OGDEN – On Monday, Aug. 15, the Ogden Weber Chamber of Commerce, sponsored by Intermountain McKay-Dee Hospital, will hold its 23rd annual golf tournament. As the Chamber’s only fundraiser, for the past 23 years the Chamber has relied on the annual tournament to support the additional costs associated with keeping active in the community and helping to grow the economy and businesses in Ogden and Weber County.
Besides its growth in the community and support from local businesses, the actual tournament has grown as well, becoming the largest tournament in Weber County.
The Chamber Golf Classic, however, is not just for the benefit of the Chamber alone.
“I was told one year that this is one of the Chamber’s best kept secrets,” says CEO/President of the Ogden Weber Chamber, Dave Hardman. “The person who had taken me aside had told me that in one afternoon he was able to make lasting contacts with people he had worked for years to get in contact with."
With the Golf Classic offering two tournaments in one day, the combined event will accommodate 240 golfers, 36 hole sponsors, 12 major sponsors and about 20 volunteers.
“There are plenty of opportunities to network and make friends,” Hardman says. In addition to the major sponsor, the tournament also has a major sponsor for each tournament, Lindquist Mortuaries/ Cemeteries as the AM Sponsor, and America First Credit Union as the PM Sponsor; these two organizations, like the major sponsor, have sponsored the event for the past few years.
Golfers have found an incredible benefit to the Chamber’s Golf Classic not just in networking opportunities, but also in conducting business in an easy and relaxing atmosphere.
Many of the golfers will invite clients and other top business leaders to golf with, so they can build a strong relationship of trust. Grantland Rice, a sportswriter in the early 1900s and an avid golfer, said, “Eighteen holes of match or medal play will teach you more about your (customer) than will 18 years of dealing with him across a desk.” But the growth of the tournament has gone to include other widely beneficial opportunities to the members of the community.
Hole sponsorship is one of the other opportunities given to the business community. Not only do the sponsors have a sign with their business logo placed on the tee or green of their choice, but they also have the opportunity to set up a booth and talk with the golfers as they play through, making this an excellent way to network, promote, impress and imprint their business image all while showing their support for the community.
Hole-in-one sponsorships have also been a large success at the Chamber’s Golf Classic. For over 10 years the Golf Classic has included what they call ‘hole-in-one’ sponsorships, which is the opportunity for a business to offer a large prize, such as an automobile, boat or a large cash prize, to the golfer who has a hole in one on a par 3 hole.
For companies who want to help out with the tournament but don’t have the funds or time necessary to golf or sponsor a hole, the Chamber has also set up a number of raffle prizes.
“Last year the Chamber had 25 raffle baskets with merchandise from various companies and businesses in our area,” says Rachel Keoppel, the special events coordinator for the Chamber. “The value varied between baskets, but the overall donation value of the merchandise was worth over $10,000.”
The raffle is open to all attendees, including not only the golfers but the hole sponsors and the volunteers, as well.
“We invite you and your organization to take part in this amazing event,” says Hardman. “There is no doubt that businesses who participate in this event end up taking more from it than we do, which is exciting for the Chamber to be able to offer something as valuable as this.”
If you are interested in participating in the Chamber Golf Classic, contact the Chamber Golf Representative, David Caulford, by calling 801-621-8300 (ext. 107) or email David@OgdenWeberChamber. com. More information can also be found on the Chamber website by clicking on the Chamber Golf Classic golf ball.
Dave Hardman is the president of the Ogden/Weber Chamber of Commerce.
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