From group chat to first tee

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I’ve built my golf community through organic content, relationships, and events, without relying on paid advertising. Today, the newsletter has over 3,000 active subscribers, with a 62% open rate over the past four weeks. Those are just audience metrics.

The Game is where that audience can become a group of people who know one another. Think 16 players, 9 holes, two-person best ball, skins, and a reason to stay after the round.

If you run a golf group chat, newsletter, local club, or growing brand community, here’s the 10-step process I use and recommend.

Want to build your own? The free Community Builder Guide 2.0 includes an invitation template, break-even worksheet, and 30-day launch plan so you can move from good intentions to an actual gathering.

“We should play sometime” is not an event.

Define who you’re bringing together, and what the event needs to do. The Cactus Game helps Arizona golfers meet other local players without committing an entire day. That’s the promise. The course, competition, and gifts exist to serve it, not the other way around.

Players can register solo or bring a friend. I use a two-person best-ball format because it pairs people up and gives introductions a place to go.

Before you choose the rules, ask what a first-time guest will experience during the first 10 minutes. If that person has to guess where to stand or who to talk to, the experience needs tweaking.

The Cactus Game is 9 holes with capacity for 16 players. A small field is an operational advantage: you can learn names, fix problems, and hear feedback yourself.

Start with a course, date, tee-time plan, capacity, and clear agreement on pricing and payments. Confirm check-in, cancellation terms, and what happens if the field changes before the event starts.

Add up the course fee, prizes, gifts, payment fees, and any staffing or content support you’re paying for. Then separate fixed costs from per-player costs.

Calculate how many paid entries cover those costs, and run the calculation with a few empty spots. Don’t treat a donated product as money in the bank. The free guide’s break-even worksheet helps you decide before taking on the risk.

For Game 8, players received a glove and a local beer, courtesy of Chestnut Sports Club. The experience gave those contributions a natural place.

Sponsor conversations taught me something important: brands need to know what they receive, not just what you’re asking them to give. When I approached Precision Pro about a closest-to-the-pin partnership, the creative director asked whether we’d capture photos and Reels the brand could use. We discussed a product-for-content exchange with specific photos, videos, review content, and repost permission. It was a proposal, not evidence of completed deliverables.

Everything a golfer needs to decide should live in one place: where, when, price, format, what is included, and whether they can arrive solo.

The goal is fewer conversations about basic logistics and more conversations that make someone excited to join. Test the registration journey on your phone before sending anyone a link.

On October 15, I emailed someone who’d played one of our previous games. I reminded him how we knew each other, explained the opening at Encanto, and included the registration link. He registered about 40 minutes later.

One invitation. One registration. Not a viral launch or a paid campaign.

That’s the most useful kind of organic growth story for a new organizer: start with people who’ve already shown interest, send a relevant invitation, and track a confirmed registration.

Each piece of content should answer a reason someone may hesitate. Can I come alone? How competitive will it be? What do I get for the entry fee? Will I know anyone?

Use event photos, a quick video, newsletter mentions, and personal follow-up. Give committed partners something accurate to share with their own communities. Every promotion should point to the same registration page.

Someone needs to greet solo arrivals, introduce groups, explain the game, confirm sponsor commitments, and bring people together afterward. If the organizer wants to compete, assign someone else to host. It cannot be an afterthought.

Thank the players, course, and partners. Send photos and results. Ask what made the experience worth attending and what nearly got in the way. Report the actual turnout and agreed deliverables to partners.

Then watch the more revealing signals: who comes back, who brings a friend, who responds to personal invitations, and whether a partner asks to do it again. Those are better inputs for the next event than a flattering recap post.

You don’t need a huge list, a title sponsor, or an elaborate event brand to begin. You need people with a shared reason to meet and an experience you can deliver.

I turned those lessons into Community Builder Guide 2.0, a free 10-page guide with an invitation template, an experiment card, a break-even worksheet, and a 30-day launch plan.

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