Page 30 - GBC winter 2015
P. 30
A classic Manitoba summer morning complete with breakfast on the outdoor patio at Southwood Golf & Country Club.
with the same group at the same time of day. There is nothing wrong with that, however we recognized the challenge to keeping members engaged and enjoying their club experience, which is exactly why the concept of a mystery golf tour was conceived.
SHHH! IT’S A SECRET
Lady members were invited to sign up for a Mystery Tour and no details were provided other than the event date, departure time from the golf course, price ($100) and messaging about it being a fun event. Immediately, we had total buy-in from the ladies and it did not take long to fill up the forty spaces available for the event. The key to the event was that it was a mystery and everything was a surprise, other than informing the guests they had to show up at the golf course for 7:30 am.
When participants arrived on what turned out to be an ideal Manitoba morning, they were greeted and directed to the outdoor patio for a full breakfast, complete with linens and flowers on the tables. Immediately, expectations were exceeded so the day was off to a fantastic beginning. As the ladies were enjoying their breakfast, club staff were pulling clubs and loading them on to the bus along with coffee and beverages for the trip.
Following breakfast, Southwood members boarded the bus headed for the unknown destination. Window seats were at a premium as many were speculating where they were headed on every turn of the bus to determine what golf course they would be playing that day. At no time was the destination revealed and the participants were provided a chance to guess where they were headed while cruising down the highway, with the correct answer receiving a token prize. The bus driver also got into the spirit of the day by taking a few back roads to our destination.
The mystery destination was the Minnewasta Golf & Country Club in Morden, Manitoba, a mere 120 kilometers south of Southwood
“Lady members were invited to sign up for a Mystery Tour and no details were provided other than the event date, departure time from the golf course, price ($100) and messaging about it being a fun event. “
Golf & Country Club and located on the edge of the Pembina Valley escarpment. Their host for the day was Geoff Kehler, General Manager and Head Professional.
At Minnewasta, Geoff and his team executed a modified shotgun format to ensure that all participants finished at the same time. A delicious luncheon at the golf course followed much to the delight of the golfers, while Minnewasta staff coordinated loading the golf clubs for the trip home. A few small prize presen- tations and the Southwood members were back on the bus for their return travel home.
WIN-WIN
Operationally, we charged $100 per participant and as a first time event,
30 Golf Business Canada