Your golf tournament is just around the corner! The month leading up to event day is filled with final checks, logistics, and finishing touches to ensure a great event and a great experience for everyone involved.

This installment of the blog series walks through the final to-dos for the month of your tournament. Thorough planning and prep will ensure the tournament runs smoothly and you and your team are as stress-free as possible.

9 Months Post

6 Months Post

2 Months Post

It’s important to note that while having more time to plan is usually better, it’s possible to plan a successful golf tournament in a couple of months.

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Pre-Planning & Reference

You should be familiar with GolfStatus’ software at this point, but it’s not too late to:

• Connect with your GolfStatus Client Success Rep. If you have questions or need software assistance, the GolfStatus support team is there to help seven days a week.

• Meet with a Fundraising Specialist. It’s not too late to add a hole-in-one contest, or, depending on how many weeks your tournament is away, secure pin flags or hole signs.

Planning Team & Committee Meetings

Now’s the time to make sure everyone is on the same page. It’s a good best practice to meet at least a couple of times this month to discuss final logistics and outstanding tasks.

• Hold bi-monthly committee meetings. Talk through day-of logistics, volunteer assignments, outstanding vendor orders, signage and printing, player gifts, raffle items, event timelines, and other last-minute items.

• Meet with volunteers. Hold a meeting and/or provide detailed instructions about volunteer assignments, roles, responsibilities, and who to go to with questions so all volunteers feel confident heading into tournament day.

Keep everyone on the same page by meeting with your planning team regularly in the month leading up to your tournament.

Date & Golf Facility

Stay in touch with golf facility staff in the weeks leading up to the tournament so everyone is on the same page and there are no surprises when tournament day arrives.

• Share access to GolfStatus’ backend. If you haven’t already, share access with the golf facility so there are no surprises in the weeks leading up to tournament day. There’s no cost to grant staff at the golf facility access to your GolfStatus tournament management platform’s backend.

• Touch base with facility staff on final numbers and logistics. Connect with golf facility staff about any questions or concerns, and to finalize headcounts for carts and any food and beverage the facility is providing. Confirm when you’ll be arriving to set up on tournament day, and what the facility will handle.

• Confirm setup times and deliveries. Verify when you’ll be able to access the facility to set up on tournament day, and if you have anything being delivered directly to the course, make sure staff is aware and can keep an eye out for it.

Event Website

Your golf tournament website should be kept current, so golfers, sponsors, volunteers, and supporters can find the latest information about your event (without needing to contact your team).

• Make event website updates as needed. Continue to add and update information as needed. Common updates include new raffle prizes or auction items, contest or challenge announcements, special guests, and the event’s schedule. If you have an online bidding link for an auction, now’s a great time to add it to the website.

Make sure purchased sponsorship packages are marked as sold on your website leading up to the tournament.

Team & Sponsor Packages

The goal is to have all team and sponsorship packages sold in the month leading up to the tournament. If you don’t, that’s ok! See the promotion section for some suggestions. Now’s the time to touch base with any outstanding sponsorships or payments.

• Conduct final follow-ups for sponsorships. Follow up with prospective sponsors with a deadline, which may correlate to the dates you need to send recognition items to print.

• Close registration. Keep an eye on how the field is filling, and close registration as necessary. You can offer a waitlist if there are still golfers interested in signing up.

• Check on vendor orders. Check dates for any materials—player gifts, prizes, signage—to ensure on-time delivery. Verify where items should be shipped, as you may want items like signage or pin flags delivered directly to the golf facility.

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Marketing & Promotion

If you still need to fill teams, check out this blog post for some last-minute promotional ideas.

• Send targeted promotional emails as needed. Determine if you still need to fill team slots and send promotional emails to your audience as needed. “Last chance” messaging can be effective ahead of your registration close date. You might also reach out to sponsors to ask them to help spread the word and fill any remaining teams.

• Continue social media promo. Keep excitement high! Even if you don’t need to attract more teams, social media is a great place to give sponsor shoutouts, thank raffle or auction item donors, and give updates on donations so far.

• Determine a plan for day-of social. Assign a dedicated staff member or volunteer to head up event day social. Post pictures and videos, tag sponsors, and share the fun and excitement of the day. Create a shot list and draft posts ahead of time to make it even simpler for whoever is coordinating day-of social media.

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Helpful Crunch-Time Planning Resources

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Details & Logistics

It’s crunch time for final details and logistics!

• Communicate with participants. Send an email to registrants reminding them of the upcoming event. Include event details and times, live scoring information, parking directions, links to purchase raffle tickets or other add-ons, and any other pertinent information.

• Finalize food and beverage. Connect with whoever is providing food and beverage to provide final counts for meals.

• Assemble player gifts. Make sure you have all items, purchased or donated by sponsors, in hand. Rally your planning team to assemble any gift bags in the days leading up to the tournament.

• Finalize volunteer assignments and roles. Communicate with volunteers a week or two before the tournament to make sure they know where to be, when to be there, and what to do.

• Finalize the schedule. Add this information to your event website. Include times for registration, warm-up, shotgun start, and estimates for any post-golf celebrations.

• Finalize contests. Whether it’s a hole-in-one contest, putting contest, longest drive, or closest to the pin, make sure you have insurance and prizes lined up and ready to go.

• Finalize on-course games or challenges. Ensure you have necessary supplies, volunteers or sponsors to run games, any needed signage, options for on-course payment, and assign holes for each game.

• Finalize trophies or other prizes for tournament winners. If you haven’t already, order these now for on-time delivery for tournament day.

• Finalize raffle prizes (if applicable). Be prepared to sell raffle tickets on event day. Process them through your event website to keep all tournament income in one place. Make sure you have prizes in hand, tickets, ticket receptacles, and an emcee to announce winners.

• Finalize auction details (if applicable). Open bidding for an online auction a couple of weeks in advance to give golfers and guests time to browse. Ensure you have prizes in hand, and if you’re holding a live auction, check in with your auctioneer.

• Make hole assignments. Use the hole assignments function in GolfStatus to assign team pairings and starting holes. Golf staff and your GolfStatus client success rep can help you out with this if needed.

Quickly and easily make hole assignments and team pairings right in the GolfStatus software.

• Design and print signage. Recognize sponsors, provide directions and information, and post QR codes that link to your event website where folks can donate. Not a designer? Don’t sweat—use these free Golf Tournament Signage Templates!

• Determine setup. Decide where you’ll put your registration table, any on-course donation stations, food stations, and signage. Decide who will set up registration and place signage.

• Determine speakers. You’ll need an emcee to welcome golfers and discuss rules to kick off the tournament. This is a great time to share a mission moment and remind golfers what they’re playing to support. Secure any speakers—beneficiaries, sponsors, staff—for post-golf gatherings.

• Print documents and prep check-in devices. Use the Documents tab in GolfStatus to access and print pre-formatted cart signs, scorecards (if not live scoring), and other reports. Make sure you have internet access at the clubhouse so you can use the team or individual check-in feature as people arrive.

• Pack supplies. Make sure you have everything you need for the day. There’s a great packing list in this free Complete Event Day Guide for Charity Golf Tournaments.

Up Next—Tournament Day and Post-Event Follow-Up!

After months of planning, tournament day is right around the corner. You’re prepped and ready—now it’s time to execute a fun, memorable event that raises funds for your mission.

The final installment in this series will cover post-event follow-up, which can help set next year’s tournament up for success.

Save 40+ Hours of Planning for Your Next Golf Event

Get Started With GolfStatus at No Upfront Cost

by Jen Wemhoff, Communications Manager at GolfStatus

A popular—and lucrative—complementary activity to your charity golf tournament is an auction. With the right strategy, auctions deliver strong ROI and can generate significant additional revenue for your organization. This guide will explore how to seamlessly add an auction to your golf event and maximize income.

• Frequently Asked Questions about Charity Golf Auctions

• The Benefits of Running a Charity Golf Auction

• How to Add an Auction to a Golf Event

• Best Practices for Running a Charity Golf Auction

• The Best Golf Charity Auction Items

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Frequently Asked Questions about Charity Golf Auctions

Why should my nonprofit run a golf charity auction?

Auctions and golf tournaments go hand-in-hand. Both combine high-net-worth networking with a popular, engaging activity that, when done well, can result in meaningful revenue for organizations of all types and sizes.

What types of auctions complement golf tournaments?

• Silent auction. The vast majority of golf tournaments incorporate a silent auction. In a silent auction, participants write their bids on a piece of paper or, more commonly, submit their bids using an online bidding platform. Silent auctions work well with golf tournaments because of their flexibility, and thanks to mobile bidding platforms, golfers can place bids from anywhere on the course.

• Live auction. Live auctions utilize a professional auctioneer who leads the bidding process, encouraging competition amongst attendees. One item is auctioned off at a time, in front of the entire group. Live auctions are particularly effective for high-value items or experiences, but can be time-consuming at the end of a long day on the golf course.

• Online auction. An online auction extends the auction beyond the golf tournament itself, reaching a larger audience and broader participation.

When is the best time to hold the auction during a tournament?

An online auction or silent auction that utilizes bidding software can be launched before the tournament to maximize reach and bids. In fact, golfers can bid from their phones during the round! Bidding can start a few days or a few weeks before the event and usually concludes following the awards ceremony or banquet, so golfers or guests take their winning items home. Live auctions are often held during the post-round cocktail hour or dinner, and often coincide with the announcement of the tournament’s winners.

How do we handle bidding while golfers are out on the course?

Paper bid sheets are outdated and create more work for you and your team. Instead, use an auction platform that offers a mobile-friendly interface to:

• Keep the auction running smoothly and professionally

• Allow golfers to browse auction items and place bids during the round, without needing to return to the clubhouse to check bid status

• Automate finalizing bids

• Quickly collect payments and send receipts

How many items should we have for our charity golf auction?

The number of items you offer in your auction is dependent on the number of participants and guests at your tournament. You want to ensure every item is sold, while also creating scarcity that drives higher bids. A good rule of thumb for silent auctions is to have one silent auction item for every five to 10 guests.

Are charity golf auction purchases tax-deductible?

Yes. According to the IRS, “Donors who purchase items at a charity auction may claim a charitable contribution deduction for the excess of the purchase price paid for an item over its fair market value.” For the deduction to be valid, the Fair Market Value (FMV) must be displayed on the auction site.

How do we prevent “auction fatigue” at the end of a long day?

Keep the energy high for your golf event’s auction by:

• Encouraging bidders to save payment information to streamline purchases and receive digital receipts.

• Limiting the live auction to just a handful of big-ticket items to keep golfers engaged, and using an experienced, entertaining auctioneer.

• Opening bidding for a silent golf charity auction before the tournament, so golfers (and guests!) can browse items before they tee off.

• Ensuring there is plenty of time and there are plenty of volunteers to facilitate item pickup and payment when the auction closes.

How should we set starting bids and bid increments?

• Establish a clear FMV. Determine and clearly display the FMV for every auction item, which is the foundation for your pricing strategy.

• Set starting bids in the "Sweet Spot." A good practice is to start bidding at 30% to 50% of the item's FMV. This range is low enough to attract early bids and generate excitement, but high enough to ensure a meaningful return.

• Calculate standard bid increments. Set bid increments at approximately 10% of the starting bid (e.g., if the starting bid is $50, the increment should be $5).

• Minimize bidding friction. The 10% rule keeps the math simple and ensures the item's price steadily increases without drastic jumps.

• Create exceptions for "Priceless" items. For exclusive experiences or unique items (like a round of golf with a celebrity) where FMV is subjective, you may want to set a higher baseline starting bid based on your audience's perceived value.

What legalities do I need to worry about?

• Local liquor laws. Alcohol is heavily regulated. Before auctioning off any liquor items, verify local, county, and state laws. Many jurisdictions require charities to obtain a temporary liquor license or special permit to legally auction alcohol.

• Auction and raffle differences: It’s critical to distinguish between these two formats. An auction is a direct sale where the item goes to the highest bidder based on value, and a raffle (or lottery) is a game of chance where participants buy tickets for a random draw.

• Gaming and gambling issues. Raffles and lotteries are regulated under state gaming and gambling laws, which are stricter than auction laws. Using the terms interchangeably or improperly running a raffle can lead to legal or compliance issues.

• Tax deductions. Clearly state the FMV to keep everything transparent. Bidders can only claim a tax deduction on the amount they pay that exceeds the item's FMV.

How much revenue can your tournament raise?

Use this auction ROI calculator to help determine your charity golf auction’s potential net revenue!

Auction ROI Calculator

Estimate your charity auction's return on investment and maximize fundraising impact.

Number of Auction Items

Total items in your silent & live auction combined.

Avg. Item Fair Market Value ($)

Average fair market value of each donated item.

Expected Sell-Through Rate (%)

Percentage of items that sell. Golf auctions typically see 60–80%.

Avg. Winning Bid (% of Value)

Winning bids as a % of fair market value. Charity auctions often see 50–100%+.

Total Procurement Costs ($)

All costs: purchased items, display, software, printing, shipping, etc.

Calculate ROI

Gross Revenue

$0

Net Profit

$0

ROI

0%

Items Sold

0

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Revenue Breakdown

Total Inventory Value $0

Auction Revenue $0

Costs $0

The Benefits of Running a Golf Charity Auction

An auction can significantly increase your golf event’s overall revenue and further your nonprofit’s impact. Here’s why you should add an auction:

• Drive significant revenue from your event. Add another income stream to your tournament to supplement teams, sponsorships, contests, mulligan sales, raffles, on-course games, and other add-ons. Competitive bidding, especially in a live auction, can drive up the final sale price of items, leading to better fundraising outcomes.

• Attract new supporters and engage non-golfers. An auction—particularly an online auction with an easily shareable link—can draw a wider audience, including non-golfers or spouses or guests of golfers and sponsors. High-end items can also draw new teams to play in your tournament, so be sure to publicize the auction in your event marketing.

• Add excitement and engagement. Auctions add fun and excitement to your tournament, encouraging golfers, sponsors, and guests to stay longer—and spend more.

• Low-cost, high ROI. Keep your auction’s overhead costs low by securing as many donated items as possible. Items purchased outright or on consignment eat away at your overall take from the auction, so engage your donor base, partners, vendors, and sponsors to solicit item donations that boost ROI.

• Opportunities to connect with local businesses. An auction is another opportunity to engage with area companies and businesses. If a business can’t financially sponsor your tournament, invite them to donate an auction item, opening doors for future sponsorships.

• Turn bidders into donors. Capturing bidder data with an online auction platform makes it simple to include them in your CRM for year-round donor stewardship and giving campaigns.

How to Add an Auction to a Golf Event

An auction can easily be added to your tournament at any time, but planning early can help ensure a smooth experience that encourages higher bids. Here’s how to add an auction to your golf tournament:

• Determine the type of auction that best suits your tournament, either live, silent, or online.

• Procure auction items. Work with sponsors, local businesses, your planning team, board members, and corporate partners to secure donated goods, services, and experiences that appeal to your audience. Another option is working with consignment providers who offer big-ticket items without upfront risk.

• Choose an auction platform. Much like your golf tournament, using tech will help it run smoothly and save you time and hassle. The most important feature is a mobile-friendly interface, so golfers and others can browse auction items during the round and place bids right from their phones.

• Promote the auction on all your communication channels and as part of your tournament’s marketing campaigns. Use your GolfStatus event website to promote your golf tournament’s auction and include information about top-tier items, donors, and the bidding link in your pre-event email to participants.

• Establish bidding processes. Determine the starting bid for each item—30% to 50% of the FMV is a good place to start—and the bidding increments. If you’re planning a live auction, secure a high-energy auctioneer experienced in engaging guests.

• Secure volunteers to help set up the auction, answer questions, and finalize payment and item pickup.

• Finalize the details. Add items to your auction platform (making sure to include who donated each item and FMV), create baskets or groupings, and touch base with volunteers and the auctioneer.

ADD AN AUCTION TO YOUR GOLFSTATUS EVENT WEBSITE

Find out more!

Best Practices for Running a Charity Golf Auction

• Plan early. Start organizing your auction well in advance of the tournament so you have ample time to secure high-quality items that appeal to your audience. Sample timeline:

  • 6 months out: Assign an auction lead

  • 3 to 4 months out: Solicit donations and/or contact a consignment provider

  • 1 month out: Finalize lineup and open bidding link

• Set clear guidelines. Clearly outline the rules and communicate these before bidding begins, including bidding increments, payment methods, and pick-up procedures, to avoid confusion and ensure a seamless process.

• Utilize technology. Online platforms for silent or virtual auctions streamline bidding, help reach a broader audience, and make checkout and payments quick and easy. Include a link to the auction on your golf tournament’s website.

GolfStatus’ event website include an auction integration to easily link to your online auction.

• Secure donated items. Partner with local businesses for donated items or experiences, reducing costs, fostering community involvement, and improving fundraising outcomes.

• Engage attendees. Provide frequent updates and reminders about the auction during the tournament, highlighting selected items to keep attendees engaged.

• Follow up with bidders. Promptly reach out to winning bidders to confirm payment and item delivery, and thank them for their support. You should also send a personalized thank-you email to all attendees within 48 hours, and invite everyone to next year’s golf fundraiser.

• Evolve the auction based on feedback. Look for ways to improve your auction strategy based on the feedback you get from your supporters and golf event participants.

The Best Golf Charity Auction Items

One key to a successful auction is offering items that are appealing, attractive, and valuable to your audience. When procuring items:

• Ask your supporters ahead of time what type of auction items they would like to see.

• Have three to five “big” items in the mix that guests would splurge on, plus small to mid-sized items to round out the slate and attract more bidders.

• Include golf-related items to appeal to golfers, and consider items that match the tournament's theme.

• Invite sponsors to contribute in-kind gifts for auction items. If a prospective sponsor says no to a monetary sponsorship, ask for an in-kind donation.

Our Favorite Golf Charity Auction Items

• Experiences. VIP tickets to sporting events, concert passes, exclusive golf packages, vacations or travel packages, dining experiences.

• Memorabilia. Autographed sports gear, collectibles, pieces of art, branded merchandise, golf equipment.

• Luxury items. Designer goods, handmade jewelry, high-end electronics, gourmet food baskets, high-end spirits or wine baskets.

• Local business services. Spa packages, local dining experiences, home improvement services, golf lessons, local boutique packages.

Hope Strengthens Foundation partners with NHL Hall-of-Famer Ray Bourque as the auctioneer at their golf charity auction.

Golf-Related Auction Items

• Custom golf club set

• Golf rangefinder

• Personalized golf bag

• Exclusive lessons with a golf pro

• Golf apparel (hat, shoes, gloves, shirts, pants)

• Golf cart 

• Golf course membership package

• Golf weekend getaway

• Play with a club pro

• Play with a local celebrity 

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Pro Tip:

GolfStatus’ giving partners at Dormie Network Foundation offer in-kind donations that level up nonprofits’ fundraising efforts.

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Physical Auction Items

• Custom artwork

• Standing desk/walking pad

• Chef set (knives, kitchen supplies, etc.)

• Gourmet gift basket (luxury chocolates, wine, snacks, and other gourmet foods)

• Coffee lover gift basket (coffee mugs, French press, beans, etc.)

Experiential Auction Items

• Sporting events tickets

• Concert tickets

• “Night on the Town” (dinner and a show)

• Ultimate city experience (tickets to all the fun things to do in a certain city)

Consignment Travel & Risk-Free Big Ticket Items

• Vacation packages

• Golf-related packages, like tickets to The Masters, a trip to Pebble Beach, or a trip to play St. Andrews

Third-party providers offer risk-free travel packages. Your organization only pays the base cost of the item if it sells, and you keep all the profit above the reserve price.

Run a Golf Auction with GolfStatus

In addition to industry-leading software for charity golf tournaments and fundraisers, GolfStatus offers an auction add-on. The GolfStatus in-house team will work closely with you to set the auction up on the platform and activate the “Auction” tab on your golf tournament website so you can start collecting bids alongside golfer and sponsor registrations. Curious about how GolfStatus can help save time, raise more money, and streamline your auction? Click below to get in touch with our team.

Work With the Golf Fundraising Pros

Book a Meeting to Get Started

Nebraska Nonprofit Engages Supporters Year-Round Through Golf

partner snapshot

Kids’ Chance of Nebraska sees golf as much more than just a day on the course. It’s a way to bring people together to raise critical funds and, perhaps most importantly, introduce more people to a mission that can easily be overlooked.

The Nebraska chapter shares a mission with the national Kids’ Chance community: to provide scholarships and support to the children of workers who have been killed or seriously injured in workplace accidents. While workers’ compensation provides some support, it often doesn’t cover everything a family needs, especially the cost of higher education.

Kids’ Chance of Nebraska relies on golf to raise funds for scholarship and spread the word about its mission.

The organization finds children who qualify and connects them with scholarship opportunities and support throughout their education. “A lot of kids don’t realize they qualify for this support,” says Shawn Willis, Kids’ Chance of Nebraska Board Treasurer and Past President.

Golf plays an important role in making that support a reality. What started as a small tournament with just a handful of golfers has grown into an annual event drawing more than 130 golfers, while a second golf fundraiser—a TopGolf event—gives Kids’ Chance of Nebraska another opportunity to engage its network.

the challenge

When Shawn first started looking for a fundraising option more than a decade ago, golf seemed like a natural solution. “I needed a fundraiser, and I like to golf,” he says. The golf outing quickly became the organization’s major fundraiser of the year.

But as the tournament grew, so did the administrative work behind it. Participants received information about the event by mail, filled out paper forms or PDFs, and sent in checks. Shawn had to track payments, follow up with people who hadn’t paid, and maintain spreadsheets to try to keep everything organized. “I had to go collect checks at the P.O. box, keep track of who had paid, and chase people down on the day of the tournament,” Shawn says.

There was also the added administrative work that comes with a major fundraising event—selling and managing sponsorships, coordinating teams and pairings, reconciling income and expenses. For an organization with a largely volunteer-run board, that workload quickly became a barrier for growth.

And because the goal of the golf event is broader than raising money, the organization saw an opportunity to expand beyond its traditional tournament to add a second fundraiser to engage more people—a spring TopGolf event. But a second event meant additional work, and they needed a solution to streamline planning for both events.

The 18-hole golf tournament has grown from a handful of golfers in its first year to regularly attracting more than 150.

the solution

GolfStatus has helped make managing both events easier. After being introduced to GolfStatus through a connection at Dormie Network Foundation, Kids’ Chance of Nebraska moved its tournament into the digital age.

Simplifying Logistics

Online registration made an immediate, significant difference. Instead of relying on the PDFs, checks, and spreadsheets, golfers register and pay online, without any manual processing. “It’s a piece of cake,” Shawn says. “It made my job a lot easier.”

The platform is used to manage teams, pairings, and sponsorships. Shawn says he appreciates being able to see at a glance who has registered and can organize participants as the event takes shape.

The event website has also become an important part of the tournaments, giving participants a clean, easy-to-use hub for registration and event information. Shawn includes the site’s link in all promotional materials, and golfers and sponsors take it from there.

Kids’ Chance of Nebraska uses event websites powered by GolfStatus for both its 18-hole tournament and TopGolf event.

For a volunteer-led organization, these efficiencies quickly added up. Instead of spending time tracking down payments or maintaining spreadsheets, the planning team can shift their focus to the things that make the event even more successful: recruiting sponsors, securing auction donations and raffle prizes, promoting the tournament, and connecting participants with the Kids’ Chance mission.

Improved Sponsorships & Relationships

GolfStatus helped Kids’ Chance of Nebraska offer new, lucrative sponsorships for its 18-hole tournament, including a hole-in-one contest sponsorship, pin flag sponsorship, and the exclusive Technology Sponsorship. These created new ways for businesses to support the event.

Their sponsorship strategy for both events is rooted in relationships, with most sponsors returning year after year. The sponsor pool includes businesses connected to the workers’ compensation industry, such as defense attorneys and insurance agencies that work with cases, plus other local businesses and vendors.

Some sponsors choose to have an active role in the golf tournament with a game or display set up on a tee box.

Shawn says some sponsors simply want to support the mission, while others want to be more actively involved at the event by hosting a hole and interacting with golfers. Sponsors play a major part in creating events that feel like true community gatherings, rather than just a fundraiser.

And with both golf events, organizers keep the focus on creating an enjoyable experience that people look forward to every year.

The results

Kids’ Chance of Nebraska’s golf fundraising efforts have come a long way from its humble beginnings. Today, the organization’s flagship 18-hole tournament attracts close to 150 golfers and drives $30,000 in revenue, while the TopGolf event draws 70+ people and $10,000 in fundraising.

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“We used to want to cover just one scholarship from the golf event, but now we’re able to cover three times that or even more.”

— Shawn Willis, Kids’ Chance of Nebraska Board Treasurer and Past President

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One Mission, Two Golf Events

Kids’ Chance of Nebraska’s two distinct golf events engage supporters throughout the year. The traditional tournament, held in September at Iron Horse Golf Club in Ashland, Nebraska, brings together many of the organization’s longtime supporters and has become a familiar tradition for participants, many of whom come back year after year. The tournament incorporates a silent auction and a raffle drawing.

The spring TopGolf event offers a format that appeals to a broader audience of non-golfers, spouses, and guests. It replaced a bowling fundraiser, with Shawn explaining, “The TopGolf event appealed more.”

Not everyone spends the evening hitting golf balls. “Half of the people don’t go to their bay,” Shawn says. “They just network, which is half the value.”

The TopGolf event features 20 bays, with opportunities for bay sponsorships, as well as food, beverage, signage, and video sponsorships. They also do a 50/50 raffle for a new putter.

The TopGolf event draws non-golfers and guests to network and learn more about Kids’ Chance of Nebraska.

More Than the Numbers

The fundraising numbers only tell part of the story. Yes, the events provide funding for Kids’ Chance of Nebraska’s operating needs and scholarships for students whose families have been affected by workplace accidents, but they also reach people who may not know their work exists.

That mission-building component has become increasingly important as the tournaments have grown, creating a broader community of supporters around the organization. In particular, the TopGolf event has helped reach people outside the nonprofit’s traditional industry audience.

In 2025, Kids’ Chance of Nebraska awarded 14 scholarships. The impact of these scholarships is beginning to come full circle as former scholarship recipients have graduated from college and gone on to serve on the organization’s board. “Watching them get their scholarships and then seeing them come back on the board—it’s really a full circle moment,” says Shawn.

Lessons Learned

Shawn’s goals for the golf events are simple—give people an event they look forward to, raise money, make it easy to participate, and share the mission. GolfStatus has helped make that easier.

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“Go to GolfStatus. There are lots of apps out there, but the packages and extras with GolfStatus make it easy for us. It’s a no-brainer for me.”

— Shawn Willis, Kids’ Chance of Nebraska Board Treasurer and Past President

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As both tournaments continue to grow, Shawn plans to keep working with GolfStatus. “GolfStatus has been great, and everyone is easy to work with,” he says.

Shawn’s advice to other tournament planners? It’s key to start planning early, but to be patient. “In our experience, most people sign up in the few weeks ahead of the tournament.” He also says it’s important to stay connected with past participants, making sure they receive event communications and know that they’re invited back.

Above all, Shawn says Kids’ Chance of Nebraska’s golf events give supporters a reason to get together and the organization another opportunity to tell its story.

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Golf for Good With GolfStatus

Kids’ Chance of Nebraska was able to use GolfStatus at no upfront cost, with a free event website, access to the software’s tournament management and fundraising tools, and support from the in-house team. Anyone can get started at no upfront cost—click below to book a meeting with our team of golf fundraising pros to learn more or explore the software on your own!

Get Started With GolfStatus at No Upfront Cost

With just two months until tournament day, your planning efforts should be shifting into high gear. Many of the biggest decisions are behind you, and now it’s time to focus on execution. The more you can accomplish over the next several weeks, the less stressful the final countdown will be.

Planning should be in high gear at two months before your golf tournament.

This installment of the blog series will walk you through the key tasks to focus on two months before your charity golf tournament, working to fill the remaining team spots, secure sponsorships, outline logistics, and make sure every detail is coming together.

9 Months Post

6 Months Post

It’s important to note that while having more time to plan is usually better, it’s possible to plan a successful golf tournament in a matter of a couple of months.

Free Download:

Golf Tournament Checklist and Planning Timeline

Get a roadmap of every task so you stay on task and on target throughout your tournament planning! Find out what to do and when to do it.

Pre-Planning & Reference

Whether you need a refresher on GolfStatus features, planning best practices, or ideas to raise more money, take advantage of the educational tools and resources available to you. If you haven’t already:

• Get a GolfStatus demo. GolfStatus is the industry’s leading platform for charity golf tournaments and fundraisers. Find out how to save 40+ hours and raise thousands more dollars!

• Get a GolfStatus Education Session. Once you’re on board with GolfStatus, our client success team will walk you through the software’s backend.

• Book a consultation with a Fundraising Specialist. Your dedicated GolfStatus Fundraising Specialist will walk you through opportunities to raise more money and qualify for GolfStatus Rewards.

• Watch a GolfStatus webinar. GolfStatus holds free monthly webinars on topics like sponsorships, planning basics, logistics, marketing, and more. Browse upcoming webinars.

Planning Team & Committee Meetings

Your committee meetings should become increasingly focused on progress and accountability. Review outstanding tasks, celebrate accomplishments, and make sure every committee member knows exactly what’s expected of them between now and tournament day.

• Hold monthly committee meetings. Continue to talk through the budget, sponsorship prospects and outreach, logistics, on-course contests or games, and promotion.

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Date & Golf Facility

Clear communication with the golf facility becomes more important as your field starts to take shape. Keeping staff informed and asking questions helps prevent surprises and ensures everyone is on the same page.

• Share access to GolfStatus’ backend. If you haven’t already, share access with the golf facility so there are no surprises in the weeks leading up to tournament day. There’s no cost to grant staff at the golf facility access to your GolfStatus tournament management platform’s backend.

• Touch base with facility staff with questions. Don’t be afraid to reach out to golf facility staff with any questions or concerns.

Event Website

Your golf tournament website should serve as the central hub for golfers, sponsors, volunteers, and supporters. Keep it current with the latest information so participants can find everything they need to know—without having to contact your team.

• Make event website updates as needed. Continue to add and update information as needed. Common updates include new raffle prizes or auction items, contest or challenge announcements, special guests, and the event’s schedule.

Include the link to your event website in every outreach—texts, emails, social media, flyers, and more.

Team & Sponsor Packages

Now is the time to fill any remaining sponsorships and encourage golfers to register before spots disappear. Consistent follow-up, flexible sponsorship options, and clear deadlines can help create urgency and keep registrations moving.

• Follow up with prospects for each sponsorship. Follow up with prospective sponsors to see if they have questions on next steps or would like to talk about a custom sponsorship opportunity.

• Add custom packages as needed. As you reach out to sponsors, ask them what their goals are for sponsoring your event, and don’t be afraid to create custom packages or modify existing packages as needed to help them get the most out of their investment in your tournament.

• Determine a registration closed date. Decide when you’ll close registration, both for teams and sponsorships. Having a deadline can create urgency for prospective sponsors and teams, and you can always extend the deadline if necessary.

• Order items as necessary. If a sponsorship is tied to any materials, such as golf balls, golf towels, bags, or other items, order them as soon as the sponsorship is sold and payment is received. This gives you plenty of time to deal with any ordering or shipping issues or misprints.

Marketing & Promotion

With registration open and in full swing, your marketing efforts should become more frequent and targeted. Use a mix of email, social media, local outreach, and personal invitations to encourage people to register as soon as possible.

• Send targeted promotional emails. Segment your list and target messaging to past participants (if applicable), donors, and supporters. Send a series of emails leading up to the registration closed date.

• Promote on social media. A combination of organic posts and a modest paid campaign targeted to people in the area can help drive registrations.

• Distribute your tournament flyer. Print copies for every committee member and send them loose, asking them to post them in libraries, coffee shops, gyms, community centers, grocery stores, or any other visible place.

• Send a press release to local media. Send a release to local television and radio stations with information about the event, what it’s raising money for, any notable tournament components, and your organization.

• Submit the event to community calendars. Community calendars are a cheap and easy way to spread the word to potential golfers. You can even use AI to help you identify local calendars and submission instructions.

• Reach out to friends and family. Ask committee members to call, text, or chat with five people and invite them to play in the event. There’s no substitute for personal outreach!

• Refine your promotional strategy as needed. Update and further refine your promo plan as details come into focus and advertising budgets are set, if applicable.

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Helpful Golf Tournament Promotional Resources

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Details & Logistics

The behind-the-scenes work starts to take center stage over the next two months. Staying on top of logistics now gives you time to solve problems before they become last-minute emergencies.

• Determine food and beverage. Connect with the golf facility, a caterer, or an in-kind donor to determine food and beverage needs. Be mindful of allergies or special dietary needs.

• Determine player gifts. Whether you’re selling a sponsorship for player gifts or purchasing them outright, now’s the time to move forward, especially if anything needs to be produced.

• Outline a schedule. Add this information to your event website. Include times for registration, warm-up, shotgun start, and estimates for any post-golf celebrations.

• Determine contests. A hole-in-one contest is an easy and popular addition to a golf tournament. Research and purchase hole-in-one insurance to protect yourself from financial risk. Putting contests, longest drive, and closest to the pin are other popular contest options.

• Determine on-course games or challenges. On-course games have the potential to drive additional dollars for your cause. Keep them simple, easy to understand, and quick to play to keep the tournament’s pace of play moving smoothly.

• Determine raffle details (if applicable). Add a raffle ticket package to your event website, and start procuring donations for prizes.

• Determine auction details (if applicable). Add a link to your online auction listing (if applicable) from your event website, and start procuring donations for items.

Now’s the time to move forward with player gifts, like those from the Max Well For Life Charity Golf Tournament.

What’s Next?

You’re entering the home stretch. By the end of the next two months, most registration should be complete, sponsorships sold, and logistics largely finalized. The more proactive you are now, the more confident you’ll feel when tournament week arrives.

The next installment of the series will cover everything you should focus on during crunch time—the month before your tournament—to make sure event day runs as smoothly as possible. After months of planning, it will finally be time to bring it all together and deliver an unforgettable experience.

Time-Saving Tech & The Support You Need

Book a Meeting With GolfStatus to Get Started at No Upfront Cost

Most people register for a charity golf tournament because someone invited them to play. They may know someone who has a connection to your organization, but don’t know a thing about your mission or work.

Tournament day is the first meaningful interaction many participants have with your organization, presenting a huge opportunity for nonprofits to raise awareness and connect with potential donors. Thoughtfully planned mission moments help transform a fun day on the course into an experience with purpose.

Mission moments don’t have to be lengthy presentations or emotional speeches. They can be small, intentional touchpoints that remind golfers why they’re there and how they’re making a difference. While they’ll certainly remember the golf, food, contests, and prizes, they’ll also remember how the day made them feel. Mission moments create stronger emotional connections, inspire generosity, and even help turn first-time participants into long-term supporters.

Here are 10 mission moments to incorporate into your next charity golf tournament.

1. Let Your Mission Shine on Your Event Website

Your golf tournament’s website often serves as a golfer’s first introduction to your organization, so don’t make it all about registration. Instead of just listing the event’s details, answer the question every participant is asking: What difference will my registration make?

Use the site to introduce your mission with compelling photos, videos, impact statistics, and beneficiary stories. Help visitors understand what you do, who you serve, why your work matters, and what tournament proceeds will do. Even a short impact video or photo gallery can create an emotional connection before golfers ever arrive at the golf course.

Your event website is often the first interaction a new supporter has with your organization, so help them understand what your tournament is raising money for.

2. Open the Tournament with an Impact Story

Few mission moments are as memorable as hearing directly from someone whose life has been changed by your organization. Invite a beneficiary, volunteer, family member, client, or community partner to share a brief story during the welcome remarks. Alternatively, or in addition, invite a speaker to share their story at the luncheon, awards ceremony, or banquet.

For example, Riverside Ranch, a therapeutic horse riding program, invites parents of riders to speak at their golf tournament’s luncheon and share what the Ranch meant to their family.

Personal stories like this help golfers connect faces to fundraising dollars, and remind participants that the event is about much more than birdies and mulligans. Keep it conversational and authentic rather than overly scripted, and aim for five minutes or less—long enough to inspire, but short enough to keep the energy high.

3. Put Your Mission on Display on the Course

The golf course itself offers dozens of opportunities to reinforce your mission. Place mission-focused signage in high-traffic areas like registration, driving range, putting green, and inside the clubhouse (near the bar or front door are good choices). Share:

• Impact statistics

• Success stories

• Photos of the people or communities you serve

• Quotes or testimonials from beneficiaries

• Milestones your organization has achieved

Rather than using every sign for sponsorship recognition, dedicate a few to reminding golfers what they’re helping make possible. Add QR codes that link to your event website’s donation page, volunteer opportunities, or a short impact video as a call to action.

Putt Putt Fore Puppies adds information about adoptable pets to its hole signs to add a connection to the event’s mission and beneficiary.

4. Include a Mission-Focused Gift Bag Item

Player gift bags don’t have to be filled exclusively with sponsor swag. Include one meaningful piece in swag bags or on golf carts that tells your organization’s story. This could be anything from a one-page flyer or brochure with photos and outcomes to an annual report summary or beneficiary success story. If your golf facility has carts with video capabilities, inquire about showing a video or photo slideshow on the screens.

The goal isn’t to overwhelm golfers with information, but to provide a memorable takeaway they can read during downtime or take home after the event. Be sure to include a QR code on any printed materials with a direct link to the donation page of your event website, where golfers can donate right from their phones.

5. Introduce Golfers to the People Behind the Mission

Whenever possible and appropriate, invite the people connected to your mission to participate in the event. Personal connections are incredibly powerful, so provide opportunities for them to engage with golfers and sponsors throughout the day.

For example, if your golf tournament benefits a school, teachers, or administrators could greet golfers as they arrive or even be added to teams. A pet rescue organization could have adoptable pets at the golf course and hold an accompanying adoption drive. Or, your nonprofit’s staff members could run an on-course game or contest to interact with golfers throughout the round.

These types of simple interactions often leave lasting impressions and create authentic conversations that no brochure can replicate.

6. Make Downtime Meaningful

Every golf tournament includes natural pauses and waiting—to check in, on the tee box, for a turn on the driving range, for meals, or for final results to be announced. Rather than viewing these as empty moments, use them to deepen engagement with a captive audience.

• Ask your organization’s staff, board members, beneficiaries, or volunteers to mingle with golfers and chat about your mission while they wait.

• Strategically station people on various tee boxes throughout the golf course (perhaps on a par five that typically gets backed up) to talk with golfers and answer questions.

• Display a looping impact video in the clubhouse that golfers can watch while they wait for a drink or dinner.

• Intersperse photo displays that showcase your programs throughout the year among silent auction items or raffle prizes.

These quieter moments during the golf event can lead to meaningful conversations that build new and lasting donor relationships.

Ask staff, board members, beneficiaries, or volunteers to interact with golfers during the golf tournament’s downtime. Chat about your mission, invite them to ask questions, and share stories while they wait.

7. Create an Interactive Mission Experience

Whenever possible and practical, give golfers the chance to experience or see your mission in action instead of simply hearing about it. Interactive experiences create memorable moments that drive home what your organization does and why you do it. These experiences are also good opportunities to involve non-golfers in the event.

Some examples:

• An animal rescue hosts an adoption event alongside the golf tournament.

• A food bank organizes a mini-meal packing activity before play.

• A nonprofit arts organization showcases artwork created by local artists or teaches a painting class.

• A corporate tournament hosts a blanket-tying activity for non-golfers and guests during the round.

8. Share Digital Mission Moments Throughout the Day

If your golf tournament management platform includes a mobile app, use push notifications to share timely mission moments throughout the event. These notifications should be brief, positive, action-oriented, and strategically timed not to interrupt the golfer’s experience. For instance:

• “So far, we’ve raised enough money to provide 500 meals to local families.”

• “Meet today’s featured beneficiary, Name, during lunch!”

• “Help us get to our goal to raise $25,000—we only need $5,000 more! Donate here.”

• “Adoptable pets are in the clubhouse! Meet your new family member after your round.”

Include a link back to your event website, particularly if the message includes a call to action to donate.

9. Honor the People Behind the Cause

Many charity golf tournaments exist because someone wanted to honor a loved one, celebrate survivors, or remember an individual whose story inspired the event. Connect golfers to your mission by creating a dedicated space that recognizes those people.

Display photos, handwritten notes, memorial boards, or tribute signs that explain why the tournament matters. Invite participants to write messages of encouragement or remembrance. These types of displays become natural gathering places and often spark meaningful conversations among golfers who may have personal connections to your cause.

For instance, the Pat Neal Memorial Golf Tournament raises money for brain cancer research in honor of the tournament’s namesake, Pat Neal. A photo of Pat was placed on the course, and golfers were encouraged to sign the photo as a keepsake for Pat’s family. Another example is Project Purple, which includes a hall of fame induction at the tournament’s post-round dinner as a special moment of honor and recognition for individuals who have battled pancreatic cancer. Inductees or their families receive a purple jacket, and their picture hangs in the organization’s offices as a reminder of their fight against the disease.

Project Purple includes a hall of fame induction its golf fundraiser’s banquet to honor individuals who have battled pancreatic cancer.

10. End with a Clear Call to Continue the Mission

The end of the tournament is just the beginning of your relationship with participants. Before they leave, provide them with easy next steps to stay involved and support your mission:

• Set up a donation station where golfers can make a gift before they walk out the door

• Offer the chance to volunteer at an upcoming event or other opportunity

• Have a pop-up shop that sells branded merchandise or products

• Share links to sign up for your newsletter and follow you on social media

• Offer an early-bird rate for golfers to register for next year’s golf tournament

Missions moments are the most effective when they don’t simply inspire people, but encourage action while enthusiasm is still high.

Final Thoughts

Creating memorable mission moments doesn’t make your tournament longer or more complicated. Effective moments intentionally weave your organization’s impact throughout the participant experience.

Technology makes this easier than ever. Your event website, mobile app, signage, online donation tools, email communications, and fundraising platform all work together to help tell your story before, during, and after tournament day.

Golfers that understand the impact of the tournament are more likely to become repeat players, loyal donors, enthusiastic volunteers, and passionate advocates for your organization. The golf tournament may only last a day, but the relationships it creates can help support your mission for years to come.

Your Best Golf Event Starts With the Best Tech—at No Upfront Cost!

Book a Meeting with GolfStatus to Get Started

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Why the Class 2 Gathering Starts With a Charity Golf Tournament that Raises $100k to Benefit the Boys & Girls Club of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

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After nearly three decades with Prairie Band Casino and Resort in Mayetta, Kansas, Ashley Bergquist knows charity golf tournaments inside and out. As Promotions, Events, and Entertainment Manager, she’s managed countless golf events at the casino’s golf facility, Firekeeper Golf Course, from VIP outings to charity tournaments.

Today, Ashley also serves on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, giving her a unique perspective on both the operational and charitable sides of golf fundraising events. And that experience has helped shape one of the most unique tournaments in the tribal gaming industry.

The Class 2 Gathering raises funds to support the Boys and Girls Club of the Potawatomi Nation.

Class 2 Gathering

The standalone Boys and Girls Club event became part of the Class 2 Gathering (C2G), a nationwide gaming conference, held at Prairie Band Casino & Resort. The result is a golf tournament that brings together casino operators, vendors, exhibitors, and sponsors from the community and across the country—all while raising funds for local Boys and Girls Club programs.

The strategy has proven to be a win for everyone involved. The tournament serves as the kickoff to the conference, giving attendees the chance to network on the course before moving into educational conference sessions. The tournament concludes with a combined launch party and awards celebration featuring raffles, a silent auction, food trucks, sponsor recognition, and additional fundraising.

“It’s really a two-for-one opportunity,” Ashley says. “By combining the conference and the tournament, we’re able to bring people together who might not have attended the golf event otherwise.”

the challenge

Before combining with C2G, the Boys and Girls Club held its own charity golf outing. And like many nonprofit golf fundraisers, much of the administrative work was done manually.

Registrations came in through phone calls and invoices, and credit card payments had to be processed individually. Team rosters lived in static spreadsheets, and any changes required updating multiple documents. Tournament materials, like scorecards, signage, and player lists, had to be recreated with every last-minute change.

Ashley says that because of these manual processes, the tournament could really only be managed by one person. “Otherwise, there were too many chances for things to get mixed up.” When the event was paired with the national C2G conference, those manual processes became even more of a challenge.

The tournament’s audience was different than a traditional community fundraiser. Instead of recruiting local golfers, Ashley needed to coordinate:

• Casino operators from across the country

• Tribal gaming vendors and suppliers

• Conference exhibitors

• National sponsors

• Local business partners

Many participants had to travel to attend, so final player names weren’t confirmed until the week of or even the day before the tournament. That meant materials needed to stay flexible.

What’s more, Ashley wanted the event to deliver an experience worthy of the investment people were making to attend. Every detail matters, from the registration experience and pace of play to sponsor recognition and the post-round celebration. “We’re not trying to be the biggest tournament out there,” Ashley says. “We’re trying to be the tournament that people want to come back to.”

the solution

When C2G assumed responsibility for the annual tournament, Ashley was introduced to GolfStatus by the Firekeeper Golf Course’s general manager. The timing couldn’t have been better.

Instead of juggling spreadsheets and manually collecting payments, the tournament could move to one centralized platform where registration, player management, sponsorships, scoring, and administration all worked together.

An event website eliminated manual registration processes and made it easy to manage teams and sponsors.

The results

Fundraising Outcomes

The combination of thoughtful planning, a built-in conference audience, and streamlined tournament management has helped the event build momentum each year. The fundraiser generated more than $129,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, which helps fund:

• Educational opportunities

• Youth trips and enrichment activities

• Scholarships and tuition assistance

• Facility improvements

• Updated equipment and resources

• General operating support that helps local children thrive

Immediate Value

Ashley immediately saw the value in GolfStatus. “Why wouldn’t I use this?” she says. Golfers register and pay online, and update teammates as plans change. “The platform is easy to use. I send the website to people, and they take it from there. I don’t have to take time to enter information.”

For Ashley, one of the biggest advantages isn’t just online registration—it’s flexibility. “If something changes the day of the tournament, it’s easy to reprint signs, alpha lists, scorecards, everything.” Instead of needing to recreate tournament materials manually, the information already exists inside the platform. “It saves so much time, I can literally just click print,” Ashley says.

Each GolfStatus client works directly with a dedicated Client Success Representative and has access to a Fundraising Specialist and live support seven days a week.

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“It’s just so easy. The people are great to work with, they understand golf tournaments, and they can give advice because they’ve actually done it.”

— Ashley Bergquist, Promotions, Events, and Entertainment Manager at Prairie Band Casino & Resort

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Sponsor Opportunities & Management

Thoughtful sponsor recruitment has helped the tournament continue to grow. Rather than cold-calling prospective sponsors, Ashley begins with businesses already participating in the conference. Exhibitors, sponsors, vendors, and longtime business partners become natural prospects because they’re already planning to attend.

Timing also matters. Ashley intentionally releases the event’s sponsorship offerings before companies finalize annual budgets. “By getting sponsorship information to businesses early, they can plan and budget for the tournament ahead of time, giving them a much better chance of securing approval and participating,” Ashley says. This strategy has helped secure significant sponsor commitments, including a five-year title sponsorship from a local Pepsi distributor.

Releasing sponsorship offerings as early as possible has helped the tournament secure sponsor commitments.

GolfStatus simplified sponsor management and elevated the sponsorship offerings with its exclusive Technology Sponsorship, plus a pin flag sponsorship and hole-in-one contest sponsorship.

Custom pin flags are not only used on the course, but also as sponsor recognition pieces. The tournament presents each hole sponsor with a pin flag following the event. Sponsors attending the awards celebration receive theirs in person, while those unable to attend receive their flag in the mail. “Pin flags are a great keepsake!” Ashley says. “I have one hanging on my office wall.”

A Memorable Experience

While many fundraising tournaments focus on maximizing the number of golfers, C2G intentionally limits the field to 144 golfers to create a premium experience. “We could probably squeeze in more golfers, but we’d rather have a great pace of play and have people leave saying it was the most fun tournament they played all year.”

This philosophy has helped the tournament become a highlight of the annual C2G conference. Every player receives high-end gifts, including items like premium sunglasses, Bluetooth speakers, and other golf accessories, plus casino free play and gift cards. Ashley says that in her experience, practical gifts outperform novelty items. “When people actually use your player gifts during other tournaments, it’s free advertising for your event.”

Custom pin flags help elevate the tournament experience for golfers and sponsors.

Fundraising & Engagement

One of the biggest successes has been expanding fundraising opportunities beyond the golf course itself. Because the tournament flows directly into the conference kickoff celebration, participants who only attend the conference still become part of the fundraising experience.

Throughout the evening, attendees purchase raffle tickets, participate in the silent auction, and celebrate tournament winners together. That broader audience of conference attendees creates new fundraising streams and supporters that simply didn’t exist when the tournament stood on its own.

On the course, Ashley looks for engaging activities that everyone can enjoy, including:

• Four hole-in-one contest holes

• A golf ball cannon, which is included in registration

• Closest to the pin competition

• A second-shot hole-in-one challenge hosted by a Charity Golf International professional long-driver (which generated $2,500 for the Boys and Girls Club)

One of Ashley’s goals is to keep golfers there for the post-round celebration. Many tournaments lose attendees immediately after golf ends, but Ashley has built an experience worth sticking around for, with food, drinks, entertainment, and fundraising.

The result? An event that feels less like waiting for scores and more like the official kickoff to the conference and celebration of the golf tournament.

The post-golf celebration and Class 2 Gathering kickoff features performances from members of the Potawatomi Nation.

Advice to Other Casino Operators

For casinos considering launching their own charitable golf tournament or adding one to an existing conference or other event, Ashley offers one simple piece of advice: Play in other tournaments first.

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“Go experience them as a golfer. Figure out what you like and don’t like, then build the tournament you’d want to play.”

— Ashley Bergquist, Promotions, Events, and Entertainment Manager at Prairie Band Casino & Resort

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She also encourages casinos to recognize the unique inherent advantages they have, which naturally support a successful fundraising event:

• Championship golf courses

• Experienced hospitality teams

• Food and beverage options

• Entertainment

• Established vendor relationships

Beyond raising money, a charity golf tournament showcases the property’s amenities, strengthens relationships with vendors and partners, and creates meaningful support for important community organizations. For C2G, that means investing in the next generation through the Boys and Girls Club.

With GolfStatus helping simplify tournament operations, Ashley can spend less time managing spreadsheets and more time creating the experience golfers look forward to every year.

As C2G and the tournament continue to grow, the focus remains the same: offer an exceptional experience, foster relationships across the gaming industry, and generate meaningful support for local youth—one great round of golf at a time.

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Boost Golf Tournament Results With GolfStatus

GolfStatus works with golf tournaments of all types and sizes, from small nonprofit events to massive charity fundraisers. Its tech streamlines and simplifies registration, payment processing, player management, sponsor onboarding, scoring, and much more. The software is backed by an in-house team of golf fundraising professionals, and all tournaments have access to exclusive Fundraising Enhancers and Rewards, as well as consultations with Fundraising Specialists. Get started at no upfront cost by booking a meeting with our team.

by Jen Wemhoff, Communications Manager at GolfStatus

Keeping your annual golf tournament fresh and exciting can be a challenge for longstanding events. Returning golfers always look forward to seeing familiar faces and supporting your mission, but offering them a new experience helps keep them engaged year after year.

Trying different golf tournament formats is an easy way to shake things up without completely reinventing the event. A new format can help differentiate your tournament from others in your community and encourage past participants to return. Different formats can also help you attract beginners, who might be playing in an organized event for the first time. The National Golf Foundation reports that more than three million beginners take up golf every year, so choosing the right format ensures they have a great experience.

The right golf tournament format keeps golfers engaged from start to finish. The key is understanding your audience.

Organizers have plenty of golf tournament format ideas to choose from. Some emphasize teamwork, others create more competition, and several invite golfers of all skills.

In this guide, we’ll break down the most popular alternative golf tournament formats, explain the benefits of each one, answer common questions, and share tips for using tech to make implementation and scoring simple.

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Top Golf Tournament Formats

Every golf tournament format creates a different player experience and comes with its own strengths. As you explore the different options for your next golf outing, consider which format best fits your audience, fundraising goals, and golfer mix.

1. Scramble

The scramble is by far the most popular format for charity golf tournaments. It encourages teamwork, keeps play moving, and makes the event accessible for golfers of all abilities.

• How it works: Every golfer hits a tee shot, the group selects the best one, and all players hit their next shot from that location. The process continues until the ball is holed, with the team recording a single score for each hole.

• Benefits: A scramble is one of the most beginner-friendly tournament formats because higher-handicap players don’t have to worry about a single bad shot hurting the team’s overall score. It creates a fun, low-pressure atmosphere that keeps the round moving.

• Best practice: Consider setting a minimum number of shots used for every player, helping everyone contribute more equally to the team.

2. Shamble

The shamble format offers a great combination of team and individual play, and is a strong choice for charity tournaments,

• How it works: Every golfer tees off, and the group selects the best shot—just like in a scramble. But from that point on, each golfer plays their own ball through the hole. Team scores are typically calculated by combining one or more of the lowest individual scores on each hole.

• Benefits: A shamble gives golfers the advantage of starting each hole from a favorable position, while still allowing them to play their own game. Beginners benefit from the team’s best drive, while stronger golfers have opportunities to showcase their abilities. Shambles move at a good pace and create a balance between teamwork and competition.

• Best practice: Before the round begins, clearly explain how team scores will be calculated—whether you’re counting the lowest score, combining the two lowest scores, or another variation.

3. Match Play

If you’re looking to bring a little friendly rivalry to your event, match play is a great way to create head-to-head competition and engagement.

• How it works: Golfers compete hole by hole rather than counting total strokes for the entire round. The player or team that has the lowest score on a hole earns a point, and the player or team with the most points at the end of the round is the winner.

• Benefits: Because the score is based on holes won instead of cumulative strokes, one bad hole won’t ruin an otherwise great round. That keeps players in the moment and focused on the next shot, maintaining enthusiasm on each hole.

• Best practice: Consider organizing your event with a bracket-style draw. Head-to-head matchups and advancing rounds can build anticipation and heighten the excitement and competitiveness of the event.

4. Best Ball

The best ball format is a nice middle ground between individual competition and team play, making it a popular choice for events with a mix of skill levels.

• How it works: Every golfer plays their own ball on each hole, and the team records the lowest individual score as the team’s score.

• Benefits: This format lets strong golfers excel while still allowing every participant to play their own game. It strikes a nice balance between personal performance and teamwork.

• Best practice: When assigning groups for a best ball tournament, aim for a mix of skill levels to create a more balanced, inclusive competition.

5. Alternate Shot

Alternate shot is all about collaboration. It challenges pairs to work together and make strategic decisions throughout the round.

• How it works: Teams of two play a single ball, alternating shots until the ball is holed. One golfer tees off on odd-numbered holes, the other on even-numbered holes.

• Benefits: Since every shot affects your partner, the alternate shot format naturally builds trust and stresses communication. It’s a great fit for corporate golf outings or sponsor-driven team-building events that want to emphasize collaboration.

• Best practice: Pair golfers with complementary strengths to create a more competitive and enjoyable round. For instance, match a great long driver with someone who excels at the short game.

Organizers can choose from a number of golf tournament format ideas to keep the event fun and competitive.

6. Stableford

Stableford encourages bold play while also keeping golfers from getting discouraged after a bad hole, making it an attractive alternative to traditional scoring.

• How it works: Rather than counting the fewest strokes, Stableford awards points based on a golfer’s score relative to par. A common scoring system gives players no points for a double bogey or worse, one point for a bogey, two points for par, three points for a birdie, four points for an eagle, and five points for a double eagle.

• Benefits: Stableford shifts a golfer’s mindset from avoiding mistakes to chasing opportunities. Golfers are often more willing to take risks to hit birdies and eagles to maximize their scores.

• Best practice: Make the scoring system easy to reference by printing a simple point chart on score cards, displaying it on golf carts, or including it in your golf tournament management app.

7. Bingo Bango Bongo

If you’re looking to surprise returning golfers with something completely different, Bingo Bango Bongo is one of the most entertaining golf tournament format ideas out there.

• How it works: Players have three opportunities to earn points on every hole. One point goes to the first golfer to hit the green (bingo), another goes to the player closest to the pin once everyone is on the green (bango), and the final point goes to the first golfer to hole (bongo).

• Benefits: This format rewards several aspects of the game, giving golfers of varying skill levels a chance to succeed. Skilled drivers, precise iron players, and strong putters all have opportunities to contribute, and it works well for both team and individual events.

• Best practice: If you’re running a team Bingo Bango Bongo event, designate one golfer in each group as the official scorekeeper.

8. Chapman (Pinehurst)

The Chapman, or Pinehurst, format combines elements of scramble and alternate shot to create a unique tournament experience that rewards strategy and teamwork.

• How it works: Both partners tee off and then select the best drive. From that point forward, they alternate shots using a single ball until the hole is completed.

• Benefits: Chapman offers more variety without being overly complicated. It’s a fun option for intermediate and experienced golfers who want something a little different from a traditional charity outing.

• Best practice: Walk through the rules before the tournament begins to prevent confusion, and have volunteers available on tee boxes to answer questions once play gets underway.

9. Skins

A skins game introduces a little extra drama by turning every hole into its own competition and creating memorable moments throughout the round.

• How it works: Each hole is assigned a “skin,” and the player or team with the lowest score wins the skin. If two or more golfers tie, the skin carries over to the next hole and increases the value of the next opportunity to win.

• Benefits: The carryover element keeps golfers engaged, even if they have a slow start. A string of tied holes can build anticipation and create high-stakes moments when golfers compete for multiple skins at once.

• Best practice: Keep participants updated by announcing or displaying carryover skins throughout the event to add another layer of excitement.

10. Money Ball (Lone Ranger)

Money ball, sometimes called lone ranger, is a creative team format that gives every golfer the chance to make a meaningful contribution.

• How it works: One player on each team is designated as the “money ball” golfer for a hole, and that player’s score counts as the team’s score for that hole. The money ball rotates from player to player throughout the round.

• Benefits: Because every golfer takes a turn carrying the team score, stronger players don’t dominate the competition, and higher-handicap players still have the chance to shine.

• Best practice: Determine the money ball rotation before the tournament begins and print the order on scorecards or include it in the event website, helping to avoid confusion and keep play moving smoothly.

Make sure every player understands the golf tournament format by reviewing the rules during opening announcements.

Golf Tournament Format FAQs

What should I consider when choosing a golf tournament format?

The best format for your specific tournament depends on key factors like:

• The skill level of your audience

• The size of your field

• The overall goals of your event

For example, a scramble works well for a broad audience because it’s accessible and collaborative. On the other hand, skins and match play can be better suited for experienced golfers who are looking for a more competitive atmosphere.

What’s the most popular alternative tournament type?

For charity events, scramble remains the clear favorite. It accommodates golfers of all skill levels, keeps pace of play moving along, and encourages teamwork.

That said, if you host an annual fundraiser with many returning participants, experimenting with other golf tournament formats can help keep the event fresh. You might even try rotating formats from year to year to create a new experience without changing the overall structure of your event. A good practice is to survey participants to gather valuable feedback about what formats they’d like to see incorporated.

Can you mix different formats within a single tournament?

Absolutely! In fact, some of the most memorable professional events do exactly that. The Ryder Cup is a well-known example, using multiple formats throughout the event. If you’re holding a multi-day or multi-round event, you can borrow from that concept by combining formats like match play and best ball or creating separate challenges that use different scoring systems.

The key here is communication. Provide participants with written rules before the event and review the format during opening announcements to keep everyone on the same page.

Do different formats affect the rate of play?

Yes. Team-focused formats like scramble often move more quickly, while those that involve more individual scoring or point calculations (like Stableford) may require more time.

As you plan your event schedule, don’t forget to factor in the pace of play associated with your chosen format and communicate expectations to players in advance.

Your event website should clearly state the golf tournament format.

Pro Tips for Managing Different Golf Tournament Formats

Once you’ve chosen your format, the next step is making sure everything runs smoothly. Preparation and the right tech can eliminate confusion, reduce your team’s administrative workload, and improve the golfer experience.

#1 Tip: Use Golf Tournament Management Software

Alternative formats can create a lot of manual scoring complexity. Keeping track of points and carryovers and calculating scores with paper scorecards can quickly become a headache.

Purpose-built golf tournament management software like GolfStatus helps simplify this process by handling scores and tracking calculations automatically, while updating results in real time. These features are especially valuable when using alternative formats:

• Live leaderboards: Digital leaderboards let golfers check standings throughout the round from their phones, keeping everyone up-to-date from the first drive to the last putt.

• Handicap integration: Formats like best ball and match play often work best when teams and pairings include players with varying abilities. Software that automatically collects and applies handicaps saves time and eliminates disputes.

• Sponsor visibility: Leaderboards, event websites, and mobile apps create additional opportunities for sponsor recognition across multiple digital touchpoints.

Other Best Practices

No matter which format you choose, a little preparation goes a long way. Helping participants understand the rules before the tournament and gathering feedback after the event will make it easier to offer an even better experience next year. Keep these best practices in mind:

• Communicate the format in advance: Include an overview of the rules in registration confirmation emails and pre-event communications so golfers can familiarize themselves with the format’s rules before tournament day. Consider posting hole signage across the course that clearly outlines the rules.

• Run a practice hole: If you’re using a less familiar format, consider running a practice hole or demonstration before play officially begins. A quick trial run will help golfers feel more confident when their score counts.

• Collect feedback after the event: Send a post-tournament survey to golfers asking what they enjoyed and whether they’d like to see the same format or something different in the future. Their feedback can help guide future decisions and reassure them that their experience matters to your organization.

Try a New Format for Your Next Tournament

The format you choose shapes nearly every aspect of the golfer experience, from competitive and pace of play to teamwork and fun. While the traditional scramble remains a proven, popular option for charity events, exploring new golf tournament format ideas can help your fundraiser stand out, bring new golfers to the table, and keep longtime supporters coming back.

The right choice ultimately depends on your audience. A beginner-friendly scramble may be perfect for introducing golfers to your mission, while Stableford or match play could appeal to a more experienced crowd. You may find that mixing formats or rotating them each year keeps your event feeling fresh.

Whatever you choose, don’t be afraid to experiment. A creative format can be a memorable part of your fundraiser, and with the right planning tools and technology, implementing something new is easier than ever.

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About the Author

Jen Wemhoff accidentally discovered her passion for nonprofits in college. An internship while earning a degree in Communications from Doane University led to a 20 year career in the nonprofit sector, where she found a strong desire to be part of something bigger than herself. Her vast nonprofit experience includes roles in marketing, fundraising, and direct programming. When Jen came to GolfStatus as Communications Manager in 2020, she was struck by the power of the sport to raise money to power nonprofit missions. She tells GolfStatus’s story across platforms and channels and develops educational tools and resources to help nonprofits tap into golf’s giving power. Jen, her husband, and two daughters call Lincoln, Nebraska home.

By Jen Wemhoff, Communications Manager

If your charity golf tournament is right around the corner but your golfer numbers aren’t where you need them to be, don’t panic. With the right outreach strategy (and a little hustle), you can still drive golfer registrations to fill your field.

Here are seven last-minute marketing tips to attract golfers to your tournament.

1. Segment Your List, Then Target Messaging

Blasting the same generic email to your entire contact list is a fast way to get ignored. Instead, break your audience into segments and tailor your messaging to the interests and needs of each group.

Think about your list in groups like:

• Past golfers. These are people who played in your tournament but haven’t yet signed up. A “We miss you!” note with a specific call to action (maybe a deadline-driven discount code or special rate) can nudge them off the fence.

• Other event participants. They’ve already had a great event experience with your organization, so a “We’d love to have you at the tournament” message with a link to your golf tournament website can go a long way.

• Sponsors and partners. These folks are already invested in your mission, so ask if they have employees or clients who love golf and would benefit from a day on the golf course.

• General supporters. Your broader donor or email list may include golfers who have never played in your tournament. Remind them what they’re missing!

Segmentation takes a little extra effort upfront, but it produces significantly better results than a one-size-fits-all approach. Your messages will feel personal and relevant.

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PRO TIP:

Use your golf tournament management platform to access past years’ participant data.

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2. Send a Text

Email is a great tool to market your golf tournament, but text messages are another opportunity to reach golfers where they already look multiple times a day—their phones. If you have an opt-in SMS list, now is the perfect time to use it.

Keep texts short and direct, and link to your registration website. For example: “Spots are filling up for [Tournament Name] on [Date], and we’d love to have you there. Register today at [website link]. Questions? Reply to this text!”

You can also use SMS for countdown reminders and to create urgency that prompts action:

• “Only 5 teams remain!”

• “Registration closes Friday!”

• “Don’t miss the hole-in-one contest!”

If you don’t have an SMS list yet, start building one now for future events. Add an opt-in checkbox to your registration form, donor forms, mention it at events, and promote it on social media. The investment will pay off every time you need to drum up last-minute interest.

3. Go All-In on Social Media

Between now and tournament day, leverage your social channels to bring in golfers. A mix of organic content and paid campaigns can quickly generate real momentum.

Free, Organic Tactics That Work:

• Create a Facebook event. Invite your committee, board, members, and volunteers to 1. Mark themselves as “Going” and 2. Invite their networks. It’s free, it’s easy, and it’s underused by nonprofit event teams. Facebook Events show up in local search results and the feeds of attendees’ networks, giving you broad, free organic visibility.

• Post daily (or close to it). Share photos from past tournaments, sponsor spotlights, highlights from past tournaments, tournament prizes, raffle prize previews, tease the theme, or even give away a free team to someone who likes and shares the post. Use language that conveys urgency.

• Join relevant groups. Search Facebook and LinkedIn for local groups—golf, nonprofit networking, community events, etc. Post your tournament details (be sure to follow each group’s rules about self-promotion) and let members spread the word.

• Don’t overlook stories or LinkedIn. A well-timed Facebook or Instagram story with a link or a LinkedIn post from your organization’s page can reach people that other channels can miss, especially corporate golfers and potential foursomes from local businesses.

Paid Tactics Worth the Investment

Even a modest Facebook or Instagram ad budget ($100 - $300) can deliver strong results:

• Target ads by zip code so you’re reaching people who are local to your tournament

• Narrow ads to specific interests, like golf, charity, fundraisers, outdoors, and your specific cause (pets, environment, literacy, youth, etc.)

• Boost your highest-performing organic post

• Run a dedicated registration ad with a clear call to action (Register Now!)

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Free Social Media Resources

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4. Pick Up the Phone!

There’s no more powerful outreach tool than a real human asking another real human to show up. In the age of automated emails, social ads, and AI, a personal call or text from someone they know stands out and makes them feel valued.

Here’s how to mobilize your committee for personal outreach:

• Five and Five. Challenge every committee member, board member, staff member, and volunteer to send five texts and make five phone calls asking people to register. Provide a simple script so it’s as easy as possible to execute: “Hey [Name], I’m helping organize [Tournament Name] on [Date], and we’d love to have you join us. It’s a great day of golf for a great cause. Can I send you the link to register?”

• Leverage your past participants. Pull a list of past golf tournament (or other event) participants and prioritize reaching out to people who attended one or two years ago, but haven’t yet registered this time. These are essentially warm leads, since they already know your organization and event, since they liked it enough to come once.

• Make it a group effort. If you’re really close to a target number, consider a focused phone-a-thon day where your team spends a few hours making calls together. Friendly competition (“who can get the most registrations today?”) makes it more fun. People tend to respond to urgency when it feels genuine, so don’t be afraid to use language like “We need six more foursomes to have a full field, and I thought of you.”

5. Use AI to Find Community and Event Calendars

Local event calendars are an underutilized free marketing channel. Local news outlets, community organizations, chambers of commerce, visitors bureaus, and city websites often maintain community calendars that are actively browsed by people looking for things to do. Getting your tournament listed on as many of these as possible is a no-cost way to expand reach.

The challenge can be in finding them all. That’s where AI can help. Use tools like ChatGPT or Claude with this prompt: “Give me a list of community and event calendars in [City, State] and how to submit an event listing for each one.”

You’ll get a solid starting list of calendars where you can post your tournament details. Most of these submissions take just a few minutes to complete and can put your event in front of audiences you’d never reach otherwise. Once you have your list and links, divide them up among committee members and knock submissions out in an afternoon.

6. Offer a Last-Minute Incentive

Sometimes people just need a little push or a carrot to spur them to action. A time-sensitive incentive can convert fence-sitters into registered golfers. Consider offers like:

• A deadline discount. “Register by [Date] to save $25 per foursome”

• A bonus. “Register this week and get five free raffle tickets” or “Register by tomorrow and get an extra entry in the putting contest”

• A complete team freebie. “Include all team members’ contact information to receive a complimentary mulligans package”

It’s a good idea to pair any incentive with a hard deadline, and promote it everywhere—email, social, text, and personal outreach. The combination of value and urgency can be a powerful motivator.

7. Rally Your Sponsors

Your sponsors benefit from a full tournament field as much as you do, so reach out to your top sponsors to ask if they would help you spread the word. Provide quick and easy suggestions to help, like:

• Sharing the event website link on their company social channels or in an internal email to employees.

• Purchase additional teams as an incentive for employees or to entertain clients and prospects.

• Promote the event to their networks of customers, clients, and vendors. Since many businesses see golf tournaments as an opportunity to build relationships, having the sponsor reach out to ask might be the nudge they need to register a team.

Send a quick email or give them a call with the ask, framing it as a mutual win. Use this free Golf Tournament Sponsor Asset Kit, with ready-to-use messaging, graphics, and more, to help turn sponsors into event promoters.

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Final Thoughts

Last-minute marketing pushes work best when they’re focused, personal, and multi-channel. You don’t need to do everything in this list. Choose two or three tactics that best fit your organization’s strengths and capacity, and execute on them consistently and with urgency.

Be sure you have a dedicated golf event website to use in these marketing campaigns. GolfStatus offers a free, professional event website with online registration, secure payment processing, digital sponsor exposure, and more, plus access to its golf tournament management software at no upfront cost. Book a quick meeting with a golf fundraising professional to learn more and get started!

Get a Free Golf Tournament Website!

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There’s something powerful about an annual golf tournament that’s become more than just a day on the course and has evolved into a tradition. The same course, the same time of year, the same group of supporters showing up year after year to build community.

That tradition is something to celebrate, but a tradition that doesn’t continue to improve can quickly become stale and a reason for golfers and sponsors not to come back.

If your golf event has been running for five, 10, or even 20+ years, you’ve done the hard part of building something that people care about and trust. Now the challenge is keeping it fresh and exciting enough that last year’s participants can’t wait to register again, while new golfers and sponsors are eager to join in.

You don’t need to completely reinvent your tournament to make it feel new. Small, strategic changes can elevate the golfer experience, keep sponsors excited, improve fundraising results, and keep people excited to show up year after year.

Here are 11 ways to refresh a longstanding golf tournament while honoring the traditions that made it successful in the first place.

1. Debrief After the Event (Every Year)

Before you think about next year’s tournament, gather your planning team and do an honest debrief. Discuss what went smoothly, what felt clunky, and what they heard from golfers and sponsors throughout the day.

You should also build feedback into your planning process so you hear directly from participants through a short post-event survey. Send it to golfers and sponsors to help glean:

• What they loved

• What they would change

• What would make them bring a friend next year

• What experiences or components stood out

Look for insights into which fundraising elements (raffles, auctions, on-course games, merch, etc.) performed best, which sponsor packages delivered the best value, and when (or if) the day lost energy. These responses tell you where to invest time and money for the future.

Make this a formal part of your planning process every year. You’ll find areas to improve because you’re paying attention to what participants are saying, and they’ll appreciate being heard.

2. Evaluate the Golfer Experience

An effective way to refresh a tournament is to consider the tournament—from start to finish—from the golfer’s perspective. Think through every touchpoint of the event:

• Is registration simple and efficient?

• Is communication clear leading up to the event?

• Is check-in welcoming?

• Is signage professional and easy to follow?

• Does the pace of the day feel brisk and organized?

• Is the awards ceremony or program engaging and celebratory?

Big improvements can come from fixing small points of friction. Ensuring the registration process is easy and communication is effective. Making check-in quick and painless. Offering great food and beverage. Keeping a steady pace of play. Maintaining high energy post-round. These details show participants that you want them to have the best possible experience.

Ensuring golfers have a great experience will elevate any golf tournament.

3. Introduce New Contests & On-Course Games

Adding new interactive tournament elements is one of the fastest ways to boost the event’s energy. There’s no need to completely overhaul the tournament’s format. A four-person scramble is the classic choice for charity events for a reason—it’s inclusive, fast-moving, and fun for all skill levels. But small additions can generate excitement. Some popular, low-lift options include:

• Hole-in-one contests

• Longest drive contest

• Closest to the pin challenge

• Putting contests

• Beat-the-pro (or amateur) hole

• Ball drop

• Poker hand

• On-course entertainment

• On-course games or fundraising stations

These activities not only make the day more entertaining, but they also create additional fundraising opportunities. Even introducing one or two new elements each year gives returning golfers something to look forward to and gives sponsors new activation options.

4. Refresh Your Branding & Introduce a Theme

Tournaments often use the same logo and look for years. And while consistency is important, a visual refresh can make your tournament feel updated and exciting without abandoning its identity. Consider tweaks or updates to colors and graphics, a more unified brand across digital and print, and an event website that reflects the caliber of the experience you’re delivering.

Introducing or updating a theme can complement a refreshed brand. You can do as much or as little with a theme as you want. Maybe a patriotic theme, a Masters-inspired tournament, a tropical or beach vibe, or team colors tied to a favorite sports team can all work beautifully. A theme can give golfers and sponsors something new to engage with, creating natural opportunities for fun on-course decor, social content, and creative sponsor activations that feel fresh each year.

Adding a theme, like glow golf, can significantly elevate a longstanding golf event.

5. Upgrade Player Gifts

Golfer gifts are remembered and used long after the tournament ends. If your event has been handing out the same golf balls and koozies for years, it may be time to rethink your swag strategy.

Today’s golfers want high-quality, useful items they’ll actually reach for. Rotating your gifts is a low-effort way to make repeat golfers feel like they’re getting something new, and thoughtful gifts elevate the perceived value of your tournament. Consider items like:

• Premium golf accessories

• Branded drinkwear

• Custom headcovers

• Branded golf towels

• Performance apparel

• Bluetooth speakers

• Portable phone charges

• Local products

• Experience-based prizes (gift cards, tee times)

6. Improve the Sponsor Experience

Sponsors are the financial backbone of your tournament. You can help build strong partnerships with sponsors by helping them feel like active participants instead of just logos on a banner. Each year, think through how you can deliver more value, more visibility, and more engagement to the businesses supporting your cause.

Think beyond static banners and create interactive opportunities for sponsors to engage with golfers:

• Branded tee box activations

• Sponsored contests, on-course games, or giveaways

• Product sampling stations

• Drink or snack stations

• Sponsored text messages or leaderboard placements

• Social media collaborations before, during, and after the event

Digital sponsor exposure is increasingly valuable, so don’t overlook your event website, email campaigns, mobile apps, and live scoring platforms for visibility that extends beyond tournament day.

Consider personalized sponsorship packages instead of the same tiers every year. Add fun, new names to packages and work with the sponsors to design packages that meet the goals of the business and your event.

Give sponsors more for their investment, like digital exposure, to improve their experience with your tournament and keep them coming back.

7. Modernize the Event with Technology

One of the fastest and easiest ways to elevate your tournament is to modernize the experience. Golfers, sponsors, and our planning committee will benefit from tools that streamline management and execution.

It starts with a dedicated event website that gives your tournament a polished, digital home base where golfers can register in minutes, sponsors can purchase packages and upload logos, and supporters can make donations—all without a phone call, paper form, or any effort from your team. This frees you up to focus on the relationships and experiences that make your tournament stand out.

The right tech can also help with:

• Team and sponsor management

• Mobile scoring and live leaderboards

• Auctions

• Raffle tickets and mulligan sales

• Donor tracking

• Payment processing and receipts

• Post-event reporting and accounting

8. Create Memorable Moments

The best tournaments leave people with stories that keep them talking. These might be:

• A surprise guest

• A heartfelt mission moment

• An incredible raffle prize

• A fun on-course challenge

• A unique food or beverage experience

• An emotional speech from a beneficiary

• A dramatic finish

• A hole-in-one contest winner

These transform a golf outing from just another fundraiser to an event that people circle on their calendars year after year. Think intentionally about where your tournament can create emotional peaks throughout the day. The goal is to go beyond simply entertaining golfers to creating memorable moments that they’ll talk about with coworkers, friends, sponsors, and future participants. They don’t have to be expensive; they simply have to be meaningful and well-executed.

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Case Study: Credit Unions for Kids Golf Classic

For 17 years, U.S. Community Credit Union and Enbright Credit Union have joined forces to host the Annual Credit Unions for Kids Golf Classic. Keeping the event fresh and fun every year is a priority for organizers, who have added new games, tech tools, sponsorships, and more, while raising tens of thousands of dollars for Monroe Carrell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.

READ MORE

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9. Keep the Cause Front & Center

For nonprofit or charity tournaments especially, one of the biggest opportunities is strengthening the connection between the event and the mission it supports. Longstanding tournaments, in particular, can sometimes get hyper-focused on logistics and tradition that the “why” beyond the fundraiser gets lost.

Golfers are more likely to give generously and keep coming back when they feel an emotional connection to the cause, not just the event. Keep the mission visible and personal to strengthen donor engagement and long-term support:

• Mission-focused signage throughout the course

• Videos or impact stories during meals or awards

• QR codes linking directly to your event website’s donation page

• Beneficiary speakers or testimonials

• Updates on how last year’s golf tournament funds were used

• Live fundraising appeals connected to specific outcomes

10. Use Data to Make Decisions

Every year, your tournament generates valuable data that can help improve future event iterations. The key is collecting, analyzing, and using this data to make strategic decisions instead of guessing.

Track and pay attention to:

• Registration trends (when people register, how they pay, if they use discount codes, if they make an additional donation, etc.)

• Sponsor renewal rates

• Contest or game participation

• Raffle ticket and mulligan sales

• Golfer feedback

• Auction and raffle engagement

• Marketing response rates

• Fundraising outcomes

• Expenses

For example, if certain sponsorship levels sell out immediately, consider expanding or restructuring them. If early-bird pricing consistently drives registrations, invest more in early marketing campaigns. If golfers consistently rate check-in as a poor experience, prioritize fixing it next year.

11. Preserve Traditions While Embracing Change

Don’t worry—not everything needs to change! In fact, some traditions are exactly why golfers return year after year. Whether it’s a beloved course, a signature contest, a longtime emcee or auctioneer, or a post-round awards moment people genuinely look forward to, the goal isn’t to erase what makes the tournament the tournament—it’s to evolve it.

You’ll succeed by balancing consistency with innovation. Preserve what people value most while introducing enough new energy each year to keep the event exciting, engaging, and financially strong. And when participants and supporters feel like your tournament just keeps getting better, they’re the ones who help fill your field.

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Modernize Your Tournament With GolfStatus

GolfStatus’ tech is built to help golf fundraisers stay fresh, relevant, and profitable. Its golf event-specific tools help organizers save time, raise more money, and deliver a professional experience that golfers and sponsors love year after year. Learn how you can get started at no upfront cost and get a free event website by booking a meeting with our team!

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