The insurance industry loves golf,” says Jerry Ganoni, president of Humana Small Business and Humana Dental in Green Bay, Wis. Ganoni first swung a club at the age of 8 but nevertheless claims he's “not any good.” That kind of modesty is part of the game. It's the rare recreational golfer who admits to any talent: It's too much like tempting fate. Every golfer knows that things could fall apart at any moment, completely and inexplicably. But that threat is more than matched by the thrill of a beautiful drive or a perfectly read putt. “It's the one or two good shots that keep golfers coming back,” Ganoni says.

And in the business world, it's also the camaraderie, the scenery, the chance to get out from behind a desk, release some stress, and still consider it “work.”

Making Connections

When Chuck Lane, Humana's director of incentive travel and public relations, plans the golf tournament for the company's largest annual incentive program, the Leaders Club, he believes he's creating “a five-hour business meeting” for Humana execs and their most important producers. “These are independent brokers,” Lane says. “They can go on any trip they qualify for. We have a reputation for great trips.” And golf is a huge part of that. For example, Lane planned this year's Humana Leaders Club conference in Hawaii at the Hyatt Regency Kauai. “The course is home to the Grand Slam of Golf, it's nationally renowned, everyone's seen it on TV,” he says. “They all want to play it.”

Lane sees the Leaders Club program and its golf tournament as extensions of Humana's mission. “The major purpose of the company is the creation of relationships — relationships and service,” he says. At the conference, Humana hosts have the chance to strengthen their relationships with brokers and to demonstrate the kind of service the company delivers to them and to its customers. “The experience qualifiers get in this five-day meeting carries us through the year,” says Lane.

In other words, it's make-or-break time for the conference planning team. And with such a high percentage of attendees playing in the golf tournament, that day becomes a critical centerpiece of the whole experience. “Anytime you put on a golf event, it's a reflection of the company,” Lane says. “We select the scramble format because it's a great teambuilding format. Otherwise, let's be honest, you're hoping your opponent hits it in the bushes.”

Those Devilish Details

Choosing your tournament format is a detail you're not likely to miss. But others that seem obvious aren't necessarily so. Consider Lane's classic golf tournament horror story: “I asked for two beverage carts in Maui,” he recalls. “I assumed that when you order beverage carts, you get beverages. Well, they gave us the two carts full of ice and nothing else. There was a lesson in that for me. Leave nothing to chance.”

Lane and most conference planners doing big, high-end incentives are usually working with properties that have golf tournament directors on staff. Even so, Lane advises, “the more organized you are and the more specific you can be, the better. It gives them the idea that you know what you're doing.”

Sometimes it's harder working with the golfers themselves. “We do the pairings well in advance,” Lane says. “But there are always changes. Last-minute changes are the toughest part. They'll come along the day of the tournament and if they don't like their playing partner, they'll just take their clubs off the cart. It's like herding cats.”

Players have input on their registration forms, then Lane works to complete the foursomes based on ability and business line, with the goal of having a Humana “host” in each foursome. “Chuck is very good at linking people with common interests,” notes Ganoni. He adds that not only is there a lot of talking shop on the course, but “the foursomes interact as much after the tournament and after the program as during it.”

That concept underlies another annual Humana golf event, the Wisconsin Markets Golf Outing. The tournament is an invitational — “strictly business,” Lane says — and includes agents and customers from throughout the state. “We select a private club, one of the finest courses in Wisconsin, and invite 80 to 100 golfers,” he explains. Each foursome includes a Humana host from operations, sales, or the executive office. “Then, anytime anyone has a question or a problem throughout the year, they know at least one person well.” So they make a call. And that contact takes care of it or directs the agent or customer to someone who can do the job.

Charity Begins at Home

Humana also gets lots of mileage out of local charity, or “community relations,” golf tournaments, bringing in former players and coaches from the Green Bay Packers as celebrity golfers. Acting as sole sponsor, Humana invites local business leaders to play in the tournaments and each foursome plays with a Packer coach, player, or front office executive. “This has enabled charitable groups to double or triple the money they raise,” Lane notes. “The golfers are people who pay to play but we don't even have to market it.”

Among the groups Humana works with are The 65 Roses Sports Club (a cystic fibrosis organization — “65 roses,” Lane notes, is how they teach children to pronounce “cystic fibrosis”). The event is called the Mike Sherman Celebrity Golf Tournament, after the current Packers head coach. “It started with Head Coach Lindy Infante,” Lane notes, “then Mike Holmgren, then Ray Rhodes, and now Mike Sherman. It is the only local charity they have lent their names to.”

Others include Scholarships Inc., for local graduating high-school students and adults returning to school; Big Brothers and Big Sisters; and Cerebral Palsy.

Jerry Ganoni has played in many of these tournaments and explains their multi-layered appeal: “You get business leaders to know about these community organizations, and the executives get to have fun, learn about each other's businesses, and exchange ideas,” he says. A golf tournament “can be the beginning of a relationship that opens doors.”

The Packer connection is one that works wonders in Green Bay, where they're crazy about their football. Lane just came up with a way for Humana to get an extra boost of name recognition. Each tournament foursome has a photo shoot, then an image of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame is added digitally along with the Humana logo in the foreground. “That way, Humana gets a mention every time anyone sees the playing participants with their celebrity,” Lane notes. “And no one ever passes up the opportunity to showcase themselves with a Packer celebrity — unless he's the ex-PR guy, and nobody wants to brag about that.” For readers who don't know, Lane himself is the Packers' ex-PR guy. Check out that Super Bowl ring next time you see him.

GREENS FEES GET MEAN

The cost of a round of golf keeps climbing. Here are some tips from your fellow planners to rein in your tournament budget.

Add cancellation clauses to the contract for inclement weather that include either a refund (less deposit) or credit for a future date. Negotiate a discount off of F&B that would apply to beverage carts, boxed lunches, and/or tournament receptions. Negotiate the date (preferably as close to the tournament as possible) up to which you have the right to cancel tee times. Add a clause stating that if the course rebooks the times that you cancel, you will not be charged.
Kim DeVillers, First Vice President
Corporate Event Marketing
Countrywide Financial

Book as far in advance as possible and lock in a rate. There is usually a minimum number of people a group must have to book a shotgun tournament, and sometimes we've been able to negotiate a lower minimum.
Janie Prevost, Director
Conference & Travel Services
The Phoenix Cos., Inc.

Consider negotiating reduced greens fees, a percentage off of amenities (such as sleeves of balls, caps, divot fixers), and using gift certificates from the pro shop as prizes and then negotiating a percentage off of those.
Chuck Lane, Director
Incentive Travel and Public Relations
Humana

The things we try to negotiate are: complimentary tournament fee — generally there is a per-person fee that includes scoring and individual prizes; complimentary golf bag storage and golf bag transport; complimentary range balls for players who go to the course early to hit balls; and complimentary transportation to the course.
Lynne Schueler, Assistant Director
Meeting Planning Services
Principal Financial Group

Charge attendees for rental clubs. This saves a lot of money. If players see that you'll cover the cost of rentals, they get lazy and don't bring their own clubs.
Sharon Chapman, CMP, CMM
Travel and Corporate Events Planner
Berkshire Life Insurance Co.