Randy Mudge, the 2003 San Joaquin Valley Chapter Merchandiser of the Year in the Northern California PGA Section, is the PGA general manager at Mojave Resort Golf Club in Laughlin, Nev.
I started contacting members and packaging deals for business meetings at our club. We have members who work in all different types of industries, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to showcase our facility to a full group of guests. We host luncheons and meetings for the businesses, which were followed by a 9-hole scramble outing at the club. We have the ability to set up breakfasts, basic meetings, team-building exercises, seminars and clinics. It has become a good way for people to get to see our club; they get out of the office for the day, and they get to play at our course. We include a fee for hosting the event and we generally run these events during our slower periods during the week in the middle of the day. We are always trying to promote our facility and this is a very efficient way to do it, as we receive plenty of attention from all in attendance. Overall, this adds great value to the membership and allows us to reach new clients that may develop interest in being part of the club.

Last year, we held eight different business events and we are looking to grow that number this year. We generally charge approximately $60 per person for the day. We have different company sizes that set up an event, but it’s a good moneymaker for us nonetheless. Not only do we showcase our membership, but we also let them know that we offer catering, weddings and other events, which helps out with the other departments of the facility. Hosting a business event is a form of advertising for us. Working at a private facility, you need to be active with searching for prospective members, because many clubs are struggling to keep their membership numbers up. We are hoping for the same results this year.