I
n his 28 years as a PGA of America Professional, Kevin Baker has learned a thing or two about making an event stand out.
He started at top municipal clubs in North Dakota and then moved to Florida in 1998 to take positions at PGA National Golf Resort, Ocean Hammock Resort and Reunion Resort & Golf Club before becoming PGA of America General Manager at Bella Collina Golf Club in Montverde in 2021. Through the years, he has come to the conclusion that the more you can personalize a tournament or outing, the more successful it will be.
“Personalization adds an element of luxury. The attention to detail is the key,” says Baker, who was named the North Florida PGA Section Merchandiser of the Year for resorts while at Reunion in 2013. “Guests like seeing their name. From the scoreboard and scorecard to range signs and locker plates, it really shows the dedication of the staff to take it to the next level.”
Under the guidance of PGA of America Director of Golf Jim Kroll, the Bella Collina team went the extra mile to personalize the experience at the 2023 Member Guest Invitational, which was held in October and involved 120 participants. They decided to go with a three-gift package: a Links & Kings handcrafted leather travel duffle (retail value of $400) customized with the club logo; casual TRUE linkswear active lifestyle shoes that could be personalized with the club logo, a company logo, the player’s initials or a cartoon character, among other themes; and an engraved Evolve Golf commemorative forged ball marker.
In addition, tournament participants found golf balls on their golf cars the second and third days of the tournament – they were not logoed, but Baker is looking into personalizing them in the future – and each received a program with their name printed on the front cover. In another example of catering to the individual, on the first morning of the event, the Bella Collina staff discovered one of the members was gluten-free and couldn’t eat the breakfast provided. They passed this along to food & beverage, which made sure there was a gluten-free breakfast sandwich waiting on his golf car the next morning.
“Sometimes, the littlest things in life mean the most to people,” Baker says. “And the bottom line is, happy people spend more.”
All things considered, the gifts and other personalized touches earned a “10 out of 10” from members, according to Baker. The duffle, which he calls the “signature gift,” is not something a lot of people would buy for themselves, which added to the appeal.
“We always look for an item that tells a story: ‘Wow, that’s a real nice bag. I don’t want to pay the $400 price tag, but if I got it as a gift, that be awesome.’”
The TRUE linkswear shoes were an “added gift” for the 2023 event, as Baker explains, “We raised the price and wanted to make sure the value was higher.” Regarding the forged ball marker, he says tournament participants always receive a small, fun gift that’s personalized. Though the club has an engraving machine, the customization was done ahead of time to make the process easier.
Again, Baker stresses the importance of personalization, saying, “When guests see their name, the feeling they get isn’t something you can put a value on. In the end, they really don’t care what the fees are as long as you take care of things like quality of the course, food quality, venue and the individualization. The personalization may be small in the big picture, but it really pushes the event to the next level.”