Paul Poandl, a member of the New Jersey PGA Section Board of Directors, is the PGA head professional at the Bedens Brook Club in Skillman, New Jersey.

Here at the Bedens Brook Club we utilize several non-traditional formats and tees to promote fun, fast tournament rounds which have increased member participation and interest. Our annual Independence Day tournament features Stableford scoring and a mixed combination of red, white and blue tee markers yielding positions on the course members rarely see. In addition, on Wednesdays and Saturdays we run TEE IT FORWARD Stableford pickup games where members play one tee up and seniors may play two tees up. At the conclusion of every event I personally send out results, as members earnestly enjoy receiving personal emails from their PGA head professional and seeing their names in print.

The campaign to TEE IT FORWARD and play fun tournament formats has generated greater member participation. For inquiring members, we invite them to meet our membership and play on Wednesdays and Saturdays during the TEE IT FORWARD Stableford pickup games. This format alone has increased our tournament participation by 50 percent, and has directly trickled down to our golf shop sales, food & beverage revenue, and additional guest rounds.

If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email ppoandl@bedensbrookclub.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.