Successful Meetings - April 2009 - (Page 62)

Golf Meetings Back to School Golf academies offer intensive instruction in an environment conducive to both lighthearted play and weighty business discussions By Kinley Levack kinley.levack@nielsen.com golfer is a golfer, regardless of what the economy may do. So for all the talk of belt-tightening and budget-cutting, for some groups golf continues to be an important part of a meeting’s agenda. And for those groups, planners may want to consider incorporating an academy program preor post-meeting, which goes well beyond the typical “round with a pro” or “build a putter” activity and offers a memorable experience, time for genuine relationship-building, as well as serious golf instruction. It’s also a great way to pull decision-makers out of the depressed, frustrated mindset they might be in now and introduce something novel—fun. “It gets them away from being caught up in the meetings. The discussions going on now aren’t fun, but golf is fun,” says Kyle Guthrie, Tour Academy operator at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. “This gives them a chance to be around their peers and laugh at each other; people take things so seriously, but this is fun.” A 62 I SM I April 2009 I SuccessfulMeetings.com Photos, from left: Instructors show golfers the ropes at the Tour Academy at TPC Sawgrass, the Hilton Golf Academy, and PGA National Resort & Spa http://www.SuccessfulMeetings.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Successful Meetings - April 2009

Successful Meetings - April 2009
Contents
Editor's Letter
News Update
The Industry Fights Back
Gaming Meetings
The Coolers
Vegas Big, Vegas Small
Golf Meetings
Places + Spaces
Colorado
Central Florida
Missouri
Puerto Rico
U.K.
Cape Town

Successful Meetings - April 2009