John Carpineta is a PGA assistant professional at Bensalem Township (Pennsylvania) Country Club.

Door prizes are an extremely important and effective way of expanding your business and ensuring that your tournament and outing participants have a great time. I also try to have fun with them because let’s face it, no one wants an underwhelming door prize. What I usually do is hand them a Bensalem Township Country Club envelope containing my professional business card with an offer for a free lesson, any time of the year, on the back. We’ll happily teach them indoors or outdoors depending on the season and weather, and it’s good for the year (or the current and following year if it’s a fall outing), giving the participant enough time and flexibility to take us up on the offer. That increases the chances they say yes.

It’s been very successful for us. We give out 16 of these prizes each year, and 75 percent of the students re-up for paid lessons. That obviously leads to a greater chance to improve their game, and indeed that’s what we’ve seen, as multiple students have told us that their friends have seen a marked difference in their play. So taken together, a door prize that’s not only attractive but can lead to a better golfing experience is a victory for everyone in the end.

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

Editor’s note: The above comments reflect the opinion and experiences of the submitting PGA Professional and are not endorsed by PGA Magazine or the PGA of America.