Successful Meetings - July 2009 - (Page G26)

Guest Column how the PGA professional can help your meeting plans By Kirk Pagenkopf f golf is an important element in your meetings, then engaging the experts early and often is your key to a successfully managed event. The experts in the business and the game of golf are the 28,000 men and women who are members of The PGA of America. Better resorts and golf courses employ PGA members as the senior management of the golf operation, and they are there to help you. However, most people don’t understand the role of the PGA professional or the vast services they provide, most of which are at no additional cost to meeting planners or groups. PGA professionals meet, greet, and teach the game to some 27 million golfers and dedicate their lives to the advancement of the game. Incredibly passionate about the sport, PGA professionals want to help, and they embrace an opportunity to work with any group utilizing the golf facility as an element in a meeting. Within any group, there are various levels of golfers, from pure beginners to low handicap players. Meeting planners often struggle with how to develop a golf program that can benefit all attendees. Engaging the PGA professional staff early in your planning process and discussing your objectives allows the golf staff to help you develop and execute an event to meet your needs and the needs of all your guests. One idea is a pre-event PGA clinic. For those who have never played, a PGA clinic demonstrating the proper techniques for a short game is fun, interactive, I The Discover Golf program at Pinehurst helps golfers sharpen their skills. CREDIT: ® PINEHURST, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. and helps to build relationships. For beginners, a slightly more advanced clinic offering more detailed fundamentals can help improve their day on the golf course. For advanced players, the PGA member can provide clinics designed to improve a certain aspect of their game, such as bunker play. For non-golfers or those not ready to step on the tee, the PGA professional can develop a classroom-style experience. An educational program that helps people understand the game of golf, the unique language of the game, proper on-course etiquette, and even how to use golf as a business tool and the proper way to play business golf is a great way to engage guests and provide them with something unique that they can use in their own businesses. The programs can be a one-hour seminar or a full day of classroom and on-course activities. You can also leverage the PGA professionals’ experience when selecting the right merchandise for your event. Regardless of your budget, PGA members have access to the best brands and the right products. Buying your merchandise through the golf shop is not more expensive than using other sources, and you are guaranteed to have your product on time, in the right quantities, and distributed to your guests in the best possible manner. Engaging the PGA professional early in your planning process is the key. I recommend that you meet with the PGA professional during your first site visit or when you meet with the other resort executives who are helping to create and execute your event. Be it a day of fun in the sun or a more serious golf event, the PGA professional is there to help you develop and execute the best event possible, freeing up your time and energy to focus on other details. Kirk Pagenkopf is the publisher and executive vice president of PGA Magazine Publications and Marketing Group. He is a regular guest speaker on golf and meetings, the business of golf travel, and ways to maximize golf as a business tool. July 2009 26

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - July 2009

Successful Meetings - July 2009
Contents
Editor's Letter
News Update
Education
Mouth for Sale
Incentive Insights
Meetings Law
Management Matters
Gurus
Path to Success
Cover Story: ROI Guide
Medical & Pharmaceutical Meetings
Safety & Security
Industry Roundtable
Places + Spaces
Alabama
Georgia & the Carolinas
Hong Kong
Melbourne
Golf Meetings
Planning a golf meeting, 101
Formats, games, prizes, and the awards ceremony
The how, what, why, and win of hole-in-one insurance
How the PGA professional can help your meeting plans
A woman’s view of golf
Opinion: The (new) perception of golf resorts
In closing: Boondoggle is not part of the golf vocabulary
Hawaii
Business Unusual
Q&A with Michael Murray
The Latest and Greatest

Successful Meetings - July 2009