Hole in one contest bring another level of thrill to golf tournaments, before the tournament even begins. If you pair a great hole in one prize with some clever marketing, you will have players, audiences and sponsors flocking to your tournament. And on the day of, every time a player walks up to the tee, the anticipation will be palpable.

And when you are planning to add a hole in one contest to your tourney, you should consider hole in one insurance as well. If you want to know more about hole in one insurance, then here are top 7 things that you need to know:

1. 1.       Hole in one insurance protects you financially; when a player makes the shot, the insurer pays for the prize.
2. 2.       Hole in one insurance is very affordable, especially if you compare it to the cost of the prize.
3. 3.       The cost depends on three different factors; number of players, yardage and value of the prize.
4. 4.       The three factors can’t be changed, when the hole in one insurance has been purchased.
5. 5.       If you are planning a change in any of the aforementioned factors, then inform the insurer well before the day of the tournament.
6. 6.       The yardage has to be at least 150 yards for men and women can tee off from 15 yards closer to where the men tee off from.
7. 7.       Most companies will only offer hole in one insurance for tournaments with 72 or more players, but Advantage HIO also serves smaller tournaments.

A hole in one contest and hole in one insurance go hand in hand, because a provider like Advantage HIO has your back just in case someone beats the odds and makes the impossible shot. The odds of a golf player hitting a hole in one are 12,000 to 1 – you can read about hole in one odds in detail here. Many organizers may think that they don’t need insurance because the odds aren’t in the favor of players. But, players beat odds all the time and paying a $100,000, or more, prize out of pocket will make a serious dent in your finances.

There are many thrilling contests that can create excitement around your golf tournaments. Ranging from a valuable shootout contest to a lucrative hole in one contest, you can add any contest that can present a marketing opportunity for your golf tournament. Advantage HIO can help you find the right contest or activity, which suits your tournament and budget.

A Putting Contest

One of the more popular promotional events at golf tournaments is putting contests. They present an excellent opportunity for you to market your tournament. They can help you attract players and sponsors and make some extra profit as an added advantage.

How they Work

Usually, a small fee is charged to players who want to take part in the putting contest. If the number of golfers taking part is high, then you can hold a qualifying round, before the actual tournament, to thin the herd a bit. The finalists can then compete in the final round of the putting contest, to win a prize of considerable value.

Contest Formats

There are basically two different formats of putting contests:

Single Putt

The first is a single putt contest; in this type of putting contest, golfers try to hit a putt on the predetermined hole on the course. The distance of the shot is also decided beforehand. Each golfer gets a chance to win the contest with a single putt; if more than one golfer sinks the putt, then a tie breaking putt can determine the winner.

3-Putt Contest

A combination or 3-putt contest is the second form of putting contest that you can include in your tournament. In this type of putting contest, the golfers have to sink 3 putts, of varying distances, in a row to win the prize. A combination putting contest presents more difficulty for the players, so the prize has to be worth their while.

You can get in touch with us (800.440.5070) for any type of golf promotional services you need. We offer a special putting contest package, complete with a free putting contest sign which will be delivered without a cost to the location of your choice.

We, at Advantage HIO, care about all things with golf and not just about hole in one insurance and golf promotions. We want to provide golfers, and golf organizers alike, advice and tips about how they can improve their particular skill sets. Like in today’s post, we will deliver some excellent advice for golf players, looking to improve their drive.

The Backswing

Nerves or the case of the yips can take its toll on your back swing – don’t believe it, take a look at Charles Barkley taking a golf swing – a short and fast backswing is a bad start to an even worst drive. It is better to start practicing you backswing without the ball, at first. You need to show some flexibility and bring the golf club all the way to the top, while keeping your head still and eyes on the ball. You can try turning your lead shoulder a bit behind the ball, if you find it hard to swing the club to the top.

Turn your Whole Body

Some golfers tend to prevent their body’s natural turn when they are taking a swing; this leads them to hooking the ball. If your body slows down mid-swing, then you will face this very same end result almost every time. To avoid hooks, you should let your body turn at the same pace for the whole swing. This will allow you to achieve more momentum for the drive and the club won’t flip, allowing you to hit the golf ball further and straighter than before.

Swing Speed

If you are one of those golfers who stop their swing when the club reaches the ball and then tries to speed up the swing suddenly by exerting more force, then you probably deal with a lot of missed hits. For a more accurate and powerful swing, you need to swing your arms all the way through; even after hitting the ball. This will help you achieve maximum swing speed and you won’t mishit, or altogether miss, any more shots.

The simple advice mentioned above will help you improve your golf drive significantly. You just have to practice, practice and practice some more after that. Soon your scoring average will take a dip and you can thank us for the advice when that happens, till then happy swinging!

One very common question that we get to hear at Advantage HIO is, if we provide hole in one insurance for smaller events. And our answer is always yes! So we thought that we should address this issue on our blog, for any future clients who may be wondering about the same issue.

Less Than 72

Advantage HIO provides hole in one insurance for smaller events as well. Some courses will demand that your tournament have 72 or more players, to meet their minimum requirement. But, there are some courses that will allow you to organize a tournament with fewer players. Having 4 golfers at every hole isn’t a necessity. As long as there are players attending your tournament and the golf course is accepting of your situation, we can and will provide you with hole in one insurance.

The Prize

Obviously, you can’t have a hole in one contest of the same scale as a large tournament. But, that doesn’t mean that you can’t make it exciting. The excitement is created with the help of a desirable prize, and it doesn’t always have to be a lucrative one. You can give out some type of electronic device – TV, smartphone, tablet or any other gadget – or you can go with a package of moderately priced golf gear. A return ticket to a domestic flight and cash – $1000 to $5000 cash is always good – are also good choices for a prize in a small scale hole in one contest.

The Cost

As we have mentioned in a previous post, the cost of hole in one insurance depends on different factors. The value of the prize you are offering, the number of participants in your golf tournament and the distance between tee and the hole in your chosen course; these will be the determinants of the final cost of your hole in one insurance. The average cost of hole in one insurance for a small scale tournament could be anywhere between $100 and $200. For a more accurate price you can contact us (800.440.5070) or request a quote from our site.