Trophies2Go Blog

Golf tournaments are fun, competitive events where awards are given to the tournament winners. Usually the first, second and third place finishers or teams receive trophies, but sometimes special awards are given as well. No matter what size budget you have, you can find a perfect award for your tournament winners. The most important thing is to recognize a well-played round, with the hardware to prove it!

What Kinds of Awards are Appropriate for Golf?

The first step is to define what skills and categories you'd like to award at your tournament.

Jeff with his mentor, Gary Ausman, winners at the Evan's Scholarship Golf Tournament.

Tournament Winners:  Almost every tournament awards a winner or winning foursome. Popular awards include Cameo cups and crystal golf awards for larger budgets; resin golf awards for smaller budgets. Gift cards to the pro shop make great prizes too.

Joke Awards: We see many joke golf trophies come through our production facility.  The most popular by far is the the Golden Throne Golf Toilet, generating lots of laughs at your banquet.

Participation Prizes:  These include personalized golf balls, bag tags, golf towels, divot replacers and other small personalized tools to remember the event.

Golf Award Categories:  Many golf tournaments recognize different golfing skills. Below is a list of common categories given as awards, including:

- XXX Place Individual - Low Gross

- XXX Place Individual - Low Net

- XXX Place Team – Low Gross

- XXX Place Team - Low Net

- Winning Team

- Team Champions

- Individual Champion

- Closest to the Pin

- Longest Drive

- Most Time in the Sand Trap

- Most Lost Balls

- Highest Score

- Worst Team

- Last Place Team

- Should be XXX (fishing, sailing, etc.)

It's up to the organizer to decide which of these they'd like to include at their event.

Presenting Golf Trophies at the Banquet

Our most popular golf award, the Cameo Golf Cup receives 4.8 stars out of 5 from customer reviews.

Most tournaments host a dinner or social gathering shortly after the tournament ends.  This is the perfect opportunity to have the attention of the participants for the awards presentation.

Below are some tips of presenting your awards at the banquet.

1. Timing: The awards presentation should occur as soon as possible after the totals have been tallied and shortly after most people have eaten. This is important because people will leave if they have other commitments or are not eligible for an award.

2. Pass out the awards in reverse order. Start with the third place winner (Net Score first, followed by Gross Score), and proceed to the second place winners (Net Score first, followed by Gross Score).

3. Next recognize special awards, such as the ‘Closest to the Pin’ and the ‘Longest Drive’ winners.

4. Last place:  Add laughter by awarding the worst place team with a joke trophy.  The suspense of who won should be high at this point!

5. Finally, award the tournament winners (Net Champion, followed by Gross Champion).

6. For raffle or door prizes, stagger them throughout the awards presentation. Give a couple of larger prizes after the winners have been announced; participants often view the last raffle prize as their cue to leave.

I hope that these general guidelines help you create outstanding awards for your next golf tournament. No matter how many times they’ve won, all golfers appreciate recognition for a well-played round!

Cheers!
Jessica

Editor's Note: This post was originally published on April 29th, 2014.  It has been updated for content.

Celebrate Service!

Do you have special volunteers that you'd like to thank? Now is the time to prepare, as National Volunteer Week is April 23-29, 2017. Without volunteerism, many organizations wouldn't be able to survive. Citizen volunteers are one of the work forces that make a huge positive impact in our communities, but a crucial part of keeping  volunteers engaged is to make sure they feel appreciated.

How do YOU keep your volunteers happy and motivated? Here are 7 ideas to make sure your volunteers feel appreciated and acknowledged for their service.

7 Creative Ideas for Recognizing Volunteers

1. Share the results of their efforts. This sounds basic, but it's crucial.  Volunteers want to know that their effort makes a difference.  Open communication about the positive impact of their work motivates continued service.

2.  Throw your volunteers an exclusive party. Use all that payroll you're saving to host a volunteer-only bash. Include food, drinks, and entertainment. Make sure the head of the organization is there to socialize and personally thank each volunteer. DON't make it a pot-luck, as that cheapens the entire event.

3.  Host an educational speaking event or workshop. Many volunteers would prefer a chance to learn something new over getting another trinket to put in their home. Invite a chef, professor, newscaster or some other popular knowledge leader to speak at your event. I guarantee attendance will be high and your volunteers will love it!

4.  Give a gift.  If going this route, make the gift related to the volunteer work they do. For example, for a Master Gardener volunteer, give a seed packet, gardening gloves, or a bouquet of flowers. For a festival volunteer, give free concert tickets, credit towards food vendors, or some unique art from the festival. For a school volunteer, have each student draw a picture and write a thank you for the person, and then bind it into a book.

5.  Make recognition public. If you have an office, be sure to display the names of your volunteers in a prominent place. Or publish them in your newsletter, on your website, or in the paper. Volunteers want to be seen as an important part of the organization, so be sure to tell them so!

6. Choose a Volunteer of the Year. Create a little competition among your volunteers to be the best! The winner should get a prize, such as a gift certificate, along with an award, such as an engraved plaque or crystal award. They definitely deserve hardware for this accomplishment!

7:   Nominate one of your superstar volunteers for a national award. Their service should be celebrated! Check out Points of Light for available awards, along with the nomination process.

Give some thought about what feels right for your organization. Just like any employee appreciation program, volunteers should be celebrated for a job well done!

Cheers,
Jessica

Editor's Note: This post was originally published on April 9th, 2013.  It has been updated for content.

Next Friday March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day, the luckiest day of the year!  Get your green on and celebrate this Irish holiday with friends, family or co-workers.  With spring just around the corner, St. Patrick's Day is the perfect excuse to throw a party celebrating the changing season!

Everyone's Irish on March 17th!

St. Patrick's Day Party Ideas

Below are some ideas to make your party extra-festive!

Decorations:  Go Green for your St. Patrick's Day décor! Shamrock and leprechauns make the obvious choice, or create a spring themed decor with flowers such as Irish Bells, Calla Lilies, or clover.  Spring Topiaries of green and white make beautiful centerpieces, or create an Irish Fairy garden complete with a rainbow and pot of gold!

Celtic Music:  Create a playlist of favorite Irish songs. While I was in college, my favorite hang out was an Irish pub called Kell’s.  Live music staples included sing-along drinking songs, such as The Rattlin’ Bog and Molly Malone (Cockles & Mussels) . Check out these renditions to get in a Celtic mood!  Or try Pandora's "St. Patrick's Day Radio" for more Gaelic tunes!

Irish-Inspired Eats:  Create an Irish menu.  Hardy fare includes Corn Beef and Cabbage, Sheppards Pie, Irish Stew and Soda Bread. Find great recipes to try at Allrecipes.com.

Guinness Cupcakes!!!

For dessert, shamrock shaped sugar cookies, Lucky Charms treats, or Green leprechaun cake pops will be hits at your party!

Drinks:  Green beer and Guinness are always St. Patrick's Day favorites.  Or create boozy shamrock shakes, pot of gold shots, or Irish coffee drinks.  Check out Celebration's recipes for great spiked St. Pat's Day drinks!

Or drink the "water of life"....WHISKEY!  For the best Irish Whiskeys for your buck, check out this article by Men's Health.  You can even serve it in your own monogrammed glasses.

Games:  Make sure to include activities for your guests, such as games! Some ideas include:

-Host a "wear green to work" contest at the office.

-To start the green beer flowing, host a rousing game of Beer Pong!

- Get Lucky with Irish-themed Bingo!  Find bingo game cards here.

The perfect trophy for any St. Pat's Day contest!

Awards:  Add hype to the competition with a personalized St. Patrick's Day Trophy!

-At the end of the rainbow, guarded by a greedy Leprechaun, is always a Pot of Gold!!  We offer two trophies, the Pot of Gold Resin Award and the Perpetual Pot of Gold Resin Trophy.

-The luckiest award we offer is the Four Leaf Clover Resin Award.

-Create your own design on one of our versatile green plaques!  We offer two styles Green Woodgrain and Emerald Sublimated.

Check out all of our St. Patrick's Day Awards here.  We also have many more pins and ideas on our St. Patrick's Day Pinterest Page!

St. Patrick's Day is one of my favorite holidays because I have ancestors from Ireland; I will be sure to don my green to celebrate!  And remember, everyone's Irish on March 17th!

Cheers! Jessica

Congrats to one of Trophies2Go's kiddos, Joseph Hanson, for winning one of the three 2016 Presidential Scholarships from the Awards and Recognition Industry Educational Foundation (ARIEF).  Joe, our Production Manager Tom Hanson's son, was awarded the 'Awards Associates Scholarship' at our trade show in Las Vegas earlier this month.

One of Joe's teachers at Silver City High describes him as an outstanding person, student, and athlete; active in school, extracurricular activities and his community.  With a 3.6+ GPA, he is a member of the National Honor Society, was Kiwanis Student of the Month, and received the "ScholarBaller" Award for being a student athlete with a 3.5 or higher GPA.  He is varsity football team captain, leading his team to 3 consecutive playoff state championship appearances and participates on the track team in the off season.  He has a positive attitude and is responsible and caring.  He is well deserving of recognition!

Other Trophies2Go scholarship recipients include Chelsea Peart, Zach Hall, and Ryan Peart.

Thank you to the Awards and Personalization Association and in particular the ARIEF scholarship committee for their generous support of Trophies2Go students and students across the country.  We appreciate the giving nature of our industry, it's the best!  And Congrats again to Joe!

Cheers! Jessica

Celebrate Oscar Sunday!

Check out our Pinterest page for even more ideas!

Are you a fan of the big screen, watching every nominated film?  If so, you won't want to miss the 89^th Annual Academy Awards , also knows as the Oscars!  This star-studded event takes place in Los Angeles on Sunday February 26 at 7pm Eastern, 4pm Pacific Time.

Why should movie stars have all the fun?  Consider hosting an Oscars Party with your family and friends and make it a celebration with the stars in your life!

Party Ideas

1.  Invitations:  If you have the time, make your own invitations with a red carpet or old Hollywood theme.  If you want to purchase premade invitations, many party stores offer options, as well as Etsy.  If you want to email your invites, evite has some cute and easy choices as well - click here to view.

2.  Attire:  Since the Oscars are THE fashion event of the year, host your own catwalk by having your guests dress in finery.  OR have everyone be a critic with the worst fashion faux-pas!  Have your guests vote on their favorites!

3.  Décor:  At the door, roll out the Red Carpet for your guests; they will feel like stars when they enter your party!  Consider having a camera on hand to snap pictures for your own paparazzi, or a Dolby Theater photo booth with lots of props, such as boas and top hats, for social sharing.

Red roses with gold vases along with small candles are the perfect decorations for an Oscar Party.

For other decorating ideas, consider red flowers in gold vases, gold accent pieces such as runners, trays and napkins, and ample candlelight.  Small golden-tone votives set the feel of old Hollywood charm in a festive atmosphere. Old filmstrip reels make great props too.

4.  Drinks:  Get inspired by the silver screen and feature delicious cocktails from famous movies.  The most notable are Vodka Martinis from James Bond movies, White Russians from The Big Lebowski, and Cosmopolitans from Sex and the City.

Depending on the drink you choose, dress it up with ultra cool glasses.  Barware with sparkling gold accents look festive for a glam night.  Crate and Barrel have some great options - the Gala Double Old-Fashioned and the Mingle Bar Glass.  So pretty!

5.  Games:  Consider hosting a pool, where guests pick the winners and contribute a small amount of money, which is then awarded to the winner.  Or create "Oscar Bingo" with fun things to look for throughout the show.

One of our most popular trophies, perfect for an Oscar Party!

6.  Trophies:  Did you know that the famous Oscar Statuette is made in Chicago by one of our suppliers, RS Owens?  Even though this iconic trophy is trademarked and cannot be duplicated, we offer many similar looking Achievement Trophies  for our customers, the most popular of which is the Large Male Achievement Trophy.

As seen in People Magazine, our Small Male Achievement Trophy makes an affordable accessory for your Oscar party and will impress all of your friends.  Host a contest and give it to your winner or use as a decoration to make your party even more festive!  Or put two back to back on your table for the perfect centerpiece.

For even more ideas, check out our pinterest page Oscar Party Ideas. In closing, I'd like to thank the Academy for giving me an excuse to throw a party!

Editor's Note: This post was originally published on February 10th, 2015.  It has been updated for content.

Cheers,
Jessica