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I received an email this morning from an old friend back in Denver asking about ideas for gifts for their member-guest tournament later this summer. Nothing beats a good tournament played with a partner. They’re my favorite for many reasons… first and foremost, even if it’s not an invitational format on a private course you still get to team up with a friend and share the pressure to perform.
Second, it’s usually a few days of various activities — a great time to meet new friends, as well as catch up with old ones, and enjoy not only the golf but commaraderie, food and drinks.
Third, and the topic of this post, is there is the opportunity to come up with fun gifts! I’m always curious to see what new ideas people have come up with. The key on gifts for any tournament is not to (forgive me) cheap out. I will just add that for some reason, certain organizers think cheap, thoughtless gifts for a women’s’ tournament are okay. Un-uh. No way. Women want nice gifts, just like men.
As an organizer, make the gift something you would like to use and have in years to come. The test should be that it is not something disposable or something that you’d just wanna’ give away. Women don’t mind paying to participate in tournaments that are quality. I’ve heard too many times from various powers-that-be, that women don’t want to pay entry fees that will support top-notch events. That’s only partially true… women don’t want to pay to participate in tournaments where course set-ups, the food, receptions and dinners feel routinized. Thoughtless gifts are part of the problem, too.
All that said, here are some of my favorites and memorable tee gifts…
Custom Ball Marker. Bonjoc is my favorite brand. They have done several custom ball markers for me over the years and I recommend them to everyone. If you only have roughly ten bucks per person in your budget, this is money well spent and will be a well-received gift by everyone.
Club Glove Travel Golf Bag. This is awesome gift which can be customized. Club Glove not only makes great golf travel bags, but they make other types of travel luggage also. Did you know 90% of tour pros use them and that they are made in the USA?
Golf Shoe Bag. Your pro shop should have a few contacts on how to order these and customize for your tournament. Or you can just Google as there are many providers out there (I’ve used AM&E in the past). Here is a photo of one that I received for a Rally for the Cure golf tournament about a year ago. I love it. My husband received the same model but in black for a tournament at Pinehurst in North Carolina.
And along with a shoe bag, you could also consider a custom putter cover or driver head cover. There’s always a question concerning how many players have a mallet putter vs blade putter, but this is easily solved with a card to be filled out upon entry by all participants. Or your club could order a number of each. Players often swap out styles in the cart paddock they day they receive them, too.
Clothing is always great. Honestly, who doesn’t need another jacket? My former club gave away Zero Restriction jackets one year and Sun Mountain the year prior. My husband got a half-sleeve wind shirt from FootJoy that he wears often—the organizers sent him a link to enter his size prior to event. Providing a gift card for a shopping experience to a certain apparel manufacturer is nice, too — that way people have the option to buy what they want, when they want, although it’s not as nice as walking out of a tournament with actual loot in your hot little hands!
Golf Shoe Shopping Experience. We had FootJoy come in one year and again, you were able to pick out any item you wanted. They were drop shipped to your home.
Golf Balls. People seem to overlook this item and I’m not quite sure why. I know this is basic but it’s ALWAYS USEFUL. I believe that golf balls are a great gift. Women especially never seem to have enough golf balls. Custom golf balls are a nice touch. But please, again, purchase a decent brand and top line ball— balls you don’t want to lose. Most every manufacturer can do custom packaging.
STICKIT Magnetic Towel or STICKIT Magnetic Rangefinder Strap. Again, you can get these customized or buy as is but this is really a great, useful item. I don’t have the magnetic towel yet but it’s on my list. They stick right to your iron or putter head. Never worry about losing your towel again or forgetting it as you walk to the green.
Blankets. Cart blanket or throw blanket. This is a wonderful gift. I just received a really nice throw blanket during a tournament in November that had the logo on it. Classy.
Cart seat cover. I know a woman here in Vegas who makes the best custom cart seat covers. You can pick your fabric or have her do something generic – they are fabulous and reversible. I have a cover with the Golden Knights logo on it—Go Knights Go! I’d be happy to pass her name along if you are unable to find someone in your area to do them.
Bath robe. This may sound strange, but I received one years ago for a tournament and it’s fabulous. A well made spa robe with our logo on it. I love it, still have it, will always remember what tournament I received it from.
Sunglasses. I have been to several tournaments (one I was on the committee for) where there was a sunglass shopping experience. The best one was when Oakley came out and provided us with many different styles to chose from and actually go home with.
Cool weather gear. Hats, headbands, cart mitts…these are all very useful gifts, all logo’d accordingly.
Logo’d cooler bag. Not much to say since this speaks for itself. My husband and I have received a few of these and love them, especially since they unfortunately do not last forever because of everyday wear and tear.
Customized Glass/Barware. Here are a few of the items I’ve received over the years. Again, a very nice, classy item.
This is a good start as you consider what to do or suggest for your next tournament. Please feel free to email me at blake@thewomangolfer.com with any other ideas you have and feel free to include a photo. I’ll post what I get.
