The business of doing business on a golf course is alive and well.
One of the last vestiges of the “old school business strategy,” golf remains one of the most enduring, and some might say endearing, holdovers from yesteryear, when it was commonplace for captains of industry and chief executive officers to solidify business relationships on the course.
And while there’s still plenty of golf being played on the company dime, the modern charity tournament has become the ultimate hybrid — an opportunity to build business relationships while raising money for charity.
The dynamic was on full display Monday at Vespra Hills Golf Club, near Snow Valley, where Springwater Township was hosting its annual Springwater Swing charity golf tournament.
Andrew Webster, senior vice-president of the Rose Corporation, a major developer in the Midhurst area, said participating in the charity tournament has become a calendar fixture.
“This will be at least the 10th year that the partnership that has been involved in the project has participated in the tournament,” Webster said shortly after registering for the tournament. “We feel it’s important to have relationships with the municipalities with which we work.”
Webster’s sentiments were echoed by a majority of business and municipal leaders who participated.
Springwater Mayor Jennifer Coughlin said the day affords everyone the chance to meet folks they may deal with, but have never met.
“It’s an opportunity for our local businesses and stakeholders to come together and network to get a face-to-face of who everyone is,” she said.
Lynn Dollin, who's the mayor of Innisfil, said Monday’s outing was important because it included networking opportunities and showed support for a fellow Simcoe County municipality.
It also gave her the chance to pick the brains of her playing partners — Simcoe County Warden Basil Clarke, Jane Sinclair, who's the general manager of health and emergency services for the county, and Mina Fayez-Bahgat, general manager of social and community services for Simcoe County.
“To get four hours with general manager Sinclair is a gift,” Dollin said as she finished her lunch. “I’ll learn more in four hours than I would sitting at multiple council meetings. The same with Mina; it’s great to get to talk with them and dive into the weeds on a few subjects.”
Open to a maximum of 144 players, the event was six registrations short of a sellout.
And while the final total won’t be known until next week, money raised through the annual tournament will support physician recruitment, local programs and the township’s community assistance and international grant programs.
Past proceeds have supported local food banks, hospice care, student exchanges, bursary programs and public-access defibrillator units.
Tournament co-ordinator Shelley Westlake-Brown, executive assistant to Springwater’s mayor, council and chief administrative officer, said the tournament saw a “fantastic turnout” and she’s already looking forward to next year’s tournament, which will be held at Orr Lake Golf Club.
“This is a great group of people,” Westlake-Brown said. “They’re involved in the community and they care. We’re thrilled.”
