At sunset on the opening day of an 800-person meeting at Omni PGA Resort & Spa in Frisco, Texas, attendees wandered around the edges of one of the largest putting greens in America—70,000 square feet—to sample appetizers and libations while they and their colleagues also putted for prizes. With the prizes spread out across the green, attendees could try to win lower-value ones that were 10 to 15 feet away, or aim to score an expensive bottle of champagne, wine or liquor by putting the ball 30 to 40 feet and striking a bottle.
Because just about anyone is able to putt a golf ball, this type of social event is an increasingly popular option among groups that meet at resort properties. In addition, “everyone has a really good time rooting on their fellow attendees,” said Becky Phelps, senior event manager for Ramsey Solutions, which hosted the meeting at the Omni.
Different Ways to Play
At Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina, one of the most popular evening reception venues is the putting green at the famed Ocean Course, which sits just yards from the Atlantic Ocean.
“It’s very scenic, and golfers and nongolfers alike really enjoy the experience there,” according to Mary Rieger, the resort’s director of sales.
In addition to setting up the green for various putting contests and the adjacent clubhouse porch for food and beverage plus comfortable seating, the resort staff can assist planners in obtaining unique gifting opportunities that help attendees remember the event.
“We’ve done a cigar-rolling station on one side of the green and a candle station on the other, where people can choose the flavors and the scents they prefer,” Rieger said. “And for groups with a lot of women in attendance, we can do a wristlet station where they can choose a small purse with a wrist strap. And, of course, things like hats, sunglasses and specialty clubhead covers are always popular gifts for a golf-themed reception.”
At Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, the putting green is just off the back of the resort lobby, which makes golf-themed receptions easy to coordinate. And by using glow sticks and glowing golf balls, the golf staff can create a miniature golf course that attendees can enjoy even during nighttime receptions.
Actually, it’s not just the putting green that hosts receptions for meeting groups these days. At La Costa’s practice range, groups can play night golf, hitting glowing golf balls at lighted targets on the range while food stations and bars are set on the perimeter.
“When someone hits a target, the whole thing flashes its colors,” said Ryan Dohrmann, the resort’s head golf professional. “It’s definitely fun to watch.”
A practice range can be used in other ways, too.
“One half of the range can be set up for a clinic with our teaching pros, which lets beginners learn the basics in a relaxed environment,” said Ryan Hosford, director of golf at Orlando’s Rosen Shingle Creek.
On the other half of the range, seasoned golfers can engage in different contests. From there, all attendees can meet on the practice green and play nine holes of miniature golf in pairs.
Using the Golf Course Itself
In Arizona, the golf staff at the Omni Tucson National Resort often uses part of its Catalina golf course to entertain attendees during a reception. Specifically, the green on the ninth hole is adjacent to social-gathering spaces, making it ideal for holding contests in pitching (shots from 50 yards or less) as well as putting challenges.
[Related: Fun Golf Games to Spice Up Group Programs and Tournaments]
And at the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort in Tucson, the ninth green of the Pioneer course is just outside the golf clubhouse, where receptions often take place.
“We’ve got an indoor-outdoor bar connected to the patio overlooking that green,” said David Loomis, general manager of the golf club. “The most popular thing we do there is a ‘closest to the pin’ contest, because there’s a lawn next to the patio where people can hit short shots to the green. We use glow sticks to illuminate the edges of the green and we use glowing golf balls, and everybody’s looking down on the green from the patio.”
Rosen Shingle Creek also offers an after-dark, on-the-course experience. “We light up the green on our sixth hole and put attendees out in the center of the fairway to let them hit neon balls in a ‘closest to the pin’ contest,” Hosford said. “Everyone enjoys the unique atmosphere.”
Here’s a smart hybrid idea for getting attendees onto the golf course: foot golf. This activity has attendees kicking soccer balls down the fairway and to the green rather than hitting golf balls. A player or team finishes a hole when they get the ball to come to rest anywhere on the green, then records the number of kicks it took to do it. And because foot golf requires no adjustments to the course, many directors of golf are amenable to hosting this activity if a planner requests it.
Other Options
The Omni PGA Frisco Resort & Spa in Texas, The Ritz-Carlton Reynolds Lake Oconee in Georgia and some other resorts have built golf-practice bays inside social-gathering spaces featuring large sliding doors, so receptions can allow attendees to hit balls onto the practice range in a comfortable environment with refreshments nearby.
Alternatively, there are golf simulators, which feature floor-to-ceiling screens that players hit the ball into, then watch it fly to the target on a high-definition simulated golf course. This technology has become affordable enough for many hotels and resorts to have on property. Even at some nongolf hotels, such as the Marriott Tampa Water Street in Florida, simulators deliver an interesting golf experience in a lounge atmosphere: music, couch seating and food and beverage service.
Lastly, there is the old-fashioned option: allowing attendees to play nine or 18 holes of golf before, after or between meeting sessions.
“We’ve seen a big influx of the 20-something crowd coming to play the course lately,” said Daulton Altamirano, head golf professional at Omni Tucson National. “And with meeting groups, it seems that many attendees want to play some golf when they have a break from their work; they come by the golf shop in mid-afternoon and ask if we have any open tee times to play nine holes.”
