PGA Tour Golfer Signs Multi-Year Deal with Wyndham Timeshare
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
PGA Tour golfer Brandt Snedeker, who won his first PGA Tour victory at the Wyndham Championship, and won the 2007 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Award, has signed a sponsorship contract with Wyndham Worldwide and Wyndham timeshares.
What does this sponsorship mean for the Nashville, Tennessee native, who earned over $2.8 million in his rookie season with a Tour victory and six top-10 finishes? It means he sleeps more soundly at night.
Unlike an NBA or NFL team member who works under contract with his team, a PGA Tour player is an independent businessman. When the Boston Celtics travel to play the Orlando Magic, the team travels together, typically on a private jet, and the team pays for travel, accommodations, and meals for its players. The team also pays for the uniforms, equipment, the services from the trainers, coaches, team medical staff, and everyone else who works behind the sidelines keeping Kevin Garnett and Rajon Rondo on the floor, blocking shots, stealing balls, and shooting three’s.
But professional golfers operate by different rules. They are not under contract with the PGA Tour; instead, they are members, with their membership based on their playing performance. The PGA Tour doesn’t pay them to play; PGA Tour members actually pay the Tour for their membership and the privilege of competing in tournaments. They also foot the bill for their own travel expenses, their trainers, coaches, caddy, equipment, and even the plaid pants and white shoes they wear in the final round, unless these costs are underwritten by a sponsor.
Play as well as Brandt Snedeker played last year and sponsors like Wyndham timeshare are eager to put their logos on your cap, golf bag and the shirts you wear during tournaments. Sponsorship deals for professional golfers range anywhere from a few thousand dollars to millions, with bonuses thrown in for top finishes and tournament wins.
Recreational golfers and fans of the game of golf are an excellent market for the timeshare and timeshare resales industries. Many professional golf tournaments draw a half million fans in the galleries during the week of play, with millions more watching the event on television. Companies who sponsor the play of professional golfers recognize that marketing to golfers means marketing to people who have the time and means to plan regular vacations and would be interested in the vacation ownership opportunities of timesharing.
Franz Hanning, president and CEO of Wyndham Vacation Ownership (Wyndham timeshare) “We believe this is a tremendous opportunity to align the Wyndham brand with one of the game’s most promising young talents. Our goal is to connect with golfers at every stage in their love of the game. We’re proud to associate ourselves with a rising star like Brandt and believe he is the perfect complement to our partnership with the game’s most preeminent legend.”
Besides sponsoring Snedeker, Wyndham timeshare maintains an exclusive marketing partnership with Arnold Palmer, and has developed the Arnold Palmer Golf Holidays line of travel products.
Wyndham timeshare will again sponsor the PGA Tour’s Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, N.C., on August 11 through 17, 2008.
To learn more about opportunities in Wyndham vacation ownership and Wyndham timeshare resales visit Sell My Timeshare NOW.
Watch this YouTube video to see the golf swing that made Brandt Snedeker 2007 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.
