Whether a tightly organized tournament or a casual golf outing, golf naturally builds camaraderie and networking opportunities.

With some 36.7 million Americans taking a swing at this increasingly popular sport, golf is becoming a widespread form of recreation to add to meetings. According to the National Golf Foundation, since 1986, the number of golfers has increased 34 percent, and the number of golf courses has grown by 28 percent. In 2004, there were almost 12,000 facilities open to the public, with the states of Florida, California, Texas, Michigan and New York containing the most golf facilities.

To office professionals wearing the hat of meeting planners, this means putting golf on the meeting agenda is a good business strategy. However, just as you strategize your meeting and agenda, you should incorporate the same planning into your golf event.

Preplanning & Logistics

Savvy planners will take the time to have a clear objective of their golf outing, just as they do for a meeting. Consider two levels of events:

One is a recreational round of golf, arranged at a nearby or on-site golf course. The planner sends attendees onto the course in the midst of a meeting without requiring a lot of attention to the format, pairings, or site selection. The company has no other agenda in the game other than providing a recreational activity. An awards ceremony may or may not be important, or can be simply added to the evening's event. Organizing this event is straightforward even for the non-golfer planner who can rely on the course's in-house tournament coordinator.

The second level is the high-end golf tournament. There are many layers to this program, requiring strategic golf site selection, pairings and matching golf to meeting goals. Thought goes into strategic pairings; team scores are kept and prizes are awarded; and a format like scramble or best ball is established. Often a charity and/or celebrity element is added.

In this stage, ask yourself these questions: Is this a stand-alone golf event, or is it combined with a meeting? Are there networking opportunities? Does this golf event include employees of the organization only, or will potential customers be participating? Is there potential business or contracts on the table? Or is this an optional unstructured activity? Based on these answers, the planner should have a clear objective of the golfing event.

Budget

Pay attention to the smallest of details. Is this a corporate-covered event? Will a charity benefit? Or will there be sponsorships? If sponsorships, how can you make the event more exciting? Will you be adding celebrities, or a unique golf course component, such as course on the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) Tour? All these questions will help you determine (or keep) your budget.

Site Selection

If you are trying to attract attendance, golfers will naturally be drawn to: 1) high-end resort course; 2) one that is frequented by the PGA, or 3) one that golf magazines rate highly.

If your group doesn't include many avid golfers, or your golf program is more recreational, site selection is still important, but you can hold your event at most any public course.

Make sure you think about transportation and timing. A golf course located right on the property within walking or golf cart distance eliminates the transportation headaches. Often when the schedule has small windows of time, you don't waste that valuable time getting your golfers to the course.

Strategic Pairings & Format

When arranging a golf program, it helps if you are a golfer or at least familiar with game. If you aren't, navigating the nuances of the games from strategic pairings to selecting a tournament format can be like driving on the wrong side of the road. If you aren't sure whether par is a good thing, enlist the help of a co-worker that plays golf or the on-site tournament coordinator.

In fact, even if you are a scratch golfer, your best partner for a successful golf tournament is the golf course's coordinator. They know the course better than you, and their job is to plan the best golf tournament possible. They want to create a successful golf tournament and that, in turn, makes you look good.

To Give or Not to Give

To add an even more important element, consider creating a golf tournament that benefits a favorite charity or local community. Corporate social responsibility progressively becomes more important every year -- so much so that Corporate America often combines its love of golf with a favorite charity.

Designing a successful golf tournament contains the same ingredients for planning any event. The planner must be organized and detail oriented. Planning a golf tournament is really all about paying attention to the details.