We’re back for year two of Putt Putt Fore Puppies!

The GolfStatus and Dormie Network marketing teams had so much fun in the tournament’s first year—and learned so much—that we decided to do it all over again and crush our goals from 2023. Check out the 2023 planning blog to get the rundown on the mini golf tournament.

Once again, Putt Putt Fore Puppies will raise money to support the pets looking for their forever homes at the Capital Humane Society here in Lincoln, Nebraska. Follow our journey here and on Facebook and Instagram!

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1st Quarter Update

We kicked off planning with committee meetings in February and March to review lessons learned and ideas from the post-tournament debrief and start brainstorming for 2024. The planning committee welcomed several new members, with newer GolfStatus Account Managers and Client Success Reps joining in on the fun. The team now numbers 13, which means more people to share the workload. The decision was made to move the tournament to September, for a couple reasons. One, we hit the jackpot with weather last year—75, sunny, and just a slight breeze. October weather in Nebraska is extremely unpredictable, with more stable conditions in September. Second, Capital Humane Society had no events scheduled for September, so Putt Putt could fill that gap.

Thus far, planning has been easier, as we have actual data and last year’s experiences to draw from. We have a better understanding of costs, revenue, attractive sponsor packages, and how many teams to shoot for. We also have processes and assets in place to use down the road. What’s more, we could simply copy our event in GolfStatus’ backend so there was no need to start from scratch. Stay tuned for the website launch!

Here are the tasks we handled this quarter:

• ✓  Finalized the planning committee
• ✓  Set dates for all remaining committee meetings
• ✓  Set a fundraising goal
• ✓  Reviewed pricing options for facility rental and team registration
• ✓  Brainstormed sponsorship and package ideas
• ✓  Brainstormed revenue enhancers
• ✓  Locked it in with Adventure Golf (September 20!)
• ✓  Confirmed the date with the Capital Humane Society team
• ✓  Divided up sponsorships among committee members
• ✓  Worked on updating the event website so it can launch in April
• ✓  Updated the tournament’s budget spreadsheet

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Golf tournaments are ripe with ways to build in revenue-generating components, both by leveraging the generosity of golfers and providing extras that make the tournament more fun and exciting. While sponsorships will likely make up the bulk of your tournament’s revenue, you can level up your fundraising power with add-ons that bring in more dollars and enhance the overall event experience for golfers and sponsors.

1. Donation Appeal

Your golfers attend your fundraiser for a reason: they’re passionate about your mission and want to help your cause. Appeal to this generosity both on and off the green, and you’ll be surprised at how much more money you can raise.

Start by providing context about your mission, fundraising goal, and initiatives on your event website and invitations so new donors understand the purpose of the event. Ensure your content is emotional, impactful, and tangible by featuring stories, photos, testimonials, or videos of your work.

Next, keep people updated on your progress during the event with email, in-app, or push notifications. This will up the urgency of your cause and encourage your donors to contribute to your goal.  

Finally, set up a donation station near the registration area or somewhere on the course to remind donors why they’re there: to make a difference. Leverage this opportunity to encourage your golfers to give certain amounts of money, such as an amount equal to their final score or the winning team’s final score.

Pro Tip: If your event includes an awards ceremony, it’s a great time to make a donation ask, particularly the option to donate the final score. A platform with the ability to collect donations is key!

2. Hole-in-One Contest

One of the most popular golf tournament fundraiser ideas is a hole-in-one contest. Golfers get the chance to ace a par-three hole or holes. Golfers love the excitement a hole-in-one contest brings to a tournament, and sponsors love the high visibility they earn for sponsoring the contest.

3. Longest Drive Contest

Another type of contest you can easily incorporate into your tournament is a longest drive contest. Work with the golf facility staff to identify a hole (or holes) that is long and straight, and have one contest for men and another for women. As the name implies, the winner is the person who hits the drive the farthest within the fairway. The golf course will provide a marker to mark the distance of drives. Work with a sponsor to donate or underwrite the cost of the contest prize.

4. Closest to the Pin contest

A closest to the pin contest is held on a par three hole and can be run alongside your hole-in-one contest, if desired. The winner of the contest is the golfer who hits a tee shot the closest to the hole. Much like the longest drive contest, you’ll want to have separate contests for men and women. And much like the previously mentioned contests, it’s a great opportunity for a premium sponsorship.

Ken’s Krew, a nonprofit that serves adults with neurodevelopmental disabilities, raises additional dollars with a putting contest at their golf fundraiser.

5. Putting Contest

Unlike the three other contests discussed above, a putting contest is typically held before or after your golf tournament, though it can be held during the round if that’s what works best for your event. A putting contest has the potential to boost revenue, as participants pay to enter the contest and qualify for the grand prize. Plus, you can encourage anyone can try their hand at sinking a long put, even tournament spectators.

6. Auctions

Silent and live auctions are popular components of golf tournaments and for good reason. They leverage the generosity of golfers, the euphoria of spending a day on the golf course, and a friendly desire to beat out their friends or colleagues. Whether you choose an on-site auction following the golf tournament or an online silent auction, you’ll want to promote it and any special prizes on your event website.

Pro Tip: Donated items are key to raising the most money possible, so put out calls to your networks and challenge the planning committee and board members to secure auction items. Also, try offering in-kind donations to your auction as a sponsorship option. This can empower more businesses to participate.

7. Mulligans

Mulligans are essentially a “do-over” that lets golfers retake a shot they weren’t happy with. Mulligans are an easy add-on to any registration package and are popular among golfers of all skill levels. Include them with team packages or sell them as a standalone item. Golfers who know they need a little extra wiggle room in their game can purchase one or more at the time of registration, or you can sell them the day of the event as well.

Pro Tip: To allow more people to purchase mulligans, ensure you’re using a mobile-friendly event website. This makes it easy for folks to purchase mulligans right from their phones on the day of the event, and eliminates the need to handle cash payments.

8. Skins Games

Skins games encourage friendly competition between golfers while raising more dollars for your cause. In short, skins games create mini-competitions where teams (or individuals, depending on the event’s format) opt to compete against each other based on their score on a given hole, in addition to their overall score. Event organizers can use skins games to fundraise by setting a dollar amount for participants to buy in to compete. 

To up the ante, display skins results on real-time digital leaderboards. This keeps golfers engaged and makes the skins games more competitive. Be sure to choose a software solution with reliable live-scoring that automatically syncs to live leaderboards that display on your event website and a mobile app.

9. Raffles

Approach businesses, sponsors, and the community for in-kind donations to use as prizes for a fundraising raffle or host a 50/50 cash drawing (in which the total prize money is split between the raffle winner or winners and the benefiting organization). Much like mulligans, raffle tickets can be built into team packages or offered as a standalone item. And also like mulligans, you can offer them for sale on the day of the tournament on the event website.

Pro Tip: Be sure to check for any legal requirements or restrictions for raffles in your state.

10. Matching Donations

Golfers are a generous bunch. A matching donor can exponentially multiply their generosity and supercharge your golf tournament’s fundraising efforts. This can work a couple of ways. 

One, sell a “Matching Gift Sponsor” that pledges to match donations made to your event. Depending on how the donor/sponsor would like to structure the match, these are often capped at a specific dollar amount (essentially the top amount the sponsor is willing to donate) or limited to a certain number of donations. Recognize this sponsor the same way you would any other high-dollar sponsor—on your event website, tournament signage, social media, email campaigns, etc. It might also be beneficial to send a standalone news release to local media contacts about the matching donation, giving even more exposure to the sponsor and inviting members of the community to contribute to your event.

Two, you may have a generous donor who wishes to stay anonymous or just doesn’t want to be considered a sponsor. In this case, work with the donor on how or if they would like to be mentioned or recognized for their support. 

Either way, it’s imperative that you communicate this opportunity to golfers leading up to and throughout the day of the event. Include it on your event website’s home page; add a QR code with a direct link to your event website on any printed materials or signage; mention the opportunity when golfers check in, during any kick-off address, or awards ceremony speeches; and send push notifications and emails to golfers through your tournament management software. Be sure to stress that their donation will go even further thanks to the generosity of your sponsor or donor and that donations must be made that day.

11. Virtual Round

Adding a virtual round lets golfers play in support of your cause from anywhere without being present at the actual tournament. Golfers simply register for the virtual event via your event website, choose the date and location where they want to play their rounds, and submit their scores via a live-scoring mobile app. If yours is an event that typically sells out, a virtual round also opens doors to additional participants playing for your organization without the risk and costs of adding a second day to your golf tournament.

12. Food and Drink Tickets

After a day of golfing for a good cause, your participants will likely be parched and hungry. Sell them food and drink tickets and put that money towards your campaign. To make the most money possible off of the tickets, consider asking local restaurants and supermarkets for in-kind food and drink donations (check with the golf course on their policies for outside food and drink). Thus, you’ll have fewer operating costs and the money you make will be put to good use in your fundraising campaign.

13. On-Course Games

The possibilities for games as golf tournament fundraiser ideas are endless. Golfers and sponsors alike will remember the fun they had shooting a golf ball cannon, putting blindfolded, or using a seven iron to play the entire hole. Your organization will reap the benefits of pure tournament revenue and make folks more likely to return year after year.

Pro Tip: An all-in games package is a simple option for entry—golfers pay one flat fee to participate in all the games. Use wristbands or something similar to signal to the volunteers working the games on the course that those golfers have already paid.

14. Technology Sponsorship

This unique sponsorship gives the sponsoring business unparalleled exposure across the tournament management platform and accompanying mobile app. The Technology Sponsorship is only available to GolfStatus clients and on average, raises an additional $4,000 for your mission. Sell it as a standalone sponsorship or build it into your title or presenting sponsorship to provide even more value.

15. Pin Flag Sponsorship

This high-end sponsorship gives your tournament a professional feel. Sell one pin flag sponsorship for all 18 holes and premium exposure, split it into a front nine and back nine sponsorships, or sell them individually. No matter how you approach it, sponsors will appreciate seeing their logo on high-quality pin flags that make a great keepsake.

16. Celebrity Appearance

Celebrities raise visibility for your tournament and your cause. You’ll likely need a sponsor to cover the hard costs associated with bringing a celebrity to your tournament (unless you have direct connections with a celebrity), but it’s a great chance to raise the income potential for your golf tournament. You don’t necessarily need an A-lister to have an impact—consider local celebrities, such as the mayor, college athletes, local news anchors, or well-known business owners.

17. Ball Drop

This golf tournament fundraiser idea can be done in several ways. One easy way is to structure it like a raffle. Sell balls that have a unique number on them like you would raffle tickets, using your golf tournament website to process payments to simplify post-tournament accounting. Balls are then dropped from something like a helicopter or crane and the closet ball to the target wins the prize. There are some definite logistics involved with a ball drop, but finding a sponsor for the ball drop is a great way to ensure you’ll come out ahead.

18. Golf Clinic 

Adding a clinic is a solid golf tournament fundraiser idea that grows the game and encourages those who aren’t golfers or are interested in improving their skills to participate. There are several ways to approach a clinic. You can work with the golf pro and the host golf facility to host a clinic the day before or morning of your tournament. Alternatively, you might work with local college teams to volunteer their time to run the clinic. Take it a step further and try to land a professional or semi-professional golfer to run the clinic, if it’s feasible.

19. VIP Package

Sell a specific VIP package as an add-on to regular team or sponsor registration packages. To make it appealing enough that folks want to upgrade, consider including things like:

• Premium parking spots

• Exclusive tournament merchandise or gift packages

• Meet-and-greet with organizational beneficiaries or any celebrities in attendance

• Discounted entries into the contests or games mentioned above

• Complimentary raffle tickets, food and drink tickets, or mulligans

20. Event-Specific Merchandise

Offering exclusive tournament merchandise creates an element of scarcity among attendees to make a purchase. They won’t want to miss out on the chance to commemorate the event with special items. Pick merchandise that’s useful and likely to be popular among golfers, such as golf shirts, t-shirts, head covers, golf balls, golf towels, water bottles, or hats. Incorporate your organization’s or tournament’s branding into the merchandise design, and work with a partner that can handle the logistics of producing the merchandise on time.

21. Pledge Drive

A pledge drive gets your donors and their broader networks involved, even if they can’t play in the tournament. Donors ask their friends, family, and colleagues to make a pledge to donate money based on their participation in the tournament. For example, someone would pledge $10 for every birdie or $5 for every par that golfer achieves. Pledges could be tied to contests, such as pledging a donation of $50 if your golfer wins the longest drive or closest to the pin contest. Another idea is to base pledges on overall performance, perhaps $100 if the team finishes in first place or $25 if they finish in last place. Use the donate button or build a specific package on your golf tournament website to easily collect pledge payments.

22. Beat the Special Guest Challenge

Having a special guest play in the event, and offering folks a chance to go head-to-head against that person, is a great golf tournament fundraiser idea. Whether it’s a well-known golfer, local celebrity, executive director of the nonprofit, or president of the board of directors, the special guest can be stationed on a specific hole. Participants pay to compete against the guest on the entire hole, or see who can hit a longer drive or sink a longer putt to win a prize.

23. Golf Tournament Bracket

Prior to the event, give participants the chance to buy into a “fantasy golf” bracket to predict the tournament’s overall winners, specific scores, or winners of contests. If your tournament’s field is close-knit or well known to each other, you might offer a Calcutta pool, in which participants “bid” on a specific team. If that team wins, the winning bidder gets part of the overall prize money, with the rest going to your organization.

Wrapping Up

Once your event ends, your work isn’t done yet! Immediately after the golf tournament, crunch some numbers and see which components of your golf event raised the most money. Factor in time spent by staff or volunteers on each part to determine the cost beyond its monetary face value. Then, look at ways to improve for next year, whether it’s raising the price of specific sponsorship packages, approaching new and/or different businesses to sponsor the event, or trying out different fundraising ideas.

Pro Tip: When you use GolfStatus for your golf event, you can simply copy this year’s event for next year, eliminating the need to set the event up from scratch. Update the date, time, and location and you can start promoting the event right away!

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Whichever golf tournament fundraiser ideas you end up using, you need a powerful software solution on your side. GolfStatus offers solutions for charities and event organizers with its industry-leading golf event management and fundraising software. Its full-featured platform streamlines golf fundraisers to save time and raise more money and its responsive support team is there to help every step of the way. Through the Golf for Good program, nonprofits and organizations doing social good can qualify for no-cost access to the technology. Click the button below to get qualified or email [email protected].

Ready to plan your best charity golf tournament?

Click here to book a GolfStatus demo today!

GolfStatus’ golf event management platform powers golf tournaments and events of all types and sizes—even mini golf tournaments.

GolfStatus’ golf event management platform powers golf tournaments and events of all types and sizes—even mini golf tournaments.

Leaning on the tournament planning resources available in its online resources library and working closely with the in-house Client Success team, the GolfStatus marketing team planned a brand new mini golf tournament, using the tasks outlined in the golf tournament fundraiser timeline and checklist, to give back to our community and raise money for a local charity. The tournament raised over $9,200 for the Capital Humane Society in our hometown of Lincoln, Nebraska.

A big THANK YOU to our tournament sponsors!

Presenting Sponsor

Sponsors

Golf Ball Sponsor

Dinner Sponsor

Koozie Sponsor

Pin Flag Sponsor

Batting Cage Sponsor

19th Hole Sponsor

Swag Sponsor

Game Sponsor

hole sponsors

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Post-event update

Lessons learned: The to-do list doesn’t stop once the tournament is done! Post-event follow up and engagement with attendees is super important for ensuring a great experience and building momentum for the next year’s event. Using GolfStatus’ messaging app was a simple way to reach out to everyone in one fell swoop to say thank you, provide a final update, and announce that Putt Putt Fore Puppies will be back again in 2024! Once all of the tournament accounting was reconciled, we were able to present Capital Humane Society with a check for $9,208.15 (which was THREE TIMES what we set for an initial fundraising goal).

We worked on these post-tournament tasks in the last month or so:

• ✓  Sent a thank you to all attendees via GolfStatus’ platform
• ✓  Sent handwritten thank you notes to sponsors
• ✓  Provided hole signs to sponsors
• ✓  Updated the event website
• ✓  Reconciled final expenses and income and presented a check to Capital Humane Society
• ✓  Debriefed with the planning committee
• ✓  Renewed with GolfStatus for 2024!

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OCTOBEr Update

We did it! And it was an amazing day. We hit the jackpot in terms of weather—low 80s, plentiful sunshine, and a slight breeze. Set up and check in both went smoothly. People were eager to buy the games package and raffle tickets through the event website, and we raised $1100 the day of the event just in add-on purchases! Best of all, we were able to make a big check presentation to Capital Humane Society for over $8000! We heard from so many golfers and sponsors about how much fun they had and how they hoped we would do it again.

Lessons learned:

• As much as we tried to plan ahead so the week of the event wouldn’t be hectic, there were just some tasks that had to wait until close to the event, such as printing alpha lists and making hole assignments.

• It’s a good idea to avoid mentioning a specific time for post-golf happenings, since the round might take longer than anticipated. We planned an hour for golf, but the round on the Backwoods course (which is significantly more difficult than the Blue course) took close to an hour and half. Those on the Blue course finished in just over an hour, and thankfully were content to mingle, enjoy dinner or a drink, hit the batting cages, and soak in the beautiful weather while waiting for the raffle drawing and awards presentation.

• Having QR codes for folks to buy raffle tickets and the all-in games package made it super easy to do. We also had QR codes to download the GolfStatus app for live-scoring, since we didn’t use paper scorecards. Live-scoring was a big hit, and sponsors loved seeing their logo in the app.

• Giving ourselves plenty of time for setup was helpful—we arrived at Adventure Golf about 12:30 so we weren’t pushed to get everything ready before registration opened at 3:30.

• Running everything through the GolfStatus event website was so helpful in reconciling expenses. Some golfers preferred to pay via cash, but that added a level of complexity for accounting purposes.

• Getting proofs for printed items is imperative to ensure there are no errors and all items are up to our high standards and make sponsors look good. We had some difficulties getting accurate proofs from a vendor, but our persistence paid off and everything turned out fine (though it did add some unnecessary stress).

• We truly couldn’t have done without GolfStatus. From easy registration, instant sponsor exposure, premium sponsorships, and the hands-on help from the client success team, GolfStatus was a key part of our success.

We crossed these last-minute to-dos off of the list in the weeks and days leading up to the event:

• ✓  Held bi-weekly meetings with the planning committee to discuss logistics
• ✓  Re-opened registration for waitlisted teams
• ✓  Created QR codes for golfers to purchase raffle tickets and all-in games and to download the GolfStatus app
• ✓  Created a rules sheet outlining the format and rules for each of the on-course games
• ✓  Assembled pin flags, hole signs, and golfer swag bags
• ✓  Worked with our GolfStatus client success rep to make hole assignments
• ✓  Confirmed and communicated volunteer assignments and committee roles
• ✓  Finalized the event day schedule
• ✓  Wrote talking points for the welcome
• ✓  Pulled together registration table supplies and odds and ends
• ✓  Communicated with sponsors and registrants to remind them of all-in games packages and raffle tickets

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September Update

Lessons learned: Our tournament date is rapidly approaching and we’re in final prep mode. Our promotional push paid off, as we officially sold out the event! It was super exciting to see every sponsorship and team slot sold. As our GolfStatus client success rep had explained to us a few months ago, the majority of teams tend to register in the month or so leading up to the event, and that was the case here. We had a few additional teams inquire about registering after all the slots were filled, so we opened a waitlist. There are currently nine teams on our waitlist, so we’re figuring out a plan for potentially doubling up teams on some holes or even opening the third course at Adventure Golf. As we plan for all the final details and logistics, some of our sponsors have stepped up to provide things like tote bags and swag for player gift bags.

Here are the tasks we accomplished in September:

• ✓  Sold out our teams!!!
• ✓  Opened a waitlist for additional teams
• ✓  Held our monthly tournament planning meeting and set bi-weekly meetings through the tournament date
• ✓  Worked on recruiting volunteers to run games
• ✓  Designed and ordered a bunch of items: sponsor banners, hole signs, pin flags, koozies, and golf balls
• ✓  Checked with Adventure Golf on logistics like A/V equipment and tables
• ✓  Tracked donated game and raffle prizes

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AUGUST Update

Lessons learned: Our summer focus on sponsorships has paid off, as we are officially sold out of sponsor packages! We worked with a couple businesses who were interested in participating in the event to create custom sponsorships, based on their goals and capacities for being part of the tournament. We’re super excited about selling our presenting sponsorship to Sinclair Hille Architects! The presenting sponsorship included GolfStatus’ exclusive Technology Sponsorship. With less than two months to go until event day, we’re working on determining details for on-course games, soliciting in-kind donations for prizes, and most importantly, pushing team registrations. Our team has been posting flyers around Lincoln, reaching out to friends and family who have expressed interest, pushing out email promotions, and utilizing targeted ads and organic social media to get the word out. 

Here are the tasks we accomplished in August:

• ✓  Sold out our slate of sponsorships (shout out to Sinclaire Hille Architects, Ross Eickhoff State Farm, 402 Creamery, Allo Fiber, Raising Cane’s, Luly Motors, Pioneer Greens Dentistry, Nexus Marketing, Amigos/Kings Classic, Vanicek Dental, Yankee Hill Veterinary Hospital, Prairie Dental, Armature)
• ✓  Sold 10 teams
• ✓  Continued posting promotional flyers at businesses around Lincoln
• ✓  Worked on a promotional strategy to drive team registrations
• ✓  Held our monthly tournament planning committee meeting
• ✓  Created a spreadsheet to track volunteers, on-course games, prizes, and donations
• ✓  Started recruiting volunteers to help run the tournament
• ✓  Got to know some of the furry friends available for adoption at Capital Humane Society
• ✓  Continued outreach for in kind prize donations

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July Update

Lessons learned: The team focused on securing sponsorships over the past month, relying on personal and professional connections to reach out to businesses. We’ve heard from a couple of potential sponsors that their charitable or sponsorship dollars have already been allocated for the year, which has reinforced the advice to start sponsor outreach early! We’ve been using our new budget spreadsheet template to track revenue and expenses, which has been helpful to reference, and started outlining volunteer needs and the details of the extra games we’ll have on the course.

Here are the tasks we accomplished in July:

• ✓  Onboarded five new sponsors (shout out to Upland Software, Global Golf Post, Five Nines, Nicki for Nebraska, Allstate Agent Ty Shearman)
• ✓  Sold 11 teams
• ✓  Dropped flyers off at businesses around Lincoln to promote the tournament
• ✓  Held our monthly planning committee meeting
• ✓  Got to know some of the furry friends available for adoption at Capital Humane Society
• ✓  Continued sponsor outreach and asks for prize donations
• ✓  Selected a photographer to capture images of the event

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June Update

Lessons learned: While we were initially discouraged about the lack of team registrations thus far, we’ve discovered that folks are interested in playing in the event—they just don’t want to commit this far out from the tournament date. Our Client Success team assures us that most team registrations occur within 30 days of the event, and since our tournament isn’t until October 20, we’re still in good shape. That being said, we’re continuing promotion to keep the event on people’s radars and hopefully drive some early registrations and sell additional sponsorships.

Here are the tasks we accomplished in June:

• ✓  Finalized a promotional flyer
• ✓  Held a monthly committee meeting
• ✓  Sold an additional sponsorship (thanks Vanity Fur)!
• ✓  Determined on-course games
• ✓  Added a registration package for on-course games to the event website
• ✓  Continued to reach out to potential sponsors
• ✓  Continued promotion on social media

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May Update

Lessons learned: It was exciting to put on the finishing touches and launch our event website! GolfStatus’ platform made it easy to add graphics, customize verbiage, and set a donation goal. We also worked with Cash, our Client Success rep, to add watch emails so members of our planning team are notified whenever someone registers a team, makes a donation, or purchases a sponsorship. A custom form was added to each registration package to collect preferences on which golf course folks want to play (Adventure Golf has three courses, one of which is definitely more challenging!). We knew that the software was easy to navigate, but have now experienced it firsthand! Now we shift our focus to promoting the tournament and approaching potential sponsors.

Here's what we did in May:

• ✓  Held our monthly planning committee meeting
• ✓  Finalized and launched our event website.
• ✓  Sold our first two sponsorships. (shoutout to 402 Title Services and Certified Piedmontese!)
• ✓  Had our first team register.
• ✓  Finalized team registration costs.
• ✓  Sent our first promotional email.
• ✓  Started working on a tournament flyer.

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April Update

Lessons learned: Divvying up the labor has helped keep planning moving forward at a brisk pace. Monthly committee meetings have been a great checkpoint and opportunity to brainstorm and bounce ideas off of each other. Each planning committee member took ownership of a sponsorship package and determined costs, pricing, and benefits, and will also take point in selling the sponsorship.

At this point, we have two of the three courses booked at Adventure Golf, but are working to price sponsorships so they’re still profitable if we need to scale up to include all three courses (which would be a great problem to have!).

We crossed these items off the to-do list in April:

• ✓  Field trip to Adventure Golf to scope out the courses’ layout and where we can place signage, registration, tables, etc.
• ✓  Added imagery and custom text to the event website.
• ✓  Finalized the tournament logo (and it’s super cute!).
• ✓  Finalized sponsorship packages.
• ✓  Finalized team registration costs.
• ✓  Added details to the budget worksheet to track income and expenses.
• ✓  Started fleshing out a promotion schedule to implement once the event website is launched.

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March Update

Lessons learned: As a first-year event, we’re creating and documenting processes as we go. Without past years’ experiences to draw from, it’s necessary to make educated guesses on a number of components, like fixed costs, expected revenue, sponsor packages, or the number of participants. We also don’t know what we don’t know, but have found that GolfStatus’ online resources and our Client Success team are filling in the gaps. Cash, our dedicated rep, is essentially an extra planning committee member, sharing his experience and expertise.

The good news is that we’re ahead of the game with planning. Cash shared that most tournaments open up registration 60-90 days out from the event date, and we’re on track to open registration sooner than that timeframe, once we determine some details about format and further flesh out sponsorship packages. Our committee members, like most golf event organizers, are trying to balance planning tasks with our full-time jobs and lives.

Here are the tasks we tackled in March:

• ✓  Finalized a date and locked it in with Adventure Golf (October 20!)
• ✓  Divided up sponsorships among committee members
• ✓  Received an education session from our GolfStatus Customer Success rep
• ✓  Worked on a draft of our event website
• ✓  Submitted fundraiser information to name Capital Humane Society as a beneficiary
• ✓  Started working on the tournament logo
• ✓  Started brainstorming promotion ideas
• ✓  Created a budget tracking spreadsheet
• ✓  Started creating a budget
• ✓  Practiced our putting skills (we do this a lot)

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February Update

Lessons learned: Even with a mini golf tournament, there are a lot of moving parts and important things to consider, but the checklist has kept us on task. We’re finding a lot of fun possibilities for a mini golf tournament in terms of add-ons, sponsorship options, and games. After discussions with the planning committee, the original tentative event date needed to be reconsidered due to a conflicting event—which is why it was important to loop the entire team in to help consider decisions from all angles.

Here’s what we accomplished in February:

• ✓  Finalized the planning committee
• ✓  Set dates for all remaining committee meetings
• ✓  Reviewed pricing options for facility rental
• ✓  Revisited potential event date options
• ✓  Brainstormed sponsorship and package ideas
• ✓  Determined a tournament name (Putt Putt for Puppies)
• ✓  Narrowed down a list of local animal-related beneficiaries
• ✓  Reviewed several GolfStatus client mini golf events and websites
• ✓  Started creating a budget
• ✓  Practiced our putting skills (again)

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January Update

Here’s what we did in January:

• ✓  Set a tentative event date in October 2023
• ✓  Checked local event calendars for conflicts
• ✓  Met with the golf facility (Adventure Golf Center in Lincoln, Nebraska)
• ✓  Received a GolfStatus demo
• ✓  Brainstormed event ideas with the planning team and our GolfStatus Account Manager
• ✓  Practiced our putting skills

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Your event website functions as the home base for your golf tournament, where folks can find out more about the event, learn about your organization, and register or purchase a sponsorship. Your event website also has a secret weapon—the donate button.

It’s a more-powerful-than-you-think tool that you can use to do far more than simply accept donations. You can collect payments for a number of tournament add-ons via the donation button. This keeps all payments and event revenue in one spot, making it easy to track income, simplify accounting, and run robust event reports.

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How Does It Work?

Simply send folks right to the donate page on your event website. If you’re sending information to participants electronically (via email or push notifications), include a clickable direct link. If you’re using any printed materials (like flyers or signage), add a QR code golfers can scan on their phone that takes them right to the donation page. Use the page to:

1. Collect Donations

Build strategic donation asks into your tournament day using emails, push notifications, social media, and in-person appeals. Challenge golfers to donate their final score or the score of the winning team or set up a donation station to collect gifts. You’ll onboard new donors you can further steward after the tournament!

2. Show Progress Toward Your Fundraising Goal

Donors love seeing the impact their gift is making. A quick and easy way to do that is having a bar that tracks progress toward your donation goal. Make sure donors can see it during checkout so they can instantly see how their gift has helped move the needle.

Event websites powered by GolfStatus make it easy for you to track your event day fundraising goal.

3. Collect Auction Payments

Particularly if you’re not using a standalone online auction platform or one that doesn’t process payments, you need an easy way for winning bidders to pay for their items. Simply direct folks to the donate page and make a note of the item or items they won for reporting purposes.

4. Pay for On-Course Games & Contests 

On-course games and contests are a great way to raise additional dollars the day of the tournament. Golfers can pay to have a pro take the tee shot for them, enter a putting contest, or participate in any other fun on-course competition right from the event website. Alternatively, you could set up specific packages for games and contests and direct folks to the registration page if you’re interested in separating those out for accounting purposes.

Golfers participate in a “blind putt hole” on-course game at a golf fundraiser.

5. Track Matching Donations

If you have a donor willing to match donations made the day of the tournament, sending everything through the event site makes it super simple to track the match. Highlight how donors’ gifts will be matched (if it’s a 1:1 match or other ratio plus the maximum match amount) and recognize the generous donor (if they want to be publicly recognized, that is).

6. Sell Mulligans or Raffle Tickets 

Allow golfers to buy these when they check in on tournament day, or consider setting up a station or stations on the golf course where folks can buy mulligans or raffle tickets. Setting up a station before a particularly difficult hole might boost your mulligan sales! You also have the option to build out mulligan or raffle tickets packages, like mentioned under on-course games and contests.

Golfers can make a payment or donation right from their mobile phone before, during, or after the golf tournament.

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Final Thoughts

The last thing you want to worry about on tournament day is hanging on to a wad of cash, manually entering credit card numbers, or reconciling Venmo payments. Instead, direct golfers to your event website and keep everything in one, unified place to simplify your post-tournament accounting.

GolfStatus’ tournament management software makes it simple. It starts with a professional event website, is powered by an industry-leading support team and an intuitive backend that’s easy for avid golfers and non-golfers alike, and ends with robust reporting and printouts. Best of all, nonprofits (and third parties holding golf tournaments to benefit a nonprofit or charity) can qualify to use GolfStatus’ platform at no upfront cost through the Golf for Good program. It’s not too good to be true! Click the button to find out more and get qualified.

As summer draws to a close, your nonprofit is likely turning your attention to year-end giving campaigns and begin planning for 2024 fundraising initiatives. If a golf tournament is a regular part of your fundraising event calendar, or you’re looking to add a spring or summer golf event to your fundraising portfolio, now’s the time to get started.

Keep your planning team organized and on track for a successful golf fundraiser by focusing on these six key planning tasks yet this year:

1. Book the Golf Facility

As the height of golf season winds down, facilities are also beginning to plan for next year. It’s a good idea to get a date on their calendar sooner rather than later, especially if you’re eyeing a high-end facility where your organization might be competing for a limited number of open dates for fundraisers and other outside outings.

2. Secure Your Tech Stack

Nonprofits are constantly looking for ways to be more efficient, stay organized, and streamline operations. Planning and executing the annual golf fundraiser are no different. Because golf tournaments come with unique details that must be appropriately handled to ensure a flawless event, finding the right tools and resources and getting them in place as soon as possible is crucial. Look for an event management platform that’s built for golf and can natively manage critical components like handicaps, flighting, hole assignments, and scoring without clunky workarounds.

3. Launch an Event Website

Getting your event website up early makes it easy to begin accepting registrations and donations and selling sponsorships now. Ideally, your website should be up before the first communication about the event goes out, including save-the-dates. In fact, it’s a good idea to open registration for next year’s event on the heels of the current outing if at all possible so folks can commit when the golf event is top of mind. An event website is also a great place to display pertinent information and updates. The sooner your site is live, the sooner you can communicate about the event in a context that makes sense. 

4. Market the Event Early 

Start marketing your event as far as four to six months in advance, especially if the golf tournament is a new fundraiser for your organization. Early communications can be quick and straightforward (such as a simple save the date that links folks to the event website). Start with donors who have supported the golf event in the past, as well as general organization supporters and those who have attended other fundraising events.

Early communications also allow you to get on sponsors’ radars ahead of their annual budget planning. For this reason, it’s a good idea to send save-the-dates for spring and summer fundraisers ahead of year-end. Also be sure to target not only veteran donors and year-over-year event participants, but the new supporters they’ve invited to fill out their teams; these attendees provide an opportunity to target new sponsors and garner additional support. Make an announcement on social media, and if you have some dollars available, consider running paid ads to cast a wider net of potential new golfers and sponsors.

5. Leverage Your networks

Your organization likely has some powerful connections in its collective personal and professional networks. Give yourself plenty of runway and start calling on your planning committee, board of directors, staff, regular donors, and dedicated volunteers and asking them to tap into their networks to:

• Identify contacts at local and national businesses that should be targeted as potential tournament sponsors.

• Invite friends, family, colleagues, and peers who might be interested in playing in the event.

• Solicit in-kind donations for auction items, raffle prizes, pin prizes, other giveaways, event food and beverage, or post-round entertainment.

BackSwing Golf Events is a great option for on-course entertainment and contests, like beat the pro and glass break challenges.

6. think about add-ons & extras 

How are you going to make your tournament stand out? What can you do to make it memorable for golfers and sponsors? Golf tournaments come with a ton of options to boost revenue while elevating the overall experience to keep supporters coming back year after year. Fun add-ons are sure to leave a lasting impression and bring in even more dollars for your cause. Start thinking about ways to connect any on-course games to your cause, get pricing and details for on-course entertainment, and secure hole-in-one contest insurance. Getting these pieces in place early in the planning process gives you more time to secure sponsorships (and cover hard costs) for these add-ons.

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Get Qualified for No Cost Golf Event Tech

GolfStatus’ robust tournament management software streamlines and simplifies golf fundraisers to save busy nonprofit event organizers time and effort. Its built in fundraising tools, exclusive sponsorships, and premium add-ons help raise even more money for your cause. Nonprofits and those planning a golf event to benefit one can qualify to use GolfStatus at no upfront cost—including an event website, online registration, custom sponsor packages, live scoring, and much more—through our Golf for Good program. Click below to learn more and get qualified!

Organization Snapshot

Enriching the lives of the visually impaired is at the heart of Outlook Enrichment’s mission. A private, nonprofit agency based in Omaha, Nebraska, Outlook Enrichment empowers people living with vision loss with the skills and tools to achieve their goals. Its core programs serve the visually impaired through adaptive technology training, recreational programs, independent living, employment training, support groups, cultural experiences, and community education.

“It’s really fulfilling for us to see an individual’s arc of life in adapting to vision loss,” says Nina Rongisch, Director of Fund Development at Outlook Enrichment. “They may think they can’t do the things they used to be able to do, but we get them on the right path and see the excitement come back in them and they grow and flourish.”

Outlook Enrichment serves the visually impaired through adaptive technology training, recreational programs (like tandem bike rides, pictured above), independent living, employment training, support groups, cultural experiences, and community education.

Outlook Enrichment is part of the broader Outlook Collaborative that, with three other agencies, serves the visually impired in Omaha. “We help people adjust to vision loss, connecting them to necessary resources and helping them navigate the system that allows them to be as independent as possible,” says Paulette Monthei, Executive Director at Outlook Enrichment.

The Challenge

Outlook Enrichment’s two annual fundraising events bring in dollars for equipment purchases, instructor wages, outreach activities, and program support—an annual gala and a long-standing golf clinic and tournament. 

The sport of golf is important for many visually-impaired individuals. Finding ways to stay involved helps bring a spark back to their lives. “We had one golfer in his 70s who used to be an avid golfer and withdrew from the sport as he slowly lost sight,” Nina explains. “The golf clinic and our other recreation programs help show them that they can still do the things they love, albeit in a different capacity.”

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“The golf clinic and our other recreation programs help show them that they can still do the things they love, albeit in a different capacity.”

— Nina Rongisch, Director of Fund Development at Outlook Enrichment

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Out of its staff of six, only two are sighted. “Those of us who work directly with clients have some level of vision loss,” says Paulette, who has low vision herself. “It’s so important to share that perspective and empathize with them, while providing resources and services to help with job training, mental wellness, transportation, and recreation.” 

Its small but mighty team handles everything from fundraising to program implementation to serving over 300 clients a year. As such, efficiency is key, so when the previous registration process for the golf event wasn’t cutting it, the team sought new options. “We needed something simpler and easier,” Nina says. “We got some complaints about the registration process being too complicated and cumbersome.”

The Solution

Nina knew there had to be a better option to make the user interface easier and more seamless, both on the donor and administrative sides. An online search led them to GolfStatus, a golf-specific event management platform. Naturally, accessibility was a major concern for any tech platform. “It was important that GolfStatus was willing to work with us to improve accessibility and really heard our concerns,” says Nina. The GolfStatus public-facing event site was easily navigable by screen readers and featured a high-contrast color palette to improve readability for those with reduced vision.

Through the Golf for Good program, Nina, Paulette, and the Outlook Enrichment team were able to utilize GolfStatus to streamline their golf tournament at no cost. “It’s hard to find a system for nonprofits that isn’t going to charge you an arm and a leg,” says Paulette. “We loved that it was no cost and easy to use.”

The Results

Between 40 and 48 teams typically play in the golf tournament, which is sponsored by 10-20 area businesses, partners, and vendors. Beyond raising dollars, the golf tournament’s goal is to raise awareness and get golfers and sponsors to further engage with Outlook Enrichment. “We want to fill the tournament, of course, but we also want to reach new people,” says Nina. “Those new people may come for the golf, but they engage with our organization, staff members, and those we serve to better understand where their money is going.”

One of the golf tournament’s main goals is to raise awareness about Outlooks Enrichment’s mission by attracting new golfers and sponsors to the event.

Golfers used their mobile devices to make purchases (i.e. mulligans, raffle tickets, hole challenges,etc.) and donations the day of the tournament. “Having them pay through the event site was so much simpler,” says Nina. “For years we pushed people to bring cash along for things like this, and we missed out on extra dollars if someone didn’t have cash.” The event brought in an extra $3,000 from day-of purchases alone!

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“GolfStatus was hands down one of the easiest and seamless systems we’ve used.”

— Nina Rongisch, Director of Fund Development at Outlook Enrichment

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“GolfStatus was hands down one of the easiest and seamless systems we’ve used,” says Nina, finding it so helpful that she utilized GolfStatus’s registration for the annual Vision Beyond Sight fundraiser (which, unfortunately, was canceled due to rain).

Automation & Support

The event website for the Tee It Up Fore Sight fundraiser was the key to reaping the benefits of the platform. Golfers and sponsors would register and pay securely via the website and their information automatically populated the platform’s backend where Nina could make hole assignments, create and print pre-formatted alpha lists and cart signs, and see who had purchased various add-ons.

Golfers and sponsors registered via an event website, automating registration and giving Nina and Paulette a jump on thanking donors and reconciling payments.

Nina says email notifications and weekly reporting and payouts were invaluable to her in terms of saving time and creating efficiencies. “I set up separate email notifications for registrations and sponsorships,” Nina says. Not only did this help from an administrative perspective, but it allowed the team to stay on top of thanking golfers and sponsors right away, a key part of long-term donor stewardship and retention.

“I didn’t have to live on the platform but could easily get in the backend to see where things stood,” she says.

The GolfStatus customer success team was there to help whenever Nina, Paulette, or anyone on their team had questions or needed assistance. “Everyone was amazing! If there was a hiccup, they got it resolved right away,” Nina says.

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“I didn’t have to live on the platform but could easily get in the backend to see where things stood.”

— Nina Rongisch, Director of Fund Development at Outlook Enrichment

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golf fundraiser Creates Cause Connection

Outlook Enrichment creates a real, tangible connection to its mission for golfers and sponsors by including immersion activities on select tournament holes. “Golfers put on a sleep shade and putt,” Nina explains. “They have to rely on the rest of their senses to make the shot, which really gets them to think about sight from a different perspective.” It’s also a fundraising component, as golfers chip in $5-$20 to try.

Outlook Enrichment also hosts the Stanley M. Truhlsen, Jr. Blind Golfers Clinic for non-sighted golfers in conjunction with the golf fundraiser. Partnering with adaptive sports specialists and volunteers from golf teams at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and local high schools, the golfers learn chipping, putting, and driving, and typically play one or more holes before the round kicks off.

The Stanley M. Truhlsen, Jr. Blind Golfers Clinic pairs visually-impaired golfers adaptive sports specialists and volunteers to learn chipping, putting, and driving.

What’s more, some of the team pairings include a non-sighted player. The rest of the team helps the visually-impaired golfer line up their shot and describe as best they can the terrain of the shot—how much slope, angle, obstacle locations, distance to the pin. “It’s really interesting the techniques the sighted golfers use to help line the golfer up, whether it’s verbal cues or physically lining up the correct angle,” says Nina. When golfers then put on the sleep shades, they’re forced to use their other senses to make the shot.

Accessibility

Given Outlook Enrichment’s mission, accessibility is a must-have when it comes to any software or tech tool. “We won’t use a company if we can’t navigate it,” says Nina. Both sighted staff and staff with some level of visual impairment worked through the front-end of the software before signing on with GolfStatus, and found that the event site was easy to navigate with screen readers and its high contrast color scheme made it more readable. 

“We appreciate how the GolfStatus staff worked with us to make the site as accessible as possible,” says Nina, noting that members of the development team worked with the Outlook Enrichment staff to walk through the site to glean additional feedback on how to improve accessibility. “It was so nice to know that GolfStatus cared and heard us!”

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Helping Nonprofits Leverage Golf for Good

GolfStatus helps nonprofits and charities of all types and sizes leverage golf’s giving power with powerful, user-friendly technology and industry-leading support. Through the Golf for Good program, qualifying nonprofits and events benefiting a charity or cause can get access to GolfStatus’s golf event management and fundraising platform at no cost. Get qualified by clicking below or email [email protected].

Whether your association has run a golf event for years or is just getting started, its benefits are numerous, and when you have the right tools, reaping those benefits requires a small investment of time and resources. Here are four key goals to explore ahead of your 2020 golf outing.

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1. Generate Non-Dues Revenue

The golf outing is an ideal way to generate NDR (non-dues revenue). Whether your outing channels its fundraising dollars solely back into the association, or parts them with a nonprofit beneficiary (or several), fundraising dollars can be collected from registrations, sponsorships, add-ons like mulligans and raffle tickets, on-course games, and other donation asks. The golf event can also be paired with a luncheon, dinner, more formal gala or auction.

Pro tip: When planning your golf event, consider the venue, price points, sponsorship options, and other key items on the front end and be sure they align with your goals. If your association has the opportunity to attract high-capacity members and big-time sponsors, be sure the caliber of the event is aligned with that opportunity. Be aware that positioning your outing as a high-end corporate entertainment event ensures that members gain substantial value from attending, making them willing to invest in supporting and participating in the event.

2. Ramp up Member Recruiting & Retention

Golf outings require participants to field a team, which encourages them to reach out to their networks and naturally leads to new member prospects. If membership growth is a primary goal for your organization, let your tried-and-true golf event participants know so they can build their teams accordingly. You can also make the event a member guest-style outing, so teams include both members of your association and non-members (i.e. prospects). Because of the inherent networking value golf events offer, and the fact that attendees tend to genuinely enjoy them, outings are a great way to keep members engaged and invested in supporting your organization year after year.

Pro tip: Be sure your event has a website and offers online registration. Association members are busy and need (and even expect) a no-fuss way to get registered for any event. They don’t have time to fuss with forms, checks, and mail-in registrations. Plus, everyone’s online these days; it’s the fastest and easiest way to reach both existing and future members and supporters.

3. Forge & Steward Corporate Partnerships

The golf outing is a great opportunity to secure corporate support and further existing relationships. Golf’s inherent connection to business keeps it on the radars of business professionals and in the sponsorship and marketing budgets or corporate entities large and small. The outing itself provides focused exposure to your members—which offers a great value to corporate partners looking to sponsor and particpate.

Pro tip: Offer high-end sponsorship opportunities, like branded pin flags, hole sponsorships, and leaderboard sponsorships. Provide exposure through physical and digital channels so sponsors get quality, cross-channel impressions that drive tangible results like web traffic and genuine inquiries.

4. Build Goodwill & Spotlight Community Efforts

Golf is a fun community event that brings people together to enjoy a great day outdoors. It’s also inextricably linked to charity. As an association, your goals are to align interests and support causes that matter to your members, and you can leverage your annual golf outing to do both while also building goodwill for your organization and advancing its positive reputation in the community.

Pro tip: When you designate a specific cause or nonprofit organization as the beneficiary of your event, let players and sponsors know how much of their investments will go to this cause and what kind of impact those dollars make. Not only are you raising mission-critical funds for a great organization, you’re building your association’s reputation and brand as a whole.

Take the Next Step

GolfStatus.org is uniquely aligned to streamline all the (sometimes complex and time-consuming) component parts of planning and executing a golf outing—no matter your goals. And it’s available at no cost to qualifying nonprofits.

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Submit an inquiry or contact us at

[email protected]

to learn more.

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Whether you’re a golfer looking for tournaments to play in, a sponsor looking for opportunities to align your brand with community efforts and great causes, or a tournament organizer spreading the word about an upcoming fundraiser—the events page from GolfStatus helps everyone get connected.

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Easy Exposure for Event Organizers

Spreading the word about your organization’s golf outing is crucial to its success. Whether you’re using the event to grow your donor base, steward existing donors, or facilitate corporate partnerships, don’t forget that golf fundraisers are a chance to raise the mission-critical funds needed to sustain and expand your capacity to serve. When you take advantage of GolfStatus.org, your organization is able to leverage our user base (thousands of avid golfers nationwide) and networks to reach more players and engage more sponsors. The result is outreach that requires zero additional effort on your part, a better turnout the day of the event, and better outcomes overall.

On-the-Spot Registration for Golfers

Golfers looking for golf tournaments to play have a couple easy ways to find them. Golfers use the free mobile GolfStatus app to track their rounds on the golf course and earn rewards and exclusive offers from partner facilities and sponsors; when they’re looking for a tournament, they simply tap the tournaments icon to browse listings for upcoming events. Registering—including purchasing teams, mulligans, raffle tickets, and other package add-ons—is quick and easy. Golfers also visit https://events.golfstatus.com to browse and search events by name or facility. The reality is that people are busy, and when they have to take extra steps like mailing in forms, writing checks, or picking up the phone, they’re less likely to do so. With the right promo and simple registration channels, golfers can find your event and register right from their computer or mobile phone.

A Time-Saving Convenience for Sponsors

These platforms also make it easy for brands and businesses to find events to support and to purchase sponsorship packages and teams instantly. Golf tournaments provide focused exposure to a high-value demographic in an environment that casts businesses in a positive light—making these events an ideal sponsorship opportunity. Sponsors can browse sponsorship packages customized by the tournament organizer and purchase them instantly and securely from a smartphone or computer without hassle. Sponsors then become eligible to display their branding on the sponsor page for the event—which is seen by players and other sponsors searching for events—as well as on live leaderboards, on the course, and through a number of other channels the day of the event.

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Interested in promoting your upcoming event through GolfStatus? Contact us at

[email protected]

to learn more.