sending invites, and some are specifically for women, then describe them and include photos in invitations to entice registrants.
Ame & Lulu golf belts put the finishing touch on any outfit for your women players. With three tees on the belt, they are available in multiple fabrics. 617.730.9604.
www.ameandlulu.com.
The 10-club set of new Miscela golf clubs from Taylor-Made-adidas has been updated to meet the needs of women golfers to deliver high, longer shots with greater ease. 800.888.2582.
www.taylormadegolf.com.
Tehama offers an entire line of apparel and shoes for the ladies. Shown here is an argyle front cardigan in navy/provence; pima cotton v-neck tee; glenplaid shorts; and Stoney shoes in navy/chalk/glenplaid/ raspberry.
www.tehamainc.com.
Apparel from Lilly Pulitzer—such as this Birdie skort in summer days patch and the Gloria Light Crew in bright navy—will have women in style on and off the course.
www.lillypulitzer.com.
For the fashion-forward female players, Glove It offers a variety of golf accessories—and all can be imprinted with your logo. Their new mix-n-match collection features rich prints that coordinate with textured solids in gloves, visors, zip clutches, neoprene water bottle covers and shoe bags. 866.968.2021.
www.gloveit.com.
As an accomplished real estate attorney, Suzanne Woo realized early in her career that golf was a unique and effective business tool. She founded BizGolf Dynamics in 1996. Now, as a sought-after speaker and author of books, she teaches the dynamics of using golf for business success. She has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Golf for Women and other national publications. Clients include Merrill Lynch, National Car Rental, Bank of America and various trade organizations. For more information, call 800.722.8909 or visit www.bizgolf.biz.
