In 2007 & 2008, Lake San Marcos Resort & Country Club played host for the NAIA Women’s Golf National Championships. This was a 72-hole, four day, tournament with a maximum field size of 120 golfers which included team champions, regional medalists, returning All-Tournament team players and at-large team berths.The Sports Commission acted as the Local Organizing Committee for the event.
The NAIA has 50,000 student-athletes participating at nearly 300 member colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada. Divided into 25 conferences and the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.), the NAIA offers 23 championships in 13 sports.
Venue Selection
With over 90 golf courses in San Diego, we wanted a venue that offered a tournament level atmosphere at a competitive rate. Based on the requirements set in front of us by the NAIA, Lake San Marcos Resort and Country Club was our choice and they exceeded our expectations due to the staff’s care and professionalism along with a level of excitement on hosting the Championships at their golf course.
Course was kept in great condition during the four days with the golf staff working a variety of event roles such as scorekeeping and announcing.
One of the other keys for choosing Lake San Marcos was the fact they provided all hotel accommodations for the athletes, coaches and guests.
Sponsorship
San Diego county is the home of Callaway Golf and we were proud to secure their sponsorship for the Golf Championships for 2007 & 2008. Callaway provided prizes which included golf clubs, balls and apparel for both individual golfers and participating NAIA colleges . We also partnered with local food franchises to provide lunches everyday during competition.
Marketing/Public Relations
Both the San Diego Union-Tribune and the North County Times covered the Championships during competition week which helped draw spectators to the San Marcos course:
- SDUT: Local resort course hosts NAIA women’s golf championship
- SDUT: Local Colleges
- NCTimes: On West Coast for first time, NAIA women’s championship tees off today at Lake San Marcos
Media coverage, as you know, is essential to reaching out to the local community and encouraging participation. The relationships we have with not just print, but radio and television media can turn a good event into a great one.