Russ Libby, the 2015 PGA Horton Smith Award winner, recipient of multiple North Florida PGA Awards and Section Hall of Fame member, is the owner and PGA General Manager at Hidden Hills Country Club in Jacksonville, Florida.
At Hidden Hills Country Club, we host an exciting couples invitational every March called the Wearin’ O’ the Green. Now in its 14th year, it is the most highly regarded couples event in Jacksonville and attracts competitors from more than 20 area clubs. Having a unique theme and involving couples has been an important part of the success of this tournament. The 36-hole event is played on Friday and Saturday afternoons with two different best ball formats. Guests are welcome to play with members, with prizes awarded for first and second place in each flight. Participants are encouraged to wear as much green as possible, and the Irish theme is evident in the decorations, tee gifts, and the general atmosphere of the tournament, including the lunch and dinner menus on both days. We go hole-to-hole on the course to offer players green beverages during their rounds, and it’s always a hit. Some couples have played every year and become wonderful ambassadors for the event and our club. We try to include several couples events in our golf calendar each year, including a popular Glow Ball night event that couples really enjoy. We have plans for a couples Get Golf Ready to encourage couples to learn the game together and have a new outlet for fun.
14 years ago we had a vision to create and run the top couples event in Jacksonville and The Wearin’ O’ Green Couples Invitational has been a huge success for our club. We cap the event at 100 players and continue to sell out every single year. The tournament generates significant revenue for the club but even more importantly it creates a greater awareness of the Hidden Hills “experience”. New membership sales have resulted directly and indirectly from this event. So if you want to create new revenue streams, targeting mixed groups and women’s groups will allow your club to rise above the others!
If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email Libbypga@aol.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.