Wednesday, June 03, 2015

Why Businesses Should Sponsor #Golf Tournaments and Events

I recently wrote an article for my LinkedIn connections about how businesses that help sponsor golf tournaments can bring cutting edge benefits and visibility to their business and brand.
This article has proven to be of interest so I decided it would be wise to spread this information to a wider audience, hence to my readers on Golf for Beginners.
I have the honor of assisting the yearly Legends Invitational Golf Tournament with their social, marketing and sponsorship efforts and, in doing so, I  am also part of so much more: the main beneficiary of the Event is The National Navy UDT SEAL Museum.
Charitable concerns are important in our framework of life - selecting the beneficiary which can do so much good for others is extremely important not only to the event but to those who support or are in attendance.
In the case of Legends Invitational, the tournament supports The Navy SEAL Museum through donations which benefit families of fallen heroes and the heroes themselves via Trident House and educates through initiatives at the Museum.
With Legends help (and through the generosity of grants and corporate gifts), the Navy SEAL Museum helps preserve, and shares the legacy of, the world’s premier Special Operations force. The Museum receives no federal funding and relies upon the good will of people and of corporate entities.

Why should your business help sponsor a golf event? Here are a few bullet points:

 - In the case of Legends Invitational, it is an opportunity to make connections with many of the top business builders in our Country. Legends has been known for the past twenty-four years as the Most Exclusive Invitational Golf Tournament in the World.
- Great for entertaining clients. Imagine bringing those associates you want to impress to a five-star setting to play Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill and Spanish Bay golf courses. Top name Football Hall of Famers are in attendance,and...
Stacy with V. Admiral Kernan
The SEAL's not only make an appearance, but boy, do they ever make an entrance! What a WOW factor. (In my foursome, our Team Leader was Vice Admiral Joe Kernan...it was an honor to play golf for three days with him!)
- Reward your best employees - Provide major incentive to a foursome of your brightest stars for a job well done - it will ignite a fire that will last for years.
- Patriotic event - Navy SEALs, for example, enhance the reputation, image and prestige of the sponsoring company through association.
- Generates media buzz both traditional and internet. Watch KSBW-TV headlining news storyNavy SEALs and NFL Legends Team Up for Good Cause 
Company representatives do not necessarily have to be in attendance to sponsor an event yet can still reap the benefits. Here is an example - Jack Daniels sponsored the opening cocktail hour at Spanish Bay as well as tents at the 7th hole at Pebble Beach (among other initiatives). Another thought? Why not sponsor a hole at the Event. A Harley Davidson dealer placed a motorcycle at the tee box of a par-3 ready to be won in exchange for a hole-in-one.
Jack Daniels Cocktail Sponsorship before Legends Invitational
Jack Daniels Cocktail hour before the Event

Your company can sponsor an entertainment, activity or cocktail hour, marketing their name to those in attendance.
For example, Legends Invitational and The Navy SEAL Museum offer many ways to donate to the cause. If you don't play golf but love the SEALs, your company can support Museum efforts directly or customize an event at your place of business with SEALs parachuting into YOUR event, or perhaps, instruction of tactical demonstrations onsite. Talk about a memorable experience for your workers - this will have them whipping out their smartphones, socially sharing your brand with everyone of their contacts.
A company can also offer goods or services to improve the lives of the Event beneficiary. Donations come in many forms, from becoming a member of The Navy SEAL Museum to helping to furnish Trident House or donating auction items - the ideas are endless.
There are so many ways for businesses to benefit from sponsoring a golf event from reputation association to brand building - consider this new arena as a part of your marketing strategy.
Learn how you can help sponsor The National Navy UDT SEAL Museum either directly or through Legends Invitational - read the Legends Invitational Sponsorship Brochure.
Voice your opinions on this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Friday, May 29, 2015

Does This Sound Like You on the #Golf Course?

Trying to concentrate on that ever-important putt which will place you 1-up on your playing buddies, eyeing from every angle, you are finally ready to swing when you say to yourself, "hmm, maybe just one more cup to the right!" Naturally, you miss right. Ahh, the mental game of golf wins again!

Why do golfers use negative self-talk and what can you do to prevent...or at least control it? In a previous article, Golf for Beginners offered ways to improve upon the way we think and speak to ourselves during a round.

Today, instead of lurking within the realm of the Twilight Zone, let's just take a look at some of the ridiculous things we say to ourselves. Maybe if you read this rhetoric out loud, you'll be able to stop before the downswing, flip it around to something more positive and improve your confidence and your game!

Here are a few funny and oh so true thoughts that go through golfers' minds at different times on the course.

1. I ALWAYS hit a bad shot on the first tee!

2. Another downhill lie - I know I'm going to top it...

3. I can use my putter to go through that rough - isn't there four degrees of loft on a putter?

4. I can get this shot over that body of water - I don't need that extra club - this should do it.

5. (On the tee) - Don't aim for that bunker! Water on the right!


6. I don't need to carry a rain jacket today, there's only a forty percent chance I'll get caught.

7. Trees are 90 percent air.

8. This sure looks like my golf ball.

9. How many strokes was that... one in the water, so I'm hitting two, right?

10. . I don't need to punch out - I can clear that tree!

So many more ruminations to mention like, "Keep out of the rough!"

What self-talk do you utter during a round of golf? Share on our Golf for Beginners blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

How to Play #Golf in the Twilight Zone

Which golf books are on your Memorial Day weekend reading list?

Almost everyone has a few books lined up for lazy beach days, from "how-to" improve the golf swing to mental game tips, possibly with a New York Times best-selling fiction thrown into the mix.

Since the start of 2015, although I have been reading books on game improvement, I have also been enthusiastic about fictional tales written by storytellers who weave golf into the mystery of life.

This year, my first tale of machinations and conspiracies, Shari's Shot by noted author James Ross, proved to be a real page turner filled with intrigue and a plot which ended quite differently than I anticipated - kudos to James!

My next page turner was "Performing Under Pressure: The Science of Doing Your Best When It Matters Most."

Golf Is No Ordinary GameCurrently I am in the middle of "Golf is No Ordinary Game" by G. Guilford Barton. Have you read it?

Each of the fourteen tales is its own chapter and takes the reader into a world of imagination, science fiction and magic - similar to tales by renowned Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling but not as dark (so far) as The Night Gallery.

So, if you are intrigued by a magical golf club that can change a life, wonder what it would be like to play golf with a clairvoyant caddie or, maybe, you're considering taking a train trip to get to your next golf destination, you may want to read this book before you pick up your next iron.

The Golfing Bard (internet nom de plume for G. Guilford Barton) sells this book on Kindle for $2.99. The quick-read tales allow you to put down/pick up the book at intervals and begin a whole new journey with your next poolside margarita.

Enjoy and have a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Which books are you reading this Memorial Day? Share on Twitter @Golf4Beginners and on this golf blog!