Back in the early 1990s, Chuck Lane, director of public relations and incentive travel for Humana in Green Bay, Wis., organized a golf event at the Royal Kaanapali Golf Course on the island of Maui. It was a full 144-person scramble, starting in the morning, with contests on every hole, rental clubs, lunch at the 9th hole turn, and, of course, beverage carts.

As soon as the golfers headed for their starting holes, Lane bolted to his host hotel to set up for the event's awards night. An hour later he received a frantic call from the golf course informing him that there were no beverages available for the golfers.

“I was, to put it mildly, surprised,” says Lane. “I told them that I had specifically ordered two beverage carts.”

And he was assured that he had indeed ordered the two beverage carts. But, as Lane relates the story, the golf course officials also reminded him that “you did not specify you also wanted beverages.”

With that lesson in mind, Lane says, every time he organizes a golf outing, “I now specify that we want beverage containers in the beverage cart. And I'm tempted to also state that we want sodas and beers in the containers as well!”

Time, Time, Time

As Lane puts it, despite every effort to ensure that things don't go badly during an event, “Murphy of Murphy's Law fame is a creative genius when it comes to making an appearance to screw you up at the least opportune moment.”

One of the things that can sour any golfing experience is an event that just takes too much time.

The typical group golfing format is the scramble, and, says Paul Neal, group vice president, SunTrust Bank, Atlanta, “It seems like I've played a million of them, with 144 players, that take no more than five hours.” But, every once in a while those scrambles turn into six-hour ordeals, the kind of experience Neal calls “hit and giggles” golf.

“I'm OK with six hours if I'm playing a golf course with a great reputation, or the tournament has awesome prices, or I'm playing with a celebrity,” says Neal. “But if those things are absent, you can't expect your golfers to play a six-hour round and be happy about it.”

Neal recently played in a tournament with a field of fewer than 144 players on an average, not very difficult course. Play was slow and upon running into a tournament organizer, Neal was told the round would last six hours. “I was speechless,” Neal says. “If you have a tournament that takes six hours, then the first thing you better do is dissect it and figure out the reason why.”

Donna Mangold, meeting professional with Federated Investors in Pittsburgh, agrees that slow play can ruin an event and also have some unfortunate side effects.

“We had a bad experience once when someone, during the course of a really long day, just lost it,” Mangold recalls. “He broke a club and proceeded to damage his golf cart. It was pretty ugly.”

Mangold also points out that accessibility to unlimited alcoholic beverages on a golf course during a long, hot day can cause problems, too. She once attended an event in which the tipsy members of one foursome took off their shirts. “Even a woman!” says Mangold. “That makes everyone look bad.”

In a well-run tournament, Mangold says, things run efficiently from beginning to end. “When your players get to the course, staff should be there asking for names, transporting bags to golf carts, and giving directions. The more efficient you are, the more you'll get things started on time.”

But she's also been to tournaments where there's been no staff available to help with bags, no welcome address, and, most importantly, no explanation of the rules. “If you have people who haven't played scrambles before and they don't know the rules, that's just going to cause confusion out on the course,” says Mangold.

Stuff Happens

Transportation to and from the course can be challenging. “I had a bus driver in Aruba — who was supposed to make continuous loops between the golf course and the hotel — go home after one run, leaving me on the phone trying to locate him while the CEO yelped in my ear,” recalls Lane. “That was not a great experience.”

Providing rental clubs can be a tricky problem as well, says Lane. “Often participants change their minds and opt not to bring clubs when they originally told you they were doing so, leaving you to find replacements at the 11th hour. Also, if you play on a course that's not at the resort where guests are staying, that always results in clubs not being transferred, being misplaced, or just plain lost. And guess whose fault that is?”

A pet peeve of Mangold's is learning too late that a golf course she has booked for an event is under repair or is undergoing changes. “The golf course staff needs to be upfront with you before you book,” she stresses. “At one event, where we were trying to impress a number of clients, we got to the course and found out that nine holes were closed for reseeding.”

Another thing that can go wrong, says Neal — believe it or not — is players who cheat. “One of the worst experiences I ever had in a tournament [involved cheating]. We finished 18 holes in 10 under par, told someone what we shot, then saw his pencil come out and [his team's] scores changed. We got pencil-whipped.”

Tourney Tips

Planning a golf tournament? Here are a few tips to avoid problems and help speed the game.

Pick a yardage-friendly golf course

“The difficulty level should match the handicaps of your group,” says Paul Neal, group vice president, SunTrust Bank, Atlanta. “If you have players with 20 handicaps you don't want to put them on a 6,800-yard course. Always err on the side of a shorter course.”

Play the host course in advance

Donna Mangold, meeting professional with Federated Investors in Pittsburgh, says that first-hand knowledge of the course will help planners avoid unwelcome surprises, like burnt-out fairways and greens, or holes that are under repair.

Use forecaddies to help speed up play

In an ideal tournament, says Neal, “there is a forecaddie on every hole. He'll pick up the three bad drives and when you get to the good drive, there will be four balls sitting there. The same forecaddie will rake bunkers and pick up all the other errant shots during the hole. It's a great way to save time.”

Make sure the course is properly marked

“If a course doesn't mark yardage, or doesn't provide GPS [global positioning system] golf carts, it's a problem,” Neal says. Anything that doesn't help golfers determine yardage slows down the game, he notes, particularly if there are hazards off the tees.

Tournament Timeline

6 months to 1 year out

Make initial contact with resort

It's important to book the course well ahead of time, and to research the resort's cancellation policy.

Make initial contact with players

Once the date, time, and course have been secured, invite prospective players. Set an entry deadline that is at least two weeks before the event.

1 to 3 months out

Plan special prizes

Corporate-logoed merchandise is impressive, but you must allow sufficient lead time for artwork approval and custom orders.

1 to 2 weeks out

Plan pairings

Pairings can be made by the tournament coordinator; however, if doing business with clients is the primary reason for the tournament, someone who knows the participants is much better qualified for the job.

1 week out

Conduct a tournament review

Contact the tournament coordinator to review all the details, which include:

• final pairings
• rental requirements
• on-course contests
• special events (hole in one, beat the pro, etc.)
• F&B requirements
• golf course setup
• prizes
• announcements (pre- or post-event).

Tournament day

Any final changes to pairings should be made at least two hours before the start of the event. Also, don't forget a post-event review with the coordinator to discuss what went well and what needs improvement.

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SOURCE: Bob Harris, director of sports and recreation, The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, W.Va.,www.greenbrier.com