Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2009 - 39

> Inside Scoop
Q: Why does golf work as a charity event?
A: Minnesota has more golfers per capita than
any other state. Everybody loves it. Golf works because
in a scramble format, you don't have to be a
great golfer to compete. You can contribute whatever
strength you have, whether you are a chipper,
a putter, a driver or you hit your irons well. When
you play in these tournaments, it takes the whole
group to win. You need everybody.
Q: How do you start putting together one
of these tournaments?
A: Your budget is the fi rst thing you have to
build. The fi rst question I ask is, " How much do you
want to make? " One woman said, " I want to make
$100,000 in the fi rst year. " But that's not going to
happen. You have to build it up over time.
Next, you have to fi nd a course. It's important
to fi nd out what the course needs from the
partnership and to build a relationship.
Some tournaments I run have moved
around; others go back to the same
place every year.
Then, you choose a date and a format.
You have to order your shirts,
tee prizes, food and start lining up
sponsors and volunteers. It is very
time-consuming. The " pressure "
time is the last four days before
the tournament starts, not only
because of late entrants, but also
because you have to compile everything
for the course. You want to
be prepared for the golfers to show
up on tournament day.
By Joseph Oberle
Former Viking Matt Blair runs as many as 10 charity tournaments
each summer through his company, Matt Blair Promotions. Here's what
he told Minnesota Golfer about running this kind of golf event.
Q: What are the most important elements?
A: You can have the best location in the world,
but you still have to be organized-working with
the charity to know what they want; working with
the golf course to know what they need; and getting
that information transferred to the volunteers. You
have to pay attention to all of your costs, whether
for food or prizes or celebrity fees. If you put all
that together, you can be successful. Of course, the
bottom line is that you raised some money for the
charity. That's one thing I am always proud of. If the
expenses you pay for the tournament are less than
what you give to the charity, you are a winner.
Q: How often do you choose new charities?
A: Every three years I've changed charities, but I
have stayed with the Special Olympics for the past
fi ve years because they are such inspiring athletes.
We have these athletes playing with the foursomes,
and any putt made by them is an automatic birdie.
And for the people coming to the event to see the
athletes participate just wows them. They love to
see that. They love to feel that; they love to be a
part of something that is helping other people.
Q: Do you have some success stories?
A: When you give a charity an amount that
they didn't expect to raise for their cause-that
is fulfi lling. All the time you have put into it, all
the things you've done and all that you have
accomplished-when the charity receives even
more than they expected, that's a good feeling. You
know you've done your job right.
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ALLIED ASSOCIATIONS: A LIST OF MGA PARTNERS
The Ladies Professional Golf Association, LPGA
The Ladies Professional Golf Association encompasses both the LPGA
Tour and the LPGA Teaching and Club Professional Division. For more than
50 years, it has grown to include programs intended to advance golfers
with an emphasis on women's and youth golf. For more information, contact
Nora McGuire at 651-778-0424, or go to www.lpga.com.
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www.mngolf.org
MINNESOTAGOLFER
37
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Club membership not
required. Register now!
Contact Marc Papineau at
952 974 3278 or
mpapineau@comcast.net
www.peacehouseafrica.org
http://www.peacehouseafrica.org http://www.lpga.com http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Spring 2009

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