Planning a charity golf tournament can feel like a big undertaking, but with the right guidance and tools, it’s easier than you think. In this blog series, the PGA Professionals on staff at GolfStatus are sharing their insider knowledge and tips for success. With years of experience running tournaments of all sizes, Jason Meininger, PGA; Cash Dinkel, PGA; and Paul Murcek, PGA know exactly what it takes to organize a successful event.

In this installment of GolfStatus’ Q&A blog series, these Pros break down the basics of tournament planning—from creating a timeline and working with the golf course staff to must-have tools and advice for first-time organizers. Whether you’re new to tournament planning or looking to streamline your process, their tips will set you up for success.

The PGA Professionals on staff at GolfStatus, from left: Jason Meininger, PGA; Paul Murcek, PGA; Cash Dinkel, PGA.

Q: what’s a typical schedule for a charity golf tournament?

Jason Meininger: Start with your tee off time and build the schedule around that. Here’s an example for a 1:00 p.m. shotgun start:

• 11:00 a.m.: Check-in and registration, driving range open

• 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.: Lunch served

• 12:45 p.m.: Call to carts, welcome, and instructions

• 1:00 p.m.: Shotgun start

• 6:00 p.m.: Dinner and awards

Cash Dinkel: In my experience, morning starts are most common and a great option for charity tournaments. For example, open registration at 8:00 a.m. for a 10:00 am shotgun start, with a meal and awards following golf (if applicable). I usually recommend advertising to golfers that announcements will begin 15 minutes prior to the start of the tournament so people aren’t getting there late.

Q: What does the golf staff typically take care of on tournament day?

Paul Murcek: Usually they’ll take care of getting the golf carts set up and ready to go before kickoff and help you with any format or scoring announcements. They’ll also help with scoring and finalizing the results for awards.

Cash Dinkel: Golf staff will take care of printing materials like cart signs, scorecards, rules sheets, and live scoring instructions and getting them placed on golf carts. They often help with contest set up, scoring the event, and determining the winners. Depending on the facility, they may also make sure any necessary tables, chairs, tents, hole signs, pin flags, etc. are set up and ready to go.

Jason Meininger: It really varies from course to course. At a municipal, public course, they likely aren’t able to help as much as at a high end private golf club. Private facilities will do pretty much anything you need—set up carts and the driving range; produce scorecards, cart signs and rules sheets; make announcements; figure out winners; and hand out prizes after the round, if needed.

Q: in your experience, what tools are the most useful for planning a successful golf tournament?

Jason Meininger: Number one is an event website. It makes it so much easier to track payments, registrations, sponsorships etc. Number two is having a realistic budget and fundraising goal. This helps you set your pricing and get an idea of all of your tournament’s costs so you can see if it will be profitable.

Cash Dinkel: Online registration is a must-have, both for the time-savings involved for the organizer and to make it easy on the golfer or sponsor to register. I’d also say planning guides and resources from golf fundraising experts, plus live scoring to improve the overall player experience.

Paul Murcek: I’d say learning from others that have had tournaments is a great help in being successful. Lean on your Golfstatus client success rep and register for a couple of GolfStatus’ monthly webinars to hear from golf and fundraising experts.

Q: What are some things you wish organizers knew when planning a golf tournament for the first time?

Cash Dinkel:

1. It takes a team. Organize a committee to help shoulder the load, and don’t be afraid to delegate responsibilities.

2. Use your networks! Ask anyone and everyone you, your committee, staff, board, and volunteers know to play in the tournament, become a sponsor, volunteer to help, or just spread the word about the event.

3. Don’t set expectations too high for the first year of a tournament. You can absolutely make money in year one, but be realistic in your goals.

Jason Meininger:

1. Start planning early, at least six months before the tournament date.

2. Have a committee to help with promoting and running the event, especially on tournament day.

3. Recruit volunteers to help.

4. Golf tournaments can be a lot of work—remember you’ll get out of it what you put into it.

5. Marketing your tournament is essential. Use free channels like social media and email campaigns.

Paul Murcek:

1. Start early—procrastination is your worst enemy!

2. Create a sponsorship for every expense you have.

3. The more sponsorship options you have available, the better chances you have to appeal to potential sponsors.

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Ask the Pros!

If you have a golf tournament or fundraising question for our PGA Professionals, email it to [email protected] with “PGA Pro Question” in the subject line! It just might make a future blog post or be answered on an upcoming GolfStatus webinar.

GolfStatus makes charity golf tournaments easier and more lucrative than ever. Whether you’re planning an event for the first time or looking to upgrade an existing tournament, GolfStatus’ tech and golf fundraising experts are here to help. Best of all, nonprofits can qualify to use GolfStatus’ tournament management software at no upfront cost through our Golf for Good program. Click the button to get started!

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Partner snapshot

The Nebraska PGA serves over 300 golf professionals in Nebraska, Western Iowa, and Southeast South Dakota. Based in Lincoln, the Nebraska Section is a resource for member golf professionals, offering services and opportunities that enhance the skills of its members and promote the overall vitality of the game. Its PGA REACH Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Section that supports local golf initiatives and charities.

The challenge

David Honnens, Executive Director for the Nebraska PGA, recognized a recurring issue at Nebraska golf facilities: the time burden that charity golf tournaments and outside events placed on PGA Pros’ time, often at the expense of other essential facility operations and member-focused activities.

These outside events, which are key to a facility’s bottom line, require staff to dedicate extensive hours to assisting tournament organizers with planning and management and internal event preparations. These events often lack streamlined communication and registration processes, leading to inconsistencies and gaps in planning, making it challenging for golf staff to gather the information needed for a successful tournament. What’s more, tournament organizers often come to golf facilities with limited golf knowledge, increasing the need for golf staff involvement and support.

A solution was needed to save Professionals time while also improving tournament organization and fundraising outcomes for the organizing charity.

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“There needed to be a way to bridge the disconnect between golf facility staff and tournament organizers and give Pros more of their time back,” says David. “A partnership with GolfStatus for charity events was the answer.”

— David Honnens, Executive Director at PGA Nebraska

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The solution

GolfStatus is built specifically for charity golf tournaments and fundraisers. Its suite of tournament management and fundraising tools streamline golf events for nonprofit event organizers and offer new opportunities to boost revenue. The software is backed by an in-house support team of Client Success Representatives that include several PGA Professionals who understand the ins and outs of successful golf events.

GolfStatus’ tournament management software saves golf facility staff 20-30 hours per event.

Cash Dinkel is a PGA Professional who spent several years as tournament director at a Denver country club and now serves as GolfStatus’ Client Success Director. “We understand the golf staff have software in place for facility operations and member events. GolfStatus isn’t trying to replace that; we’re here to make outside events and charity tournaments more efficient for golf staff,” he says.

Golf facilities that are on board with GolfStatus as part of the partnership refer charity tournaments to the GolfStatus team, who help them build an event in the software and launch an event website. The client success team provides pre-event education and coaching, suggestions for revenue-boosting tournament components, and provides access to golf staff to access pre-formatted printouts and reports and make hole assignments and team pairings.

the results

Thus far, 17 golf facilities in Nebraska have signed on with GolfStatus and referred 157 charity events. Golf professionals earn a kickback for each event referred, with nearly $8,000 paid out to pros since the start of 2024. “Golf staff are being asked to do more on a daily basis, so anything the section can do to help improve a very visible part of their business is a huge plus,” says David of working with GolfStatus. “The financial kickback is great and GolfStatus gives professionals another tool in their tool belt to elevate these events all around.”

Golfers at an outside event at Tiburon Golf Club in Omaha, Nebraska.

tiburon golf club sees success

Tiburon Golf Club in Omaha was one of the first golf facilities to sign on with GolfStatus through the PGA Nebraska partnership. A 27-hole club in Omaha, Tiburon hosts over 100 outside events per year, which means Club Professional Matt Wollom needs to find efficiencies for his team wherever possible. “Instead of getting 20 to 30 emails from the tournament organizer with updates, all the information is updated and accessible in the software’s back end,” Matt says. “It means less back and forth with them and less time and energy for my staff so they can provide great service to golfers.”

time savings across the board

David says Nebraska PGA Professionals have reported saving 20 to 30 hours per tournament by using GolfStatus, time that can be redirected toward other aspects of facility operations, income-generating activities, or member engagement. “Time is precious, and when golf professionals don’t have to spend their time doing back-office work or going back and forth with the tournament contact, it’s huge for us,” he says.

Matt says the events held at Tiburon who use GolfStatus also save time. “The tournament organizers, who don’t always know much about golf, end up having fewer planning tasks on their plate so they can go out and focus on raising money,” Matt says. “Plus, we’re not getting phone calls asking questions. GolfStatus takes care of it for us.”

GolfStatus’ Client Success Team includes PGA Professionals who understand the ins and outs of golf facility operations and golf tournaments.

Cash points out that GolfStatus’ goal in working with the Pros and the events is increased efficiency. “Event planners become more efficient because they’re not dealing with paper forms. Facility staff is more efficient because they can run reports and easily communicate with organizers,” he says. “Tournaments are easier to do and easier to maintain with GolfStatus, on both the organization and facility sides.”

better outcomes for host organizations

Events that use GolfStatus at partner golf courses have seen improved fundraising outcomes. It starts with no-cost access to the software for nonprofits. Offerings like the GolfStatus client-exclusive Technology Sponsorship, hole-in-one insurance and sponsorships, pin flag sponsorships, and exclusive donations from Dormie Network add up to thousands of additional dollars.

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“GolfStatus has everything these events need to raise money,” Matt says. “It gives them channels to raise extra money they wouldn’t have had access to otherwise.”

— Matt Wollom, Club Professional at Tiburon Golf Club

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Outside outings often come with additional components, such as luncheons, banquets, and auctions.

Tournaments often add an online auction component to drive additional revenue, which is good for both the host nonprofit and the golf facility. “We’re seeing a lot more online auctions at outside charity events, which can raise almost 200% more than a traditional auction,” David says. GolfStatus’ online auction service offers easy setup, bidding, and payment for nonprofit clients wishing to add an online auction component.

expanding the partnership to other pga sections

GolfStatus is expanding their partnership to include other PGA Sections around the country, helping boost efficiency for golf professionals and fundraising for charities. “GolfStatus speaks the language of nonprofits and charities, but also golf,” David says. “They’re an expert resource that helps golf professionals elevate every event.”

Cash says he hopes PGA Sections see GolfStatus as an asset to PGA Members and events. He says the GolfStatus team will work with each individual golf facility and pro to determine what tournament-related tasks can be taken off their plates, such as:

• Meeting with the tournament organizer as a consultant

• Helping the tournament maximize fundraising with exclusive sponsorships, tools, and partners

• Building a registration and payments event website

• Automating the creation of professional scorecards, cart signs, alpha lists, etc. so that golf staff doesn’t have to spend hours organizing data and formatting documents

An event website automates registration, saving organizers and golf staff time and effort. Registration information drops in the software's back end where it's easily accessible for real-time management.

The specialized software and support GolfStatus provides fosters growth and streamlines golf tournament management, making it easier than ever for golf facilities to host impactful charity events while saving valuable time and resources.

get in touch

If your golf facility or PGA Section is interested in learning more about how GolfStatus can serve you, book a meeting with Cash Dinkel, PGA, Client Success Director. Nonprofits can get qualified to use the software at no cost by clicking here.

When Dino Verelli’s father, Giovanni, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2008, he found very little in terms of support or resources for pancreatic cancer families. Dino decided to take action to rewrite the story of this formidable disease. He launched Project Purple in 2010, fueled by a commitment to his father and the countless other patients and families affected by pancreatic cancer. Sadly, Giovanni passed away in 2011, but his memory is honored through Project Purple’s work to raise awareness, drive crucial research into early detection, and provide aid to patients and families battling pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer has just a 13% five-year survival rate. Its symptoms often don’t present until the disease has advanced and spread to other organs, making early detection—when the chances of successful treatment are the greatest—even more of a challenge. Vin Kampf, Program Director at Project Purple, lost an uncle to pancreatic cancer within just six months of diagnosis, inspiring him to join the Project Purple team.

“One of the most important things we do is build community,” Vin says. “It trickles down into our other areas of focus. Fostering a community of support helps patients connect with others who are in the same fight has been life-changing.”

Vin oversees the marathon program at Project Purple, which raises funds through individual runners in marathons and races across the world. The program has helped build the community that’s become so important to the organization, joining together with the pancreatic cancer patients, their families, and the institutions conducting crucial research into a cure.

Vin also loves golf. He’s played in a number of golf fundraisers and helps with a tournament organized by an aunt in memory of a cousin. He saw the fundraising potential and reach of such an event, and wanted to bring that to Project Purple. “Who doesn’t love being outside, being together with others working toward a common purpose, and connecting with them on new levels?” he says. He started to think about how a golf tournament might work for Project Purple—and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“All marathons were canceled, but we were able to move forward with a golf fundraiser,” Vin says. “It was the one fundraising event we could do safely.” They threw the first tournament together in just a few months for a fall event, then had a quick turnaround when they opted to move the tournament to June.

He used the organization’s CRM and multiple spreadsheets for the first two tournaments and ran into roadblocks. “It felt clunky and inefficient, and the registration site didn’t look good or work very well,” he says, and began looking for a better way to plan and manage the tournament that was structured to handle golf.

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“We really wanted the golf tournament to become a marquee event for us, and we needed a solution that reflected that.”

— Vin Kampf, Program Director at Project Purple

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Read the full case study to find out why Vin says GolfStatus was what was missing from the golf tournament that raised over $130,000 for pancreatic cancer.

The Collin County Chapter of the Texas Tech Alumni Association had been defunct for several years when a group of local alums decided to resurrect it. As the chapter began to get back on its feet, the primary goal was to engage alumni and raise funds for a scholarship program. Though Sam Clark wasn’t a member of the initial board, he quickly volunteered to head up a golf tournament that would help the group reach their goals of alumni engagement and fundraising.

The goal of the golf tournament was not only to raise money for a scholarship program, but to build strong connections among the chapter’s alumni.

“It was basically a done-deal that we were going to have a golf tournament,” Sam says. “Everyone on the board plays golf or is a member at a country club and everyone knew it was a great way to raise money.”

Right off the bat, Sam had questions. Though he had played in charity golf tournaments, he’d never planned one from ideation to fruition. “I wondered how we should handle registrations, payments, leaderboards, pin flags, and so many other details,” he says. Another member of the chapter’s board, Russell Hall, had run several tournaments through GolfStatus, and told Sam it was just what he needed.

The newly-established annual Red Raider Cup provided fun and networking for Collin County Texas Tech alums.

Sam says much of the initial planning phase was determining the type of golf facility (public or private), price points (high end or mid-level), and a budget. After those were in place, the committee began to think about operations and processes, and that’s when GolfStatus came into the picture.

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“I honestly don’t know how we would have done it without GolfStatus,” Sam explains. “It would have quadrupled—or more—the work and time that went into the tournament.”

— Sam Clark, Tournament Organizer

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Download the full case study to get the full scoop on how GolfStatus provided Sam and the planning committee with a one-stop shop for their golf tournament—and how they were able to use the platform and leverage add-ons to meet their fundraising goals for a first-year event.

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Get qualified for golf for good

Texas Tech Alumni Association of Collin County was able to utilize GolfStatus’ golf event management platform at no upfront cost through the Golf for Good program. You can get a free event website with online registration, access to exclusive sponsorships and add-ons, tournament planning guidance, and more at no risk. Click below to find out more and get qualified!

Golf may not be the biggest thing in football-focused Klein, Texas, but the boys and girls golf teams are talented, passionate, and growing. “The kids get so much out of being on the golf teams,” says Andrea Vickers, president of the Klein High School Golf Booster Club’s board. Klein High School provides some funding for the teams, but unfortunately, doesn’t have the budget to fully subsidize all the teams’ expenses and needs.

The Klein High School Golf Booster Club helps fill the funding gaps between what the school provides and what the student athletes need to be successful.

That’s where the Golf Booster Club comes in. The club wants to make sure any student that wants to play golf for the BearKats has the opportunity to do so and has the tools and equipment needed to be successful. The combined team of nearly 30 student athletes is becoming more competitive in local and regional tournaments and getting more kids excited about golf.

Filling the funding gap between what the school provides and what the student athletes need requires significant dollars. “Golf teams can’t just go play in the school gym or football field,” Andrea says. “We have to go to area golf courses and that gets expensive.” Other team expenses include entry and travel costs for tournaments, plus greens fees for practice rounds, uniforms, and balls for each golfer.

The Booster Club launched a golf tournament to help raise funds to cover costs like travel fees, tournament entry, and equipment.

Three years ago, the booster club decided to launch a golf tournament as the best option to raise as much money as possible. The first tournament was successful in terms of dollars raised, but the time and administrative burden on Andrea, her husband, and the rest of the planning team was significant. “We’re all busy parents that work full-time and shuttle kids to and from activities, so we really needed to get away from manual, time-consuming processes,” Andrea says. They used an online platform to manage registrations, but one that required much more time and attention than the team had to give. “It was loosely organized chaos!” Andrea says.

Read the [full case study] to find out how GolfStatus’ tournament management tech—which Andrea and her planning team were able to utilize at no cost through the Golf for Good program—streamlined the tournament from start to finish and prevented a whole bunch of stress.

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Planning a Golf Tournament?

Whether you have a tournament on the calendar or are just exploring the possibility of a golf event, GolfStatus can help! With easy-to-use technology, tournament planning resources, and an industry-leading support team, you’ll be set up for success. Click the button below to learn how you can use GolfStatus at no cost through the Golf for Good program and get qualified!

You’ve decided to hold a golf fundraiser—great! But…now what?

The decision to move forward isn’t one to be taken lightly. You’ll invest time and effort into putting on a great golf event, so you want to make sure you get started on the right foot. Work through the six steps in this quick start guide to launch your golf tournament toward success and start collecting registrations and selling sponsorships as soon as possible.

1. do your research

As you may have suspected, a golf tournament comes with a number of pieces and parts to wrangle. Before you jump into planning, it’s a good idea to do some background research so you have a better understanding of what you’re getting yourself into—and how to maximize the fundraising potential of your tournament.

Don’t worry—you don’t have to be a golf expert to pull off a successful golf tournament! There are a myriad of free golf tournament planning resources at your disposal, so take full advantage of the help available.

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fundamental tournament planning resources

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2. select your tech provider

Technology is a game-changer when it comes to planning and executing a great golf fundraiser. The right tech tool should streamline your golf tournament from start to finish, saving busy organizers like you time and effort. How? By automating time-consuming tasks, keeping you organized, and providing a seamless experience for golfers and sponsors to register, purchase packages, or make a donation.

The key here is a platform that’s designed for a golf event and caters to the unique needs of nonprofits and charity golf tournaments. The last thing you want is an expensive, underpowered, overly complicated platform that requires workarounds and adaptations to function. Look for these must-have features:

• Professional, responsive event website

• Online registration with secure payment processing

• Intuitive interface

• Communication tools

• Web-based for easy collaboration

• Broad sponsor exposure and offerings

• Live scoring and leaderboards

• Ability to collect donations

• Robust reporting

• Seamless data exports

3. reach out to area golf facilities

Next step is securing the host golf facility. A simple Google search for “golf courses near me” will help you identify possibilities. Keep your organization’s audience and donor base in mind when choosing a golf facility. Would they be interested in paying a premium to play at a high-end, private club? Or is a public, lower-cost facility more appealing and practical?

• A public golf course is exactly what it says—open to the public. Anyone can play a public course and no membership is required. Public courses can be owned and operated by a municipality, such as a city, or a private entity. The fees are typically lower than private clubs, but may not be as well-maintained or challenging for avid golfers.

• A private golf course requires a membership to play. Private clubs are, in general, more expensive than public courses but may be more difficult to book an event, unless you have a connection who’s a member. On the flip side, a fundraiser at a private club can be a big draw for golfers who don’t typically have access to such a facility.

• A semi-private golf course is open to the public, but also offers memberships that come with perks not available to everyone. Greens fees should land somewhere in between a public and private club, and can be a nice alternative to either a public or private golf club.

Call around to golf courses in your area or browse course websites to get more information about their rates and costs for outside events and charity tournaments. Remember, a golf tournament essentially fills the facility’s tee sheet for most or all of the day, so it’s in their best interest to work with you to provide a good rate.

4. lock in a date

It’s a good idea to have a general time of year in mind for your tournament, whether it’s spring, summer, or fall (or even winter, if you live in a warmer climate), before you connect with golf staff. Do some research to identify other community or nonprofit events that might compete with yours for registrants, then work with golf staff to hone in on a date that works best for your organization and the course. They can also help advise you on the tournament’s format, start time, pairings and hole assignments, and any post-round banquet space.

Generally speaking, weekends and holidays will be more expensive to host an event than a weekday. Consider whether or not golfers and sponsors will be willing to commit to attending a golf event during the work day or on the weekend.

5. Launch an event website

An event website is a major key to the success of your golf tournament. Once you confirm the date and golf facility, go ahead and launch your site! You’ll get the event on supporters’ radars sooner rather than later. Simply share the link on your social media channels, in emails, on your organization's website, and anywhere else your target audience can be found online.

Use photos, videos, and compelling text to share your organization’s story and why people should support your mission. Provide tangible examples of what the dollars raised from the golf tournament will do for your work—this creates a strong connection between golfers and your organization.

6. fill in the details

As soon as you nail down additional tournament details—such as team and sponsor packages, any contests or games, an auction or raffle, or special guests—add them to the event website right away where folks can check back for updates and register for the event.

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what’s next?

Now that your tournament is launched and live, shift your focus to filling your field of golfers and sponsors. Marketing your event is the longest phase of tournament planning, so leverage these free resources to create a roadmap to a sold out event.

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Get a Free Golf Tournament Website (And More!)

A successful golf fundraiser starts with a professional event website. It’s the home base of your tournament, and where people can find out more information about the event and your mission and commit to participating. Nonprofits (and third parties holding a golf tournament to benefit a nonprofit or charity) can qualify for a free event website and access to GolfStatus’ golf event management platform at no upfront cost. You’ll save a ton of time and effort and raise even more money. Plus, GolfStatus is backed by a best-of-the-best in-house support team who’s there to help you every step of the way. Click below to learn more and get qualified!

Partner Snapshot

Mahoney Golf Course in Lincoln, Nebraska is part of the city’s robust municipal golf program. Head Golf Pro Jonathan Benson (JB) has been with Mahoney for nearly 20 years, nine of them as Head Pro.

Mahoney was built in 1976, the third of the city’s five courses. The par 70 course boasts some of the most challenging par four holes in the city, and as JB says, “is more difficult than some golfers think!” Its large, fast greens make for great playing conditions and multitude of trees present a challenge for every golfer.

JB loves the city’s approach to running its golf program, allowing pros to work as independent contractors within specific parameters. He also has the freedom to hold course-hosted golf events to engage golfers and the Lincoln community at large, getting them to the course for a day of fun.

The challenge

When JB and his predecessor launched Mahoney’s first event, the Mahoney Masters, they did all the prep work manually, taking registration and credit card information over the phone or in-person when a golfer would stop in the pro shop (and hoping the information was written down correctly) and tracking it all on a big, single access spreadsheet. Leading up to and on event day, they would spend 15 or more hours creating scorecards and cart signs, not to mention the time spent flighting results and breaking ties by hand.

All this manual work came with major challenges that took up valuable staff time. What’s more, it was often difficult to collect payment upfront. “When our staff would expand over the summer to 15 part-timers that worked the pro shop, it was a big problem to make sure they took payments when someone registered,” JB says. “We dealt with a huge number of no-shows without prepayment, sometimes up to 20% of registered golfers,” he says. He needed a tool to scale the course’s events while saving his staff time and effort.

The solution

A part-time staffer at Mahoney, Frank Cuddy, was also interning at GolfStatus and mentioned how its tournament management software would be helpful for managing tournament signups. “My first reaction was, ‘you mean I don’t have to do this over the phone?’” JB laughs. GolfStatus was a perfect fit for JB and his team, with robust enough features to streamline event prep but simple enough any staff can jump in and find the tools and information they needed.

“I haven’t seen any part of GolfStatus that I don’t like,” JB says. “We can spend two hours prepping for an event instead of 15. The support we get from GolfStatus is great.”

— JB, Head Golf Pro at Mahoney Golf Course

the results

No More Manual Signups

The online registration feature is what first drew JB to GolfStatus. “We were spending so much time on the phone, so anything that can cut down on that is huge,” he says. Online registration changed all that. “Everything is online these days so it makes sense to do this online too,” JB explains. Golfers choose their team packages, skins, and mulligans and pay directly through the website, giving them an increased confidence that their information is handled securely, as opposed to having a staff member write down their credit card information. “Even if someone calls, we now send them to the website to register,” JB says.

JB says having their branding on the event website is an added bonus, and if they have any sponsors for the events, they get great exposure.

Mahoney Golf Course’s event website for the Mahoney Masters, held every April.

easy communication

JB uses GolfStatus’ messaging feature to promote each event to past participants and other avid golfers in the area, which has helped Mahoney’s events grow significantly. He’s also able to easily share updates, the day’s itinerary, and other reminders without having to hunt down golfer emails and pulling them into a different platform. “I love being able to communicate with teams leading up to the tournament,” JB says.

More Golfers, More Events

The Mahoney Masters is a two-person scramble held the Saturday of Master’s week. In its first few years, the event attracted 60 to 80 golfers. But once JB started leveraging GolfStatus, the tournament regularly fills with 160 players. “We didn’t fill events until we started partnering with GolfStatus,” JB says. “Being able to promote tournaments online and have golfers register online has been amazing for our golf course.”

“We didn’t fill events until we started partnering with GolfStatus,” JB says. “Being able to promote tournaments online and have golfers register online has been amazing for our golf course.”

— JB, Head Golf Pro at Mahoney Golf Course

The success of the Mahoney Masters led JB to add three additional course-hosted events powered by GolfStatus:

• Mahoney North Side Scramble, a one-day four-person scramble

• Mahoney Open, a two-person scramble the week of the U.S. Open

• Mahoney Fantasy Football Scramble, which plays on fantasy football points

This slate of tournaments is great from a business perspective. It gets golfers to the golf course with guaranteed rounds and cart rentals and boosts sales across the golf course: food and beverage, merchandise, and gift certificates.

Printouts, Flighting & Tiebreakers

Automating the time-consuming aspects of a golf event is a huge advantage of using an online event management platform. Golfer information is easily accessible in the software’s backend, where JB and any of his staff can access it to make team pairings and hole assignments quickly and easily.

Before GolfStatus, custom printouts were a major time suck. “We would have to type everything into Excel and into a template, which took a long time and often had errors because we had to decipher handwritten golfer information,” JB says. Now, “we can do it in minutes!” Professionally formatted cart signs, scorecards, and alpha lists are auto generated—all staff has to do is click print.

Mahoney is starting to lean into live scoring a bit more. Teams record and submit their scores via the GolfStatus mobile app, which syncs to live leaderboards in real time. Not only does live scoring let golfers see current standings, but it’s also a time-saver when it comes to finalizing the tournament results. “I don’t have to type in the scores, they’re all there,” JB says. The software will flight the results and break ties automatically—with the ability to manually change them if necessary—so they don’t have to rifle through paper scorecards. “We’re able to announce results, award prizes, and get people done faster than ever.”

Golfstatus for every golf event

Golf facilities like Mahoney Golf Course benefit as much from GolfStatus’ tournament management tech as event organizers. Facility staff and the planning team can share access in GolfStatus’ backend to manage golfer and sponsor information, finalize team pairings and hole assignments, and save time from start to finish. Want to learn more about how your organization or golf facility can save time and raise more money with GolfStatus? Hit the button below to get in touch!

Once you’ve gotten a new golf tournament up and running—which is no easy feat—it can be tempting to simply cruise and maintain the status quo. But in order to grow your event into its second year and beyond, tournament organizers must find ways to keep golfers and sponsors coming back year after year. These 10 strategies can help.

1. Get Online

If you haven’t before, get your tournament online. A web-based golf event management platform saves you a ton of time and gives you tools to plan, manage, and execute a professional, lucrative event. Leverage an event website to easily promote your tournament, collect registration, onboard and recognize sponsors, and more.

Using digital channels for your golf tournament, especially an event website, is a great way to grow the event.

2. Expand the Event

This can be scary, especially if it comes with added expenses, but might be the key to scaling your tournament. Depending on the type of event and the capabilities of your golf facility, you might add an additional course, round, day, or accompanying event (such as a post-golf banquet or auction). This approach works best if you typically have a waitlist for your tournament or most of your teams are committed to sponsors and you’d like to open it up to other supporters. Do a cost-benefit analysis before you take the plunge!

3. Make it Memorable

Look for ways to build even more fun into the event. And lucky for you, many elements that make a tournament memorable also bring additional fundraising opportunities to the tournament. Exciting add-ons like on-course entertainment, golf tournament games, and contests are great ways to have an impact. Charge a nominal fee to participate in these add-ons, but don’t nickel and dime people. Consider selling a super ticket or wristband that provides entry or participation in each event for a flat price. Folks will remember the fun they had and come back in subsequent years.

Adding games to your golf tournament makes it even more fun and memorable for golfers and sponsors.

4. Boost Your Marketing

Definitely start your marketing efforts with past participants, sponsors, and anyone on the previous year’s waitlist, giving them the first shot at registering or purchasing sponsorships. Boost your marketing efforts in order to broaden your audience and spread awareness about your organization and cause. Leverage social media, partner marketing, sponsor promotions, and email campaigns to reach new folks. Consider an early bird registration period to create a sense of urgency and encourage golfers and sponsors to commit to your tournament.

5. Live Score the Tournament

Live scoring gives your tournament another level of engagement with golfers and sponsors. Golfers love to see where teams stand throughout the day on the event’s live leaderboards and you can use it as a call-to-action for folks to donate. Share leaderboards on social media so all your supporters can follow along. You’ll also give sponsors broader exposure with their logo in the live scoring app.

Live scoring via a mobile app keeps golfers engaged throughout the event and lets spectators follow along online.

6. Focus on Sponsorships

Sponsorships are where your tournament will bring in the bulk of its dollars. If your tournament regularly sells out, don’t be afraid to raise prices a bit. Talk directly with prospective sponsors to determine how your tournament can help them meet their goals, whether it’s straight up exposure, engaging with golfers, or something else. Identify new sponsorship opportunities—if you can put a logo on it, you can sell a sponsorship, so don’t be afraid to think outside the box! Including a team in sponsor packages not only adds value, but helps fill your tournament’s field, so price those packages accordingly.

7. Improve Processes

With one or more tournaments under your belt, it’s a good idea to take a look back at what worked, what didn’t, what tasks needed more time and attention, and what things you can omit altogether. Improving your processes lets you be more efficient with planning tasks and better use your time to pitch to sponsors, promote your event, and focus on the overall experience. Fine tune the planning infrastructure you already have in place—event website, graphics, vendors, etc.—to make the next go around less stressful.

8. Streamline & Simplify

Take a critical look at the tech tools you used to plan and execute your event. Did you spend a ton of time managing logins to umpteen platforms? Did you spend too much time bouncing between spreadsheets and tracking checks and receipts? Can all the functions be rolled into an all-in-one golf tournament platform? The lesson here is not to force a square peg into a round hole. Ticketing and event management platforms can’t handle the intricacies of golf tournaments and likely require your team to make time-consuming or complicated workarounds and adaptations. Look for a single software to manage everything from registration, payments, and promotion to hole assignments, sponsor onboarding, and flighting.

Using a golf-specific tournament management platform keeps everything organized in one easily-accessible place.

9. Shake Up Your Planning Team

Don’t force folks off the team if they still want to contribute, but consider bringing in a few new people that can provide a different perspective and connections. Reassign tasks if people are interested in spearheading a different portion of the tournament.

10. Garner Feedback

Make a point to chat with golfers and sponsors to get their immediate impressions of the tournament, then consider sending a quick survey in your post-event communications to ask them for additional feedback on the golf facility, format, add-ons, registration fees, what can be improved, what worked well, etc. Listening to participants gives you concrete ways you can make your tournament even better.

Ask your tournament’s golfers and sponsors directly what feedback they have about the event and implement suggestions that will help you scale.

Final Thoughts

One of the best ways to grow your event is to use a golf-specific tool to plan and manage your tournament. You’ll save a ton of time and get additional ways to raise funds, give golfers the best experience possible, and provide more value to your sponsors. GolfStatus can help with all that, and more. Nonprofits, charities, and those planning golf events to benefit one can use GolfStatus at no cost through the Golf for Good program. Click below to learn more and get qualified!

Partner Snapshot

Named one of the top residential golf courses in the U.S. and top 10 courses in Georgia by Golfweek, Bear’s Best Atlanta is comprised of iconic holes designed by Jack Nicklaus from around the world. As such, the semi-private club in Suwanee, Georgia offers a unique playing experience, with hole designs from famous golf courses designed by Nicklaus, including Castle Pines, Muirfield Village, PGA National Championship Course, Sherwood Country Club, Shoal Creek, and Glenagles, all in one place.

“It’s a course that has something for every golfer, and that is part of the appeal,” says Jenni Tyler, Event Sales Director at Bear’s Best Atlanta. Recent renovations of the pro shop, clubhouse, and course bunkers give the high-end club even more appeal to members and other golfers in the Atlanta metro area.

The Challenge

Bear’s Best regularly hosts charity golf tournaments at its facility. Its unique course offering, attentive staff, and top-notch event experience make it a great choice for local organizations holding golf events. “At Bear’s Best, we’re all about enriching lives and building relationships, and charity tournaments are a big part of that,” Jenni says.

With so many onsite events to manage and execute, Jenni’s sales team and the golf staff needed a tool to streamline outside outings to maximize efficiency but still provide top-notch support for event organizers.

The Solution

Bear’s Best is part of the Invited Clubs family of clubs across the U.S. For years, Invited has worked with GolfStatus for each of the club’s Charity Classic events. At Jenni’s previous club, she worked with several event organizers who used GolfStatus to collect registrations, manage golfer and sponsor information, and pass off hole assignments to the club’s golf staff. When Jenni came to Bear’s Best, Invited’s existing relationship with GolfStatus and her previous experience with the platform made it the tool of choice for outside charity tournaments at Bear’s Best.

The Results

Efficiency & Organization

Outside events are key to golf facilities’ bottom line; but they tend to take a lot of staff time, both on the front end, educating organizers and helping with best practices, and in the days leading up to a tournament, collecting golfer information and creating printouts. “GolfStatus gives us more time,” says Jenni. Instead of spending hours tracking down and inputting golfer names, assigning holes, designing cart signs, and creating reports, “we just log in and are ready to go in about 20 minutes since everything is in one spot.” The platform auto-generates alpha lists, cart signs, and reports, so all golf staff have to do is hit “print” when they’re making their final preparations.

Jenni says the biggest value GolfStatus brings to Bear’s Best is saving time and creating efficiencies. A big part of that is having the golfer information available to the golf staff ahead of time. Because golfers register via an event website where they submit their information and payment, staff don’t have to take that information over the phone or bounce between PDFs and spreadsheets. Everything is tracked and organized in one accessible place. Online registration is great for organizers, too—they can spend their time attracting golfers and selling sponsorships instead of dealing with paper forms, checks, and receipts. “They don’t have to figure out how to get a website set up, set up a Venmo or other way to take credit cards, or deal with payments the day of,” Jenni says.

All tournament-related staff at Bear’s Best, from the General Manager, to Jenni, to the golf pro, and assistant pro, all have logins to GolfStatus so they can make changes and adjustments up until the last minute.

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“GolfStatus is such a timesaver for managing names, hole assignments, knowing how many guests to expect and carts needed. It lets us prepare for the tournament and have staff ready to provide a great experience all around.”

— Jenni Tyler, Event Sales Director at Bear’s Best Atlanta

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Live-scoring is another piece of the puzzle for golf tournaments at Bear’s Best. Golfers submit their scores in the free GolfStatus mobile app, which syncs to live leaderboards. Golfers can see current standings, use the app’s free hole-by-hole GPS to get accurate yardage to the pin, and even engage with the tournament’s host organization by making a donation to their cause. On the golf facility side, live-scoring helps staff track the round’s progress so they can be prepared for awards, a banquet, or other activity, and makes finalizing the tournament’s results a breeze. “Live-scoring is so much more efficient in finalizing scoring and getting things ready for awards,” Jenni says.

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success story: North Gwinnett Dugout Club

The annual North Gwinnett Baseball Golf Tournament has been held at Bear’s Best for years. Organizers signed on with GolfStatus for the 2023 event, and Jenni says they had tremendous success. The previous year, prior to using GolfStatus, only about five teams prepaid when registering for the tournament, which left organizers hunting down teams for payment the day of the event and dealing with no-shows. After signing on with GolfStatus (and qualifying to use it at no cost through the Golf for Good program), they increased their field size to 144, collected all payments ahead of time, and brought even more sponsors on board. “Overall, they raised double what they had in years prior!” Jenni says.

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best-in-class service

The organizations who host events at Bear’s Best run the gamut in terms of planning experience. “Some come to us and don’t know a thing about golf tournaments, some have been doing events for years,” Jenni says. The great thing, she points out, is that GolfStatus can help both types of events streamline planning from start to finish, stay organized, and seamlessly work with Jenni and Bear’s Best’s golf staff. “Being able to refer people to GolfStatus, who I know will be able to answer questions and provide the same level of service and support that we expect at Bear’s Best, takes so much off of my plate,” Jenni says, adding that GolfStatus also takes some of the pressure off of the organizer.

“We use GolfStatus as a selling point, quite honestly,” says Jenni. “Particularly for brand new event organizers who don’t think they can pull a tournament off, I tell them, ‘Go talk to GolfStatus, they’ll be your backup on things that are tedious so you can focus on networking and marketing the tournament.’” In fact, Jenni says several tournaments have booked with Bear’s Best and come on board with GolfStatus on the same day.

GolfStatus’ in-house support team provides backup to golf facility staff, helping guide tournament organizers as they make important decisions about event format, dates, add-ons, sponsorships, and pricing, with the ultimate goal to have a successful, lucrative tournament. “Both our team and GolfStatus are focused on making every event the best it can be.”

invited clubs charity classic

Each club under the Invited Clubs umbrella hosts an annual Charity Classic event, which raises money for Invited Clubs’ Employee Care Foundation and a local charity. Bear’s Best Charity Classic benefits the ECF and First Tee of Metro Atlanta. “We get really excited about the Charity Classic event,” says Jenni. She has personally benefited from the ECF, which supports Invited Clubs’ employees in the midst of crisis such as home loss, death, illness, or domestic situations, so the cause hits home for her. “It’s an amazing resource for employees, but we also want to help youth through First Tee as they’re going through life and learning about golf,” Jenni says.

Running Bear’s Best Charity Classic event through GolfStatus puts Jenni in organizers’ shoes, and she continues to see the value in the platform. “We’re able to be efficient and stay organized while we raise money for great causes,” she says.

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golf facilities & event planners save time with golfstatus

Golf facilities like Bear’s Best benefit as much from GolfStatus’ tournament management tech as event organizers. Facility staff and the planning team can share access in GolfStatus’ backend to manage golfer and sponsor information, finalize team pairings and hole assignments, and save time from start to finish. Want to learn more about how your organization or golf facility can save time and raise more money with GolfStatus? Hit the button below to get in touch!