by Jen Wemhoff, Communications Manager at GolfStatus
Sponsorships are the backbone of charity golf tournaments, generating critical revenue, providing added value for golfers, and helping cover tournament costs. But for sponsors, simply slapping their logo on a banner or cart sign isn’t enough to keep them coming back year after year.
To truly partner with your businesses and maximize their participation in your tournament, it’s important to think beyond just the dollars they contribute. Sponsors want meaningful, measurable ROI and authentic connections with your cause and your audience.
These strategies will help you purposefully and effectively engage sponsors before, during, and after your tournament to create a win-win partnership that drives results on both sides.
Before the Tournament: Lay the Foundation
Engaging sponsors starts well before they commit to supporting your event. Laying the foundation and determining your engagement strategy before starting your sponsor outreach helps set your tournament up for success.
Start with a Strategic Fit
Not every business will be the right fit as a sponsor for your tournament. As you create your prospect list, focus your outreach on companies that:
Align (or at least don’t contradict) with your organization’s mission or values
Want to reach your tournament’s audience, such as golfers, community members, or supporters
Want visibility or engagement opportunities
Your pitch should explain how a sponsorship helps them achieve their goals, whether it’s increased brand awareness, lead generation, community goodwill, or supporting a cause that’s important to their employees and/or customers. Don’t be afraid to start the engagement when making your pitch but asking them what they hope to gain from sponsoring your tournament.
Hole-in-one contests give sponsors great visibility and the chance to engage with golfers.
Offer Customizable Sponsorship Packages
Sponsors want options that help them achieve their goals. Move beyond the standard sponsorship tiers and provide customizable packages that meet the sponsors’ needs. Some ideas:
Hole-in-one contests where the sponsor can be present on the hole to interact with golfers
Co-branded or sponsor-branded swag or giveaways in golfer gift bags
On-course games run by representatives from the sponsoring business
Digital sponsorship exposure on your event website, mobile app, and digital marketing campaigns
Pin flags bearing the sponsor’s logo that are framed as keepsakes
Naming rights for the tournament or a component (such as a happy hour, banquet, lunch, or auction)
Free GuidE
Sample Charity Golf Tournament Packages
Get ideas to build sponsorship packages that businesses want.
Every package should include both pre-event visibility for the sponsor’s brand (think social media posts, their logo on the event website and live-scoring app, and email mentions) and on-site presence (which could be their logo on signage or the chance to set up a table on a tee box or speak at the awards ceremony).
Communicate Early & Often
Sponsors are making an investment in your event through their dollars and associating their brand, so it’s essential to keep them in the loop. For example:
Send a welcome email or set up an onboarding call
Detail what assets you need from them (logos, website links, messaging, swag, etc.)
Share a timeline of key dates, such as deadlines for submitting assets or names of golfers playing in the tournament
Offer a preview of exactly how their sponsorship will be recognized
Ask what else you can do to help them prepare for the tournament and help them meet their goals
Effectively communicating with sponsors helps move beyond the sponsorship beyond a transaction to a true partnership.
During the Tournament: Maximize Exposure & Engagement
Tournament day is the chance to put your best foot forward with sponsors and deliver a memorable experience that makes them feel taken care of and want to return in the future.
Deliver a Polished, Professional Experience
Sponsors will notice the little things and want their brand presented in the best possible light. You’ll want to make sure that:
Their logo looks great on all printed materials
Signage is correct and well-placed
On-site reps are greeted and supported throughout the tournament
They have the materials they need to engage with golfers and stay comfortable during the event (such as a tent, table, or power source)
Work with the sponsor to provide opportunities for them to interact with your tournament’s golfers.
Create Opportunities for Interaction
The best sponsorships go well beyond brand awareness to spark real engagement with golfers. You can help sponsors stand out by providing opportunities for them to interact with participants and create positive impressions that last beyond the 18th hole, such as:
Running fun games or contests on assigned holes
Providing branded snacks or drinks (or perhaps staffing the beverage cart)
Giving product demos or free samples
Holding raffles or giveaways that collect golfer information for follow-up
Highlight Sponsors in Real Time
Use your social media channels and push notifications in your live scoring app to recognize sponsors throughout the tournament. The goal? Boost the sponsor’s exposure (beyond those at the golf tournament) and show appreciation in real time. Here are some ideas:
Tagging sponsors in Instagram stories or Facebook posts
Sharing photos of the sponsors’ reps or logo placements
Encouraging golfers to visit sponsor activations and post on their social platforms with a custom hashtag
Sending custom sponsor messages via push notifications for top-dollar sponsors
After the Tournament: Show Value & Build the Partnership
Sponsor engagement doesn’t end when the tournament does. Keeping sponsors engaged with your organization is an opportunity for broader support and retention for future golf tournaments.
Say Thank You & Show Impact
Do more than a generic form letter or thank-you email. Send a handwritten note or make a personal phone call to thank them for their support of the tournament. Share the tournament’s impact and outcomes and how their support helped make it possible.
Deliver a Sponsorship Report
A personalized sponsorship report demonstrates the ROI from sponsoring your tournament. It should include:
Basic tournament information (date, location, logos, event website link)
Data like the number of golfers, sponsors, and volunteers that participated
Social media metrics like reach and engagement on posts that mentioned the sponsor
Email open rates or clicks for campaigns that included the sponsor
Photos and screenshots of logo placements, on-site signage, or reps in action
Golfer feedback
Free GUIDE & Template
Golf Tournament Sponsorship Report Template
Wow your golf tournament’s sponsors! This free guide includes tips and templates to help you prove the ROI of your tournament to sponsors.
Ask for Feedback
Give sponsors the chance to share what they liked, what could be improved, and what they’d like to see in the future. Their input can shape future tournaments and help deepen the relationship with the business.
A short post-event survey or quick debrief call shows you’re invested in their success, too!
Stay in Touch Year-Round
Don’t wait until next year’s tournament to reconnect with sponsors. Keep them engaged throughout the year so they can see the work they helped support. Some low-lift ideas:
Make sure they receive periodic updates about your work, such as your quarterly newsletter or annual report
Invite them to participate in other events or networking opportunities
Give them early access or first right of refusal for next year’s golf tournament sponsorships
Give shoutouts on social media for ongoing support
By maintaining and strengthening the relationship, you’ll keep your mission top-of-mind and make next year’s “yes” even easier.
Final Thoughts
Charity golf tournaments are important tools that do more than just raise money—they help build lasting partnerships. When you treat your sponsors as partners, and not just sources of revenue, they’re more likely to invest at higher levels, return year after year, and even become advocates for your cause.
