After all, weddings ’show’ no matter what the weather,eat from a pre-determined menu with a guaranteed foodcost and pay extra for things like candle centerpieces! Formost couples, their wedding is the most important day oftheir lives. If you, as a golf course operator, can make thatday memorable and mistake free, you will increase yourcustomer base, your guest loyalty and most importantly…your profits!

Weddings are just like golf tournaments but withoutthe golf, so as long as you have a microphone, a gardenand a room that can fit more than 20 people, you can bein the wedding business.

BLISSFUL PROFITSIf you are not currently hosting weddings, it may be becausethere has been no demand from your clientele or youdon’t have the required facilities. Let’s consider both issues.

For starters, demand will never go away. As long asthere are humans on earth, there will be a need for wedding facilities. Part of the ‘culture of the ceremony’seems to require that we assemble into one room 200friends and relatives and spend a year’s mortgage feedingthem and asking them to stand up and say silly poems.

Canvas your customers through focus groups or surveys, and ask them if they would consider a

wedding at your facility. Talk to the local hotels about how many

weddings they do. Send your kids out to get

quotes on havinga wedding

(then tell them

MARKETING JAMES CRONK

In these times of an up and down golfeconomy, increased competition and theeffects of global warming… Thank goodness for Holy Matrimony!

SAYING ‘I DO’…TO WEDDINGSB

48 W i n t e r 2 0 0 3 G O L F B U S I N E S S C A N A D A

to elope). Find out specifically: Who is thecompetition? How busy are they? And, whatare they charging? Most brides (and believeme… it is the bride who chooses) feel that golfcourses are simply a nicer place to get marriedthan a stuffy hotel that is twenty miles awayfrom a tree.

If a golf course has what they feel to be limit-ed facilities, this can be overcome. Don’t assumethat all weddings want rack of lamb or a 40-item buffet - it’s amazing what BBQs can pro-duce. Outdoor tents can also be decorated toperfection for weddings (and golf tourna-ments). What’s important is that you decidewhat you can offer and then do so very well. Ifyou are currently hosting golf tournamentswith all players eating together, adding wed-dings to your sales kit should not be a problem.

Assuming you have some form of banquetroom or restaurant, some of the benefits fromhosting weddings are:

Maximization of facility usage – An emptyroom isn’t generating anything but electricalbills. Weddings are most often Friday, Saturdayor Sunday events, and these are often thebusiest tee time days for golf courses. Pushyour tournaments to weekdays to maximize teetime and banquet revenues. Also, as long as youput up the appropriate signage well in advance,it’s not unheard of to close your restaurant for a private function. Put heaters on the patio orkeep the snack bar open to handle any non-wedding guests.

Spin-off revenue – More potential clientsexposed to your facility could mean an increase inmemberships, lessons or pro shop sales. In addition,expect your bar and patio to get busy before thewedding banquet starts – while the bride andgroom are getting photos done, for instance…

Guaranteed profits – Like golf tournaments,you should be earning consistent returns onwedding events. Food cost, labour and othervariable expenses are determined by menuprices and the number of guests. Develop an‘Event Profile Sheet’ that compares all of theevent revenues (per head +extra charges, etc) vs.the costs (labour, supplies, COS, etc). If it doesn’t result in a 20-25% return, then theevent request might be declined.

NUPTIAL NOTESThe first consideration is to ensure you have

a great location for the ceremony. Althoughnot all weddings will have the ceremony on site,for those that do, a memorable location is nec-essary. Is it close to the clubhouse and is it pri-vate? Will the noise and traffic from other areasof the facility impact on the ceremony itself?

Since most ceremonies will occur in theafternoon, you need to be aware of what is typ-ically happening at your facility on a weekendafternoon. Also, does the location offer bothshade and sun at different times of the day? Ifthe garden is in the middle of an open area withno shade, it might be difficult to maintain thisarea in terms of flowers.

Also, we all know that contracts are a neces-sary evil. Love is both a many-splendor thingand a fickle mistress, so have a very detailedcontract, including (a) The number of guests(This is usually the biggest variable as coupleswill book far in advance and the guest countoften changes considerably. Make it clear thatthe number of guests can only be decreased by a certain percentage when it comes time toguarantee the final guest count.), and (b) Payment and a final guest count in advanceof the event, at least 7-10 days. Make sure toalso have adequate insurance (i.e. Investigateand explore possible problems that can arisefrom a ‘hosted’ bar).To get set up, there are some basics that need tobe arranged/bought/rented. This list is not com-prehensive, and as you progress into the matri-monial maze, you will augment accordingly.

• Signage for the parking areas (to block offspace) and signage to indicate to guests thata ceremony is in progress • Banquet chairs and tables and staging in avariety of types and sizes (i.e. having onlyrectangular tables will be inadequate) • Garden chairs – either hook up with a rental company and get a discount for volume business, or buy your own• Banquet accessories - chafing dishes, hotboxes, plate racks, cool storage, tongs, platters, bowls etc. Large bowls to servepotato salad for 200 people may not be onyour shelves just yet…

You want to ensure that you have doneeverything possible to ensure a fantastic expe-rience for your clients. Remember, this is avery important day, and with it can comeexceedingly high expectations. Consider thefollowing often-overlooked elements:

Is the ceremony area covered? Is there a“back-up” location inside the clubhouse, or doyou have tents? This is a big factor, as most cou-ples want to know in advance what theiroptions are. Most couples will not want touse the reception room for the ceremony itself.

Do your homework regarding linens. Theyare usually expected and very costly.

Will you offer centerpieces, candles, anddecorations of any kind? Will these be compli-mentary or will you charge a rental fee?

Is there a lounge area for guests to relaxbetween the ceremony and the reception...or, if they arrive at the clubhouse prior to the

reception room opening, is there a lobby oropen area to mingle? Having everyone standoutside the front door or in a hallway is not agood idea…

Do you have high chairs and booster seatsfor the children?

Is the banquet room air-conditioned?

Where is your outdoor area for smoking? Ifthe smoking area is down the hall, around thecorner and at the rear of the building, this willbe a problem. You do not want the guests hav-ing to travel through the facility to get to thesmoking area, especially if there are otherevents or guests around.

Is there a sufficient electrical supply if theyhire a band? Where does the band go?

Is the facility wheel chair accessible? Are there special religious requirements (i.e.

Food, customs, supplies) that all of the staffneed to be aware of?

Finally, take care of the important people!Stress free communication and lots of compli-ments will go a long way towards happy guests!

WEDDING WARNINGS (Beyond “Beware of Mothers-in-Law”)

• Audio / visual equipment includingmicrophone, podium, screen etc. for thoselengthy ‘when they were kids’ slideshows • Portable bars that can be set up based onroom configuration• Staffing levels - Roughly one server per fivetables of ten is adequate for buffet-style andthe level should always meet your price levels• Golf carts or a transcender to transport thebride and attendants if the garden area islocated away from the clubhouse• Finally, is there a bride’s waiting room?Somewhere where she can change andfreshen up in private is the bare minimumneeded for this occasion

THE CAKE AND THE IC ING By considering and/or implementing most

of these points (and taking heed of the cau-tionary ones), you will be on your way to deliv-ering great weddings. In my experience, how-ever, to be one of the best in your market, youneed one extra feature… a dedicated weddingcoordinator.

This most important person is on-site fromthe moment the bride arrives to when sheleaves. He/she is intimately familiar with theclients’ expectations, and the sole purpose ofthis position is to handle the requests of thebride, the groom, the mothers-in-law and thefamily. It is a delicate role - part ‘customer ser-vice person’, part ‘maid of honor for hire’. Hisor her wage will easily be covered through pos-itive word-of-mouth advertising or better yet,fewer refunds!

In conclusion, for many golf course ownersand operators, the wedding business is goodbusiness, and by excelling at it, I guaranteeyou’ll be able to ‘take your own honeymoon’and buy that new Triplex mower you have youreyes on!

So… please join me in a ‘toast to the bride’!

JAMES CRONKis VP Golf & CommunityAffairs for Westwood Plateau,recently ranked the 5th BestCustomer Service in NorthAmerica (Golf Digest 2002)and 8th Best Company toWork For in British Columbia

(BC Business Magazine 2003). He is a frequentspeaker and customer service/marketingconsultant and can be reached by email atjcronk@westwoodplateaugolf.com.

MARKETING

51G O L F B U S I N E S S C A N A D A Winter 2 0 0 3

Solutions Summit Sessions will include: 2 Workshops – Player Development and Lowering Property Taxes

Keynote – “Taking It To The Next Level - How Great Companies Keep Getting Better”

Sessions:Golf is Just the Name of the Game – The Name of the Business is Entertainment

The Golf Club of the Future Price Promotion Companies

The State of the Industry Pace of Play

Revenue Producing Opportunities at your Course Filling Your Tee Sheet

Golf Destination Markets The Price is Right - Or Is It?

Plus more…

You won’t want to miss out on this year’s Solutions Summit and all of Tampa’s attractions. Fromhistorical landmarks such as Ybor City to exciting theme parks like Busch Gardens, Tampa hassomething to offer everyone!

The National Golf Course Owners Association’s 2004 Solutions Summit focuses on the golf course of the futureand the steps to transform the golf course of the past. The golf course of the future will avoid discounting, hirepeople who look out for the business and look to keep a competitive edge. This is the conference to attend ifyou want your course to be part of the new golf world.

TH E GO LF CO U RS E O F TH E F UTU R E I S…

A place to learn the game

A place to build relationships

A center of activity for families

A profitable venture for owners

Tampa, Florida | January 10 – 14, 2004

For more information and to register vis i t www.ngcoa.org

Special offer to Canadian NGCOA members$50 off the registration fee!

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Thank YouNGCOA Canada would like to thank the following

golf courses and Golfmax suppliers for their support in

the seven NGCOA Invitational Golf Tournaments.

PRESENTING SPONSORS

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SPONSORS

Alberta Chapter (North) The Ranch Golf & Country Club

Spruce Grove, AB

Alberta Chapter (South) Land-O-Lakes Golf & Country Club

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Eastern Ontario/Outaouais Chapter Calabogie Highlands Resort & Golf Club

Calabogie, ON

Atlantic Chapter Fox Hollow Golf Club

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Quebec Chapter Club de Golf les Quatre Domaines

Mirabel, QC

Southwestern Ontario Chapter Victoria Park East Golf Club

Guelph, ON

Central Ontario Chapter Nobleton Lakes Golf Club

Nobleton, ON

National Golf Course Owners Association Canada

For more information, contact us at 613-226-3616 or by email ngcoa@golfmax.ca

Make Key BusinessDecisions Based onCanadian Benchmarks!The NGCOA Canada Compensation &Benefits Report 2003 is now available, containing essential information neverbefore available in the Canadian golf industry. The report will answer many of thekey questions asked when trying to makeinformed budgeting, compensation andbusiness plan decisions for your operation.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!NOTEAll courses that participated in the 2003 Survey will automatically bemailed a copy of this report FREE OF CHARGE. If your course participatedin the 2003 Survey and you fill in the order form you will be charged forthese additional copies.

If you are not a member of NGCOA Canada, but wish to join and receivethis report for only $125, please give us a call at (613) 226-3616.

NGCOA Canada Compensation & Benefits Report ORDER FORMPLEASE COMPLETE THE ORDER FORM BELOW AND MAIL OR FAX IT ALONG WITH PAYMENT TO:

National Golf Course Owners Association CanadaSuite 240, 1101 Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa, Ontario, K2C 3W7Phone: 613 226-3616 Fax: 613 226-4148

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