Barry O’Connor has had an exciting summer. It started in July, when Matt Bolton got a hole in one, winning a 3 day/2 night Stay & Play at the Westgate Resort & Casino and the Revere Golf Club in Las Vegas, NV at a golf tournament sponsored by Barry’s dealership, O’Connor’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram in Pickford, MI. Then, on August 15th, another golfer hit a hole in one, winning a brand new Jeep Renegade. After sponsoring golf events for the past 25 years, O’Connor knew this would get some awesome buzz going around his dealership.
“I’d say since the vehicle was won, I’ve probably had 30 or 40 people approach me asking about how ‘we gave away a free vehicle.’ So we’re getting the notoriety, not just around the golf course but in the general public, and people continue talking about it.”
O’Connor’s Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram is one of our most loyal customers, with 19 tournaments registered in 2015 alone. In 2013, O’Connor sponsored a benefit tournament with last minute notice, when the organizers couldn’t find anyone to help them out. A player who hadn’t golfed in two years got a hole in one, winning a brand new Dodge Dart and once again catapulting O’Connor’s dealership into the spotlight.
Barry says that his hole in one sponsorships give him great visibility, exposing a car with custom signage to anywhere from 400-500 potential car buyers over the course of a single weekend.
“For less than 5 bucks a head you’re getting people going by your vehicle, and when somebody wins, the talk continues that night and into the next day,” explains Barry. He goes on to state that a golf course is the perfect place to advertise, since golfers are in his target demographic. “When they’re thinking about your name, they’re probably thinking about your name the next time they go to buy a vehicle.”
This time, the lucky winner was Wayne Hesselink Jr, who has played in the Munoscong 2 Man Scramble with his dad for over a decade. Hesselink says the win was full of excitement because of the new car.
“Everyone was yelling, and pretty excited,” describes Hesselink. “I was actually the quietest one because I was standing there in shock that it went in! The funny part is that my shot followed my dad’s, and his had just went in the water, so I had to hit a good one!”
Hesselink loves golf for the competition, and plays tournaments on most weekends with his buddies. Still, he says that his shot was just lucky, and a moment he’ll never forget.
“This is the best moment in golf I’ve ever had, especially with my dad watching.” Wins like these are what keep O’Connor coming back to Auto Dealers Hole in One for all of his tournament needs.
“I’ve had multiple people tell me, ‘Wow it’s been expensive for you this year!’” says O’Connor, “I say, ‘no, we have a prize guarantee for that so it doesn’t come out of our pocket!’ 99% of the people think we pay for the vehicle outright so it makes us look good when we hand them the keys to the vehicle. It’s a very positive experience for a minimal investment.”
O’Connor says, “I’ve certainly discovered that with hole in one sponsorships, everybody wins”, and we look forward to working with him for years to come. He went on to say, “Some of my competitors tell me they can’t believe I do so many of these… and I just laugh!”
