Last week’s FIFA World Cup draw got me thinking. Not about the group permutations, the psychic octopus and the inevitable missed penalties, but about the other kind of draw the World Cup presents.

For the best part of a month next summer, golf clubs across the UK – around the world in fact – have the opportunity to use the tournament to welcome, to entertain, and perhaps even entice new members and visitors to their golf club. Most golfers enjoy other sports, and I’m sure most golf clubs are set up to show the big sporting events in their clubhouses.  You can’t create much of an atmosphere watching the games at home, so there’s a natural inclination to want to share the experience with others. For golf clubs, that should present an opportunity to put on their own events and bring their member together for some collective cheering or crying, depending on how things go.  Like the Olympics, the World Cup brings people together like few other things can, and
golf clubs should all be looking at it as an opportunity to inject life (if life needs injecting) into their social calendar and benefit the club’s coffers in the process.

The Ryder Cup next September presents more coattails to ride, but for a much briefer spell. No doubt there will be Ryder Cup-style club events and matches taking place up and down the country, but with the matches on home soil, the trouble is that you can’t play golf on the day without missing much of the action. A western World Cup in Brazil means convenient match times, allowing for golf followed by evening entertainment.  For event organisers at clubs, that makes for quite a straightforward programme.

On most days of the group phases (12 – 26th June), there will three games shown on terrestrial TV starting around 5pm onwards. It might seem rather obvious, but whether a club offered an event exclusively for members, members and guests, visitors, or for all, the long daylight hours and variety of kick off times mean that pretty much any format of competition is doable ahead of the action on TV – team and individual, 9 hole and 18, stableford and medal, the options are pretty much endless, and most importantly, flexible.

For the clubs, the real opportunity comes in the empty stomachs of the golfers returning to the clubhouse after their round to watch the match. With greater reason to stay on and enjoy the hospitality and company on offer, there’s a tremendous opportunity for clubs to capitalise.

There’s also plenty that can be done with the match ‘themes’.  Paella and a glass or two of sangria, followed by the Spain v Chile game, or an early evening BBQ with some cold lagers during Australia v Netherlands.  With chef’s today well-versed in world cuisine, there are so many options and even the golfing format could reflect the match to follow – Texas scrambles for the USA games?  It’s quite feasible that a club could host an entire month of World Cup themed events.

With a thriving atmosphere and the course at its summer peak, there’s also no better time to welcome potential new members to come and experience life at the club.

There are 25 days of the World Cup next year, and just 3 days of the Ryder Cup. No doubt most golf clubs will be doing something to embrace the latter in late September, but I can’t help thinking the football represents an even greater opportunity.

 

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