Six steps to the perfect golf outing

Plan a day out to remember by paying due attention to the fine details

1. Be organised at all times

Planning and booking an outing for a large group of golfers takes a lot of work, meaning things can easily get out of hand and go badly wrong. To guard against this, you need to nominate one person within your group to be the main point of contact. Make sure that person is responsible, too, to help the process run as smoothly as possible.

2. Know what you want

There are three main priorities that should be at the top of every golf society’s list: where, when and how much. It’s vital to know the answers to these from everyone in your group so you can narrow down the options.

3. Take a vote

The easiest, and probably the fairest, way to agree on the three points in step two is to hold a vote amongst your group. Once the organiser has the details of everyone’s preferred place to go, time to go, and budget constraints, they’ll be able to draw up a shortlist of places that tick all the right boxes. They should then present those to the group, including all of the benefits of each option. For example, if there’s a hotel on-site, the price of food and drink, what the facilities are like, whether or not there are buggies to hire, how long it will take to get there, and so on. It’s important everyone knows these details so they can make an educated decision. It’s impossible to keep everybody happy, so all you can do is have an open vote, allowing everyone to have their say.

4. Try to book ahead

When you’ve decided where you want to go and when, contact the operator as soon as possible to see if they will let you book in advance of your visit. It’s highly likely that they’ll be more than happy to do this for you, and they might even throw in a discount, too. Of course, you might also need to put down a deposit to secure your booking but this is a small price to pay for you and your society friends having peace of mind that your outing is not only happening, but in the diary.

5. Create a competitive element

Everyone knows golf is at its most compelling and enjoyable when there’s something on the line and every shot matters, so try and make your outing as competitive as possible. When you’re on a trip with friends, it’s always great to have that extra something to add interest and enjoyment for everyone throughout the trip. It’s important it does last the full length of the trip, though, and the prizes are varied, keeping people interested.

6. Get some silverware

The Claret Jug, the Wanamaker Trophy, the Ryder Cup, the Havemeyer Trophy - iconic golfing prizes roll off the tongue and are the reason that the best in the game play the game. So, it makes sense that you should buy a trophy for your society’s biggest competitions. Pleasingly, they’re not at all expensive and are easy to engrave, too. As ever, shop around for the best deals. A nice trophy isn’t just the spoils for the victor. It can become a symbol of your society and, in time, will create its own history, prestige and gravitas. That’s the sort of thing that will give your group heritage. After all, if you thought you could win a trophy that had been around for decades and had been won by some of the most talented golfers you know, wouldn’t you want to get your hands on it, too?

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