Bill Sampson, a past Carolinas PGA Section Golf Professional of the Year, Bill Strausbaugh Award and Player Development Award winner, is the PGA director of golf at Old Tabby Links in Okatie, South Carolina.

Like a lot of private golf facilities around the nation, we have long offered a men’s interclub tournament. Our male members played against the men at the Chechessee Creek Club, but when the interclub was being conducted, the female membership at the year’s host facility were left without a place to play. In response to this issue, we started a ladies interclub to play on the opposite course of the men. Although the event started off relatively small, the ladies have loved it and have helped the event grow significantly. In addition to the matches out on the course, the women have their own dinner party at the opposite club of the men. The women have really helped put a spin on the dinner as multiple prizes are given out in addition to a trivia contest about our island.

Conducting a separate interclub for our female members has proven to be a very good decision. Firstly, the matches have become very popular with our ladies. The event started with 12 participants, but has now grown to 40 ladies for golf and 45 for dinner! It’s also created some goodwill with our female members as we have given them a meaningful event to play in while before they wouldn’t have had anywhere to play. Additionally, the tournament has helped grow our revenues in the golf shop as well as in food & beverage. We charge $40 for golf, which includes a box lunch, prizes and golf and an additional $40 for the dinner, with wine offered at an additional cost.

If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email BSampson@springisland.com