We've all been Around golfers whose phones begin blaring Beethoven's Fifth Symphony in the middle of someone's swing. It takes every bit of composure not to threaten to throw those little devices right into the next water hazard.

But the raging debate about cell-phone use on the course is just proof of how crunched for time most golfers have become. It's nearly impossible for people to spend an afternoon golfing without their phones or PDAs — or to spend an afternoon golfing, period. Off-site meetings have undergone their own version of a time crunch, with many companies cutting an entire day from their programs, making it harder to book an eight-hour block for golf and dinner.

The end result? A round of golf has dropped far down on the list of popular meeting activities. As a result, resorts are providing alternative golf experiences that take less time but still offer opportunities for networking and teambuilding.

“It's now easier to plan and execute alternative golf events, as well as tournaments, because more resorts have full-time golf event coordinators who can help,” says Dave Gabri, president and CEO of Associated Luxury Hotels and Resorts, which represents more than 80 high-profile properties, including the Lodge at Pebble Beach in Pebble Beach, Calif., and The Old Course Hotel Golf Resort & Spa in St. Andrews, Scotland.

The menu of alternative golf experiences is eclectic, including putting contests, night golf, skills competitions, target-hitting contests on the range, instruction clinics, and three-, six-, and nine-hole tournaments.

Sam Baker, president of Haversham & Baker, a Cincinnati-based travel and meeting services firm specializing in golf, insists that creativity and an emphasis on fun, not competition, are the keys to a successful alternative golf event. “First and foremost is to have a good plan for execution,” says Baker. “Just because it's not a major, full-blown tournament doesn't mean you should relax on the details. I always try to remember that I'm creating lasting memories, whether my clients are on the golf course, the putting green, or an academy learning course.”

Home on the Range

While many golfers look at the range and see a wide open space where they can incessantly whack golf balls into oblivion, planners increasingly see the green space as a staging area for instruction clinics, skill competitions, and golf olympics.

Baker recently used the Academy driving range at the Westin Turnberry Resort in Ayrshire, Scotland, for an event that took less than two hours. With just 80 attendees, the three-hole event had a historical theme, and players used antique hickory-shaft clubs and vintage-style balls. The Turnberry staff designed three holes on the range: a 100-yard hole that required one shot to the green, a 220-yard hole that required two shots, and a 350-yard hole that required three shots. “It was very well-received because we were able to incorporate a variety of elements ranging from history to shot-making skills to camaraderie,” he says.

The range is not ideal for every group, says Nancy Berkley, a Corporate Meetings & Incentives Golden Links Advisory Board member and president of Berkley Consulting Inc., Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. “I prefer a clinic/demonstration experience on the golf course because it provides a more peaceful setting and a more authentic golf experience for novices,” says Berkley. “Getting away from the range gives the event a more exclusive feel.” She suggests the 18th green early or late in the day, when it's not usually in use.

Whether the instruction is on the range or the course, Berkley cautions that simply having the teaching professional show up to tell a few jokes and give a couple of swing tips is not the recipe for a productive and enjoyable experience. “It's imperative to bring the same event-planning mentality that you would to, let's say, an awards dinner,” she says, mirroring Baker's sentiments. “Paying attention to details, such as having the pro wear a wireless mike so everyone can hear, providing chairs for comfort, and awarding prizes to add sizzle to the event, is important.”

Think Short

Short courses, which were once referred to as executive courses, are quietly showing up at more and more resorts. Lansdowne Resort in Lansdowne, Va., located 30 miles from Washington, D.C., recently opened a short course designed by Greg Norman. The layout includes five par-4 holes and four par-3's.

“The new genre of short course, which is sometimes referred to as a training course, provides meeting planners with multiple options for formats and events and gives the resort facility greater flexibility to execute the event,” says Gabri.

Resorts with meeting space that have short courses include Chateau Élan Winery & Resort in Braselton, Ga.; The Lodge & Spa at Cordillera, Vail, Colo.; Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Fla.; Kingsmill Golf Resort in Williamsburg, Va.; South Seas Island Resort, Captiva Island, Fla.; Treetops Resort in Gaylord, Mich.; and Marriott Mountain Shadows Golf Club & Resort in Scottsdale, Ariz.

One of the most innovative short course ideas is the recently opened Davis Love III-designed Origins Course near Destin, Fla., which can be played either as a six-hole regulation course (three par-3's, two par-4's, and a par-5) or a nine-hole executive course (three par-4's and six par-3's). It can also be played as a 10-hole par-3 course. Guests and meeting attendees staying at the nearby Watercolor Inn have access to Origins.

In Palos Verde, Calif., Todd Eckenrode, an Irvine, Calif.-based golf architect, is designing a nine-hole course set to open in 2009 at Terranea Resort, which will function as both a daily play and an academy course. “Not everyone has five hours to spend on a full-length, 18-hole round of golf, or wants to spend hundreds of dollars for each round,” says Eckenrode. “Championship golf courses will always have their place in the game, but these types of short-course facilities are just as crucial for the health of the game, and often more enjoyable.”

Play Nine

In the real world, many resorts with championship 18-hole layouts aren't willing to accommodate nine-hole rounds — but that's slowly changing.

La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif., offers a “Nine and Dine” program in which golfers play nine holes followed by an elegant dining experience or an outdoor grill party. At Ojai Valley Inn & Spa in Ojai, Calif., meeting groups with tight itineraries are offered the “Nine a Day” program. Attendees play the front nine one day and the back nine the next.

“If you know your group has a tight itinerary, it's imperative that you find a golf resort that is flexible and creative,” says Berkley. “When a golf director is inflexible, you're really limiting how creative you can be.”

Make the Putt

If your image of a miniature golf course is one where golfers putt between a dinosaur's legs or a lighthouse, think again. The new incarnation of resort putting courses has the same types of hazards you would find on regulation courses: separate tee boxes on each hole, dogleg holes, fairway hazards, sand traps, and undulations around the hole.

“That's why the putting green is such a great place to stage an event,” says Fay Theos, a planner for Keystone Marketing Co., a Winston-Salem, N.C., sports and events marketing company. Every February, in conjunction with NASCAR's Daytona 500, Theos uses the Ritz-Carlton at the Grand Lakes Orlando resort complex as a home base for various corporate groups. “We always include a golf component in the itinerary,” she says.

Last year, she held a casual dinner for 40 Toyota dealers at the resort's Fairways Pub, overlooking the Greg Norman-designed golf course. Outside the patio doors, with easy access, was a six-hole putt-putt course. Attendees were enticed outside by a massive Airstar lighting balloon in the shape of a golf ball set in the center of the green. Players putted glow-in-the-dark golf balls and competed for prizes.

“It was a great event for camaraderie because even many of the less skilled golfers could participate and not feel intimidated,” Theos says.

One of the most outstanding miniature courses is the Fairways Course at Fantasia Gardens at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, which, at 1,448 feet, is the longest mini-course in the world. It is framed by sand traps, trees, and other foliage with expansive, undulating greens.

Equally challenging is the 18-hole putting course at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., an all-grass venue featuring holes that range from 20 feet to 50 feet, peppered with hazards.

Among the resorts that offer both meeting space and mini-courses are Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, Ore.; Salishan Spa & Golf Resort in Gleneden Beach, Ore.; Arizona Biltmore Resort & Spa in Phoenix; Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort in Destin, Fla.; Hilton Waikoloa Village, on the Big Island of Hawaii; and the World Golf Village near St. Augustine.

From one of these slick miniature golf courses to the new breed of short courses, the options for a successful alternative golf event have grown enormously in the past few years, says Berkley. The key is to find a golf resort that is receptive to your ideas, she says.

“You must be creative to make the event exciting, and communicate your vision for the day succinctly to staff members.”

The rest is up to your group.

Don't Cut Your Incentive Groups Short

Alternative golf events aren't for every group — especially incentives. Chuck Lane, a Corporate Meetings & Incentives Golden Links Advisory Board member and director of incentive travel and public relations for Humana, Green Bay, Wis., says it's important to understand the personalities and skill levels of golfers in your group.

“When you travel to a major golf destination, I've found that almost all of the serious golfers and many novices don't want to miss the chance to play the headliner course they've heard so much about,” says Lane, who has recently taken groups to play in Bermuda; Los Cabos, Mexico; and the Big Island of Hawaii.

“Alternative golf events are good if you absolutely cannot afford the time, but don't discount the fact that most golf lovers still want to play full rounds on big-name courses. For incentive groups, playing a full round of golf on a world-class course has always been and will continue to be a morale builder.”

What If They Don't Play?

What do nongolfers do while others are playing nine holes? Some resorts are providing options. At Shingle Creek Golf Club at Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Fla., the on-site Brad Brewer Academy offers “Golf 101,” a nonintimidating clinic that introduces people to the game. The two-hour clinic, which includes an autographed copy of Brewer's book Golf for Everybody, is held on the course, in a classroom setting, or a combination of both. A regular on The Golf Channel, the easygoing, affable Brewer addresses issues such as equipment, how to practice correctly, proper etiquette, and golf jargon.