10 Steps to the Perfect Helicopter Ball Drop

Posted on October 20th, 2014 | Author: | Category: Tournament Tips

Sarah Smith | Tournament Sales Manager, Coyote Hills Golf Course

Have you ever wanted to add a bit more excitement to your charity golf tournament? Have you considered adding a Helicopter Ball Drop to the day's activities? Helicopter drops can be a great, low-cost way to add excitement and value to your tournament, while being very profitable for your organization. But you also want to make sure that the Ball Drop goes according to plan. So how do you execute the perfect Helicopter Ball Drop? Follow these 10 simple steps at your next charity golf tournament!

1. Book the helicopter with a reliable company. The company should be able to be at the golf course within two minutes of the quoted time. Ask your tournament specialist for recommendations on preferred companies – most likely he/she will have at least one recommendation.

2. Build a section on your flyer solely focused on the ball drop. Add this to a part of the sign-up form so players can send in a request when they register to participate. If you are planning on doing the drop on-site, give people an option to buy golf balls at the tournament. More options only make it easier for players to buy your products.

3. Let people know how much they could win. If you are doing a flat rate, make sure it is an amount that gets people's attention. If you are going to do a 50/50 split, let them know what your goal is, or give an educated guess on what they could win.

4. Create a spreadsheet to record all the golf balls you sell. This spreadsheet should include each buyer's: Name; Phone Number; Email; Amount Paid; Number of Balls Sold; Golf Ball Numbers (to be filled in on the day of the event).

5. Start selling golf balls well in advance of the day of your event. Let people know that they do not have to be present to win, and purchasing golf balls is a great way to donate to a worthy cause. Plus, they have the added chance of winning a lot of money. This is also a way to get non-golfers involved with your event.

6. Make sure to gather all the information you need from each purchaser. This information is valuable for future tournament participant lists, to contact for sponsorships, or for golf ball purchases in future years.

7. The day of the tournament, continue selling golf balls throughout registration and up until the actual Helicopter Ball Drop. Have a volunteer talk to golfers on the course. As the pot increases, some golfers might spend a little more.

8. Place a volunteer with the basket of unsold golf balls, and the volunteer will assign each purchaser a golf ball number. Do not let players pick their numbers if the host property uses pre-numbered balls. Digging through buckets to find the right number is a nightmare. It is much easier to just assign numbers as balls are purchased.

9. Amp up the fun! Make an announcement when the golfers exist the course and remind them of the pot size, and remind each player of his/her "last chance" to purchase tickets and participate in the drop.

10. Watch the helicopter. Let everyone know the helicopter is coming and make sure you have a volunteer take photographs and/or video the drop. This will be great marketing for next year!

Follow these 10 steps for a perfect Helicopter Ball Drop at your next event. I highly recommend adding this as an activity to your next tournament!

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