Yipsy Do you take big losses on these events?
The first and perhaps the worst loss (only because smtevents was kind of new at the time, was at The Brickyard Crossing GC or "The Brickyard" as the locals call it, at the Indianapolis 500.
The event was called DEEM Golf For Kids. It was sponsored by a heating company.
I believe it was hole #13 (perhaps), it is a par three that players hit right at the race track, either turn 1 or 3.
I came up with a new game called CASH LANDING. 48 targets that I set up all over the green on the par 3. Prizes range from $20 to $500 - Oddly, it is still one of the most popular games out of 35.
Well, this was it's debut. If you have been to the Indy 500 which is way beyond cool, there are time trials the day of the event. One or two cards ripping around the course at what I learned was full speed from several of the actual drivers that night.
Anyway, the sound is so damn loud, that when a group came to my hole, the Par 3, I had to literally yell in their faces to get their donation and explain the game as the track is only like 180 yards away.
It is raining. Really a heavy, steady rain all day. Again, if you have been there you are familiar with the HUGE cement bathrooms spaced out around the outside of the track. Almost all of the golfers have pulled up to the two that I could see and are hanging out inside.
Kind of a rain delay, but we can't go in as we don't know who is gong to keep playing.
Very top of turn three I believe is a group of cameramen who were looking down at me all day. Since there was a brutal rain delay, they come down the bleachers and ask me what the hell all of those colored things all over the green were. I explained that golfers make their donation to the cause, the cause gets 100% of the money from each game we provide and if they hit their tee shot into one of the targets, they win that cash,
They thought it was cool and grabbed a flier. Of course they asked if they could give it a try. They each donated their $20 and nobody won anything.
They eventually got back up to their post and cameras at the top of the bleachers and play kind of continued.
Anyway, they would cheer golfers on who hit into a target and give me the "safe" or "not in" baseball sign when nobody made it into a target. It was really fun.
And we come to the last foursome. Rain has stopped and all four donated (as they always do) and hit away. Three golfers ended up inside my white, $500 payout targets and the camera crew were jumping up and down, showing their outstretched hands as if to give a High Five to me or the golfers. I didn't know what the hell they were doing. So, I drive up with the group and see three guys inside two different $500 payout targets on my very first day of this new game that popped into my head a few days ago.
Turns out, the camera guys had the payout flier with them and could easily see the color target they were in because the green is right under their position.
I pay them all out except for the last guy that I still owed $100 to. I simply wasn't carrying $2,000 of my own cash at that time. I apologized and told him I would send it to him as soon as I got back to the office. He was so jacked, he was more than happy with that.
Event is over, calling home as I have a 3.5 hour ride back and my wife asks how it went.
I said... Well the event went great , we gave them just over $5,500 for the day, but that new game I was telling you about????? I said, I got beat up on this one today. I actually lost money overall.
She was surely not thrilled, but didn't change the locks on me.
hahaha