For those that participate or organize these Buddy Golf Trips what are some Do's and Don'ts that you should consider?
Lodging: Consider a Vrbo or AirBnB for these events vs staying at hotel, whenever possible. Hanging out with everyone at one central place really adds to the event vs everyone splitting up when staying at hotels. This 1 addition can really increase the vibes for the entire trip. Plus you may actually save money for your lodging. You will have a place to hang out between rounds. You will have place to grill some food, eat together, watch the game.
Set up Committees: If you are part of a really large Ryder Cup Trip, consider having committees so the main organizer isn't burdened or overwhelmed with all the planning that goes into these trips. Appoint people for lodging, food & beverage, tournament management, transportation (air, car rentals, shuttles), Clean-Up, Trophies & Prizes.
Tournament Format: Ryder Cup vs Random Games/Pairings. Ryder Cup format when you have 8 or more players may be the best choice. It keeps things competitive if your trip is going to be a yearly event. Easy to do and setup, especially if there is a natural division in the groups. If there are multiple rounds, you should still have plenty of pairing options to ensure you are playing with or against most of the players on the trip. (and of course, you should enlist GolfGameGuru to help set up and manage this part of your trip)
Team Shirts and/or Hats: Personally, this is something i chuckle at each year, when i see this at Member/Guest and Member/Member tournaments. But i think i would like to see this added in to a Ryder Cup event. It's more people on the team - maybe not matching outfits for every round, but maybe just the beginning round or final round would be ok. How do you guys feel about Team Shirts/Hats?
Team Trophy: Team Trophy is a nice addition. You have something that represents your event each year, group pictures with the trophy to post. A way to taunt the other team in the run up to your event the following year. I guess the only downsize is travelling with a large team trophy. Maybe it can be shipped ahead and back? That would be for the Trophy committee to handle i guess.
Handicaps: Sometimes these events start out as impromptu buddy weekends with a little golf thrown in and then change over time to a primarily golf vacation. In the beginning, maybe only a few people actually had handicaps, but as this builds year to year, you want to push everyone to get and maintain and official handicap. It's vital to ensure a competitive event year over year.