A couple of weeks back, I had the privilege of being invited by Mazda Philippines to the brand’s first-ever invitational golf tournament at the Mount Malarayat Golf & Country Club in Batangas. Over the years, I have joined quite a number of club and corporate golf events, but this is the first time that I was actually invited by an automotive brand where I was a guest.
In a previous life, I spent most of my time on the brand or corporate side of golf tournaments, starting with the first Lexus Invitational back in 2010 (which I did with now Top Gear Philippines publisher Carlo Chungunco). Then it was BMW Philippines’ National Finals during my time with the brand, so I was a bit excited to experience an event from the other side.
Come to think of it, cars and golf seem to be a match made in heaven. Because aside from BMW and Lexus, other car brands present in the Philippines also host their own golf events—the Mercedes Trophy and the UAAGI Auto Group Golf Cup, to name a few.
Beyond holding their own tournaments, there are also other opportunities for car brands to work with other premium products and clubs through sponsorship arrangements. Numerous cars are put up as hole-in-one prizes by different automotive companies when they sponsor club events like Alabang Country Club’s Mango Tee and Mount Malarayat’s Liberica Cup, and corporate events like The Champion Cup and the Meralco Golf Cup. Even the relatively new Chinese premium brand Aito wants in on this, as it was a presenter at the recently concluded Mr. Freeze Golf Invitational.
Globally, brands continue to spend millions of dollars to associate themselves with the golf world. BMW and Hyundai have been title sponsors of their own PGA Tour events, with the BMW PGA Championship and the Genesis Invitational, for years now. Mercedes-Benz has been a long-time partner of The Masters—one of the most prestigious golf tournaments in the world. And most of you have probably seen the Lexus logo on the shirts of Hideki Matsuyama, Lexi Thompson, and our very own Miguel Tabuena.
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What is it then that attracts these car companies to the world of golf? It can be said that it is mainly the player demographic—most golfers are your typical high-net-worth individuals (HNWI). Golf is definitely not a cheap sport: Between green fees, cart rental, caddie fees, food, and beer, a single round of 18 holes can easily cost between P5,000 and P7,000. By being around their invited players, brands are provided four to five hours of direct access to them in a low-pressure, premium environment for high-end hospitality and brand storytelling.
Golf and premium brands like BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes share the same identities—luxury and prestige, so it is only natural they would want to be associated with prestigious local tournaments like The Sta. Elena Golf Cup, The Manila Golf Golden Tee, and Wack Wack’s Bill Shaw to enhance their brand image. Partnering with these tournaments also strongly communicates their identities of performance, precision, and integrity, all hallmarks of golf, to their target audience for much longer than a 30-second Instagram reel or Facebook ad. Also, by inviting customers to these events, brands not only foster strong loyalty but also create a setting for their own customers to interact and network in a fun environment.
So is the return on investment worth it? In one word—YES. Aside from the access to HNWIs, brand alignment, and leads that an event can generate, there is also the media exposure that these events get, as well as the word-of-mouth marketing that this can generate. Are these measurable? Only to a certain extent, through the number of leads, lead conversions, customer lifetime value, and share of voice.
And while KPIs like brand value and perception change are a bit more difficult to quantify, they must be working, as I do not see car companies pulling sponsorships from golf events. From the player’s perspective, we can be thankful to brands that engage in golf events because the support they give to the game we love allows for better and more fun events.
So what was it like from the other side of the tournament? It was a blast! Steven Tan, Ira Jornada, and the rest of the team at Mazda Philippines did a fantastic job in organizing the tournament. I am sure Ira encountered some issues along the way, but I assured her that as a participant, I did not see or feel any of these hiccups. There were no fancy giveaways and I did not take home a trophy—not even a raffle prize—but it was honestly the most fun I have had in a golf tournament in recent memory.
I put this down to the golf and the company; the Lobo and Makulot courses of Mount Malarayat were are as pretty as I remember them when they first opened. And limiting the field to 90 players ensured a good pace of play, while creating a friendly and family-like atmosphere. While other tournaments offer fancy giveaways (some of which quickly end up on Facebook Marketplace) and raffle prizes to die for, the Mazda Invitational has gone back to the basics of the game and simply made it fun. And when you come to think about it, thats pretty much how Mazda make its cars.
