On the Lip – At the Tavistock Cup

By: Elisa Gaudet


Quietly and boldly, the Tavistock Cup is making a name for itself as one of the most intimate spectator events in professional sports. It also boasts a distinctive air of exclusivity. The two-day match pits Isleworth and Lake Nona golf clubs against each other.

This is not your normal interclub match. Not when names like Isleworth’s Woods, O’Meara, Allenby and Appleby face off against Lake Nona’s Els, Faldo, Garcia and Poulter.

To perhaps the surprise of many, Tavistock Cup got it right in its second year. Though not a major nor an official PGA Tour stop, it is most certainly an interclub rivalry on steroids.

So what makes this event so great? We put it to the test by comparing it to the best of the best. The Masters will always be the premier golf event. However, Tavistock has a few perks of its own.

TAVISTOCK CUP
 
MASTERS
0  Very good
Course Condition
1  Bar none, the best
1  Would consider marrying the chef. Simply great.
Food
0  Pimento sandwiches are not cutting the mustard
1  Over $20 million in sculptures throughout the grounds
Beauty Treatments
1  Not sure how much Hootie is paying for the 30 varieties of azaleas
0  Literally a tent, respectable and the same price as most Tour events.
Merchandise Tent
1  One of the best businesses in Augusta. Pricy but similar to other events. Estimated $20M in sales done in one week.
1  Isleworth & Lake Nona could convince you to move to Orlando
Surroundings
0  Love the event but would not move to Augusta
1  First class in the Isleworth clubhouse and its off-the-charts grill. Players actually showed up to the party, including Tiger.
Evening Events
1  First class - private in-homes. Great parties for those in the industry and in the know.
1  Awesome. Basketball court inside, every game and toy imaginable including foosball, simulated driving range, ping-pong. Would consider sex change for entrance privileges.
Men’s Grill
0  No clue - Martha could not get me a hall pass into this one.
0  Great for a two-year event but still working out a few kinks.
Event Organization
1  Masters has this perfected down to every tiny detail. After all, they’ve been doing it since 1934.
1 Team Lake Nona arrived by jet helicopters on the driving range
Modes of Transportation
0 Courtesy car? C’mon.
1  Happy face - relaxed, joking, light
Player Vibes
1  Game face - Focused, serious, intense
1  Not as difficult as the Masters but close. You need friends on the inside
Spectator Access
0  Insanely difficult - hardest ticket in sports.
1 The Best of the Best just happen to live in these neighborhoods.
The Field
1  The Best of the Best – with a few others thrown in.

Elisa Gaudet brings a wealth of entertainment and golf experience to Cybergolf. Elisa has spent the past several years in the golf industry in the U.S., Latin America and Spain. She worked for the PGA Tour and the Tour de las Americas before founding Executive Golf International, a golf marketing company that works with clients to develop strategies using golf as the medium. Often referred to as the Maria Bartiromo (a business analyst for CNBC) of golf, Elisa says: “Golf, as a marketing tool, has been around for years. It’s amazing how many new ways companies can align their brand with the golf market to reach their target audience. Our goal is to create alliances and establish cross-border relations.” Elisa also worked in the entertainment industry for over 10 years, including five in Los Angeles as a model and actress. She can be seen at many celebrity golf events and often gets the inside scoop from PGA Tour players. For more information about Elisa, visit her websites at www.onthelip.com or Executive Golf International www.execgolfintl.com.