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COURES OF ACTION - PART 2
THE BUSINESS
OF CHARITY GOLF
By Eric Tracy (aka The Mulligan Man)
erictracy@earthlink.net
Published in LA/OC/SD GOLF Magazine - December 2001
Editor’s note: Eric Tracy (aka The Mulligan Man)
has been involved as an organizer, Master of Ceremonies,
player or consultant in more than 400 tournaments in a
20-year career. There’s not too much this KFWB Sportscaster
doesn’t know about charity golf tournaments and how to
make them profitable and successful.
Last month Tracy began a 2-part series to help you
choose a golf course for your tournament and we published
a directory of public golf courses we find the most experienced
and popular for hosting your charity event. This month
we examine private courses. Please visit our website at
www.golfinla.com to see more detailed reports on the courses
we feature in our directory.
 There
is a definite difference in the ambiance of a charity
golf tournament hosted by a private club as compared to
one held at a public facility. Which is better? Should
you set your inaugural charity event at a private club
or move your established event to the other side of the
tracks? Here are some things to consider in deciding whether
to take your tournament to a private facility.
BETTER GOLF. A busy municipal golf course will have 80,000
rounds a year played on it. A busy private club will have
about 30,000. Guess which course will be better shape?
But lately this is changing. The new high-end daily fee
courses built in the last 10 years rival their private
counterparts in great golf. There are beautiful and challenging
tracks like Robinson Ranch, Strawberry Farms, Eagle Glen
and others that rival quality of a private course. What
those public facilities cannot offer is the exclusivity
of a private club. Let’s face it, for $150 bucks I can
play on the ocean at Pelican Hill. However, no amount
of money can get me on Newport Beach Country Club unless
I know a member. That’s a big attraction for tournaments
held at private facilities.
BETTER SERVICE? Don’t assume that the higher price tag
that comes with a private facility necessarily means a
higher level of service. I’ve found that the level of
service provided to tournaments and tournament golfers
at some of the higher end public facilities is better
than at many private clubs. But there is a good reason
for this. At public golf courses, group events and charity
golf tournaments are a significant part of a facilities
revenue stream. The public facilities need your business
and are willing to compete for it. That is not necessarily
the case at members-only country clubs. I’m not saying
the service is bad; it’s just not as attentive as at high
end public courses that fall all over themselves to please
you.
 FEWER
COURSES + HIGHER DEMAND = HIGHER COST. There are about
325 golf courses in Southern California. About 40% of
them are private. Not all private courses allow outside
play on Mondays when private clubs are traditionally closed
to the membership. It’s a classic case of low supply and
high demand, which means the tariff for your tournament
at a private club will likely be significantly higher
than it’s public counterpart. The upper end can cost you
upwards to $500 at places like Riviera or Sherwood Country
Club. But there are some good deals to be had at private
clubs like Braemar in Tarzana, Western Hills in Chino
Hills or California Country Club in Whittier where you’ll
pay under $150 per golfer while enjoying the advantages
of a private club.
CAN WE MOVE ON UP? If you’ve got a successful tournament,
but you feel the need to move up a notch in quality and
revenue, moving to a private facility can accomplish that.
There is no escaping the fact that big time tournaments
that raise $50,000 and more do so at private clubs. But
understand that if your entry fee goes up more than 30%,
you’re going to lose some of the golfers who supported
you at a lower price. You might very well replace those
players you’ll lose with the draw of a private facility,
but you’ll need to seriously consider all aspects of moving.
Like almost everything else in our capitalistic system,
there is a risk/reward ratio in going private.
 IT
TAKES A COMMITTEE. Before you move from a public to a
private course, remember the cardinal rule of any successful
charity golf tournament—and burn this into your memory--THE
SUCCESS OF ANY TOURNAMENT IS DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL TO
THE LENGTH AND BREADTH AND QUALITY OF THE ROLODEXES OF
YOUR COMMITTEE MEMBERS. The best bet for making a move
to a country club is to have country club members on your
tournament committee. Big money tournaments at private
clubs almost always have big, active committees and big
sponsors brought in by those committee members. The golf
course may be the centerpiece of your tournament, but
the tournament committee is the foundation.
 PLAN
WAY AHEAD. If a private club is the choice you make, plan
on booking the course at least a year in advance of your
tournament. Even if you have a country club member on
your committee, many private clubs only book a handful
of outside events each year and the available dates go
quickly. This may mean that while you’re turning away
golfers for your upcoming full field tournament at a high
end public facility, you’re also negotiating your deal
for next year’s event at a private club. But that’s okay,
because it gives you the opportunity to promote your move
up the scale to golfers and sponsors in the glow of tournament
day.
Eric Tracy is a sportscaster on KFWB NEWS 980. To find
out more about The Mulligan Man visit www.TheMulliganMan.com
or send email to Eric@TheMulliganMan.com
The centerpiece of your golf tournament will be the
golf course. Select it wisely. Here is a short list of
private facilities that do a good job with charity events.
I’m breaking them down into price points. The prices ranges
I mention will likely buy you a continental breakfast,
golf, cart, locker room, driving range, hot lunch and
dinner. Check out our website at www.golfinla.com for
details about the tournament services available at these
private clubs.
$100 - $150
Braemar Country Club – Tarzana:
California Country Club – Whittier
MountaintGate Country Club – Los Angeles
Porter Valley Country Club – Northridge
Western Hills Country Club – Chino Hills
Woodland Hills Country Club – Woodland Hills
$150 - $250
Coto de Caza Country Club – Coto de Caza
Dove Canyon County Club – Dove Canyon
Friendly Hills Country Club – Whittier
Hacienda Golf Club – La Habra Heights
Los Coyotes Country Club – Buena Park
Newport Beach Country Club – Newport Beach
North Ranch Country Club – Westlake Village
Oakmont Country Club – Glendale
Pacific Golf and Country Club – San Clemente
Rolling Hills Country Club – Rolling Hills
SeaCliff Country Club – Huntington Beach
Spanish Hills Country Club – Camarillo
Valencia Country Club – Valencia
Yorba Linda Country Club – Yorba Linda
$250 AND UP
El Caballero Country Club - Tarzana
Riviera Country Club – Pacific Palisades
Wilshire Country Club – Los Angeles
Sherwood Country Club – Thousand Oaks
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