INCLUSIVE EXPERIENCES
A golf offsite that works just as well for nongolfers
Build the shared experience first. Then give people activity choices with the same care, access, and sense of occasion.
Make the company gathering the main event
Golf can give an offsite a distinctive setting without becoming an entry requirement. Start with the parts everyone should share: the welcome, working sessions, meals, and important announcements. Put activity choices around that common program.
If an important business discussion happens only on the course, people choosing another activity have missed more than a round. Keep decisions in the agreed meeting setting and make the relevant information available to everyone. Hosts can enjoy informal conversation without turning it into a parallel decision process.
Give alternatives the same attention in the invitation. “Golf, a guided local experience, or a quieter afternoon” is clearer than an exciting description of golf followed by “something for nongolfers.” The final options still need supplier confirmation and an honest description of what each involves.
Ask about preferences without making people explain themselves
An early choice form can ask whether someone prefers golf, a beginner session, a nongolf activity, or personal time. Add a private contact route for arrangements they need. Do not ask people to justify opting out, disclose a diagnosis, or state why they do not drink alcohol.
Describe the physical and practical features of each option: walking or standing, terrain, duration, transport, clothing, equipment, and weather exposure. Guests can make a better choice from those details than from labels such as “easy” or “suitable for everyone.”
Confirm requirements through a designated coordinator, collect only the information needed to arrange support, and restrict who can access it. A broad attendee spreadsheet is not the place for sensitive personal details.
Offer a golf format people can understand
Do not use golf experience as a social ranking. Ask the course professional about a clinic, a shorter round, or an appropriate team format. Check equipment rental, instruction, tee choices, pace, and the amount of walking or riding involved. A beginner should know what the afternoon asks of them before accepting.
If the group will play stroke play, the R&A’s rules permit safe, responsible ready golf to help pace. That is a course briefing detail, not permission to play when someone is in danger or a guarantee of a fixed round time. Ask the venue to set expectations for the actual group.
Accessibility questions involve both the activity and the route to it. The R&A’s Rule 25 provides specific rules modifications for certain players with disabilities, but it does not establish that a particular course is physically accessible. Check practical arrangements with the venue and the participant.
Design the alternative as a complete experience
A nongolf option needs a host or supplier contact, a start and end time, transport if needed, a participation limit, and a weather plan. Depending on the destination and group, possibilities might include a guided local visit, a cooking activity, a creative workshop, a walk with a suitable route, or a wellness session. These are ideas to investigate, not a list of available services.
Match the care and convenience of the options rather than forcing identical expenditure per person. Some guests may value a quiet afternoon; that can be a legitimate choice if it is clearly offered and does not exclude them from shared meals or host access.
For an illustrative 20-person group with 12 golfers and eight nongolfers, confirm 12 golf places and an eight-person alternative. Keep enough transition time before dinner for both groups. An activity that finishes three hours before the golfers return needs a different design from one that naturally fills the same window.
| Shared moment | Golf choice | Nongolf choice |
|---|---|---|
| Before activities | Lunch, briefing, and equipment collection. | Lunch, briefing, and departure instructions. |
| Afternoon | A confirmed shorter round or learning session with the venue team. | A confirmed hosted experience with suitable pace and access arrangements. |
| Before dinner | Return, personal time, and change of clothes. | Return and personal time; avoid an unexplained long gap. |
| Evening | Shared dinner and conversation. | The same shared dinner and conversation. |
Verify the entire route, not a single accessibility label
Ask about the journey from arrival to the activity and back: vehicle boarding, paths, entrances, toilets, seating, shelter, and equipment. The U.S. Access Board’s golf-course guidance is useful for understanding built-environment considerations; it is not evidence that a named resort meets a guest’s particular needs.
Request specific confirmations from the venue. A step-free clubhouse entrance does not answer questions about reaching a practice area or boarding the proposed vehicle. Where arrangements remain uncertain, explain that promptly and work toward an alternative with the participant and the responsible supplier.
Keep requests private and decisions practical. The aim is to confirm what will allow someone to participate, without circulating more personal information than the people arranging it need.
Make the weather decision once, and communicate it clearly
Agree who monitors conditions, who follows the course’s suspension instructions, and who tells attendees about a change. The R&A’s rules address suspension of play and lightning danger; guests should follow the venue’s safety instructions rather than trying to preserve the itinerary.
Check the alternative’s capacity and commercial terms before calling it the backup. A meeting room may not be available all afternoon, and an indoor activity may need advance booking. Identify what is confirmed, what is an option, and what additional costs require approval.
At the end of the event, ask golfers and nongolfers separately whether the choice felt worthwhile and whether the timing worked. Improve the next program from those specific answers. “Everyone had a great time” is not a useful substitute for asking.
PUT IT INTO PRACTICE
Your planning checklist
- Business decisions and key meals stay in the shared program.
- Each activity has a clear description, timing, contact, and transport plan.
- Golf experience is optional, and beginner needs are checked.
- Access arrangements are confirmed privately and specifically.
- The weather decision and any cost changes have an accountable owner.
Use these points in your next planning conversation.