Fundraising for nonprofits boils down to two simple things: finding new donors and keeping existing ones. Both are critical to a nonprofit’s fundraising success—and to the overall success of the organization.

Charity golf tournaments are avenues to successfully do both. Here’s what you need to know about using your golf fundraiser to attract new donors and make sure they keep coming back to support your mission.

Why are new donors important for nonprofits?

New donors are crucial to moving your nonprofit’s cause forward. Just as a for-profit business must attract new customers or clients to grow market share, a nonprofit must raise awareness about the organization, the cause, and its work to effectively grow its donor base.

While some level of donor attrition is natural, without onboarding new donors to replace those that have lapsed, your network begins to stagnate and your organization ends up with an increasingly narrow donor pool. Indeed, golf tournaments present an opportunity to raise awareness and dollars, while simultaneously attracting new donors.

Why is it important to retain donors?

While new donors are certainly important and must be pursued, retaining donors is equally, if not more, important. Returning donors already care about your cause and believe in how your organization is addressing the issue. They’re more likely to make larger gifts, and are already on the road to being long term donors.

What’s more, the costs associated with onboarding new donors—both in terms of dollars and staff time—are significantly higher than with simply retaining existing supporters. You’ve likely invested time and effort in stewarding donors, which means high donor attrition essentially undoes all the good that new donors bring to your organization.

How do golf tournaments both attract & retain donors?

Golf tournaments meet your donors where they’re likely already spending time—on the golf course. Unlike any other type of fundraising event, a golf tournament lets you connect with past and prospective donors through an activity they genuinely enjoy, forging new connections and relationships over the focused hours on the golf course. Here’s how and why golf tournaments help your nonprofit to onboard and retain donors of all levels:

1. People want to play golf

The golf industry saw unprecedented growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, as golf gave people the chance to safely get outside, stay active, and gather with others in a socially distanced way. While the numbers have dipped slightly, golf is still more popular than it was before 2020—which means a healthy pool of potential new donors.

Many golfers actively look for golf tournaments to play in simply because they love the game. And it’s not just the die-hard golfers—more casual players are getting involved in the game and are eager to play in tournaments, which opens the door for even more donors to steward. The best part about a golf fundraiser is that when your event is focused on something people really want to do and enjoy—like golf—they’re bound to come back year after year.

2. Players tap their network to field a team

Golf may be an individual sport, but charity golf tournaments tend to be scrambles, which means that folks must field a team to participate and tap into their personal and professional networks to do so. One of your supporters registers for the fundraiser, then brings three others who aren’t necessarily familiar with your cause, but will be once they play in the tournament. This instantly multiplies your donor outreach, and when you retain these new donors, your donor network snowballs. What’s more, these new donors are more likely to return in future years and bring others.

Golfers have a net worth of nearly $770,000 and an average household income twice the national average, making them prime candidates for donors.

3. golf attracts a particular demographic

Golfers typically represent a demographic with a higher-than-average net worth and average household income. What’s more, over half of golfers are between the ages of 25 and 55 (the age group with the most spending power), and one in three are top-level managers. In short, these are folks you definitely want in your organization's donor database (and one sponsors want to get in front of).

4. It’s an important networking opportunity

Many golfers use charity golf tournaments—especially higher-grossing events held at prestigious golf courses—as an opportunity to network and do business. With four to five focused hours on the golf course, they can entertain clients, connect with prospects, build professional relationships, and network. This makes golf tournaments uniquely positioned to attract new high-capacity and connected donors that are often invited to fill a team.

Golf tournaments give you four or more hours on the golf course to connect with current and potential donors.

5. You can reconnect with lapsed donors

Golf events are a fantastic chance to reconnect with supporters who have contributed in the past but may have missed a year or more. Perhaps they played in a golf tournament years ago but haven’t returned, joined as a member but didn’t renew, made a year-end gift but didn’t respond to additional asks, or participated in a program and subsequently fell dormant. No matter what the cause, an invitation to a golf tournament is a low-pressure opportunity for lapsed donors to reconnect with your organization through an activity they enjoy—and for you to take another opportunity to steward these relationships.

Capture Donor Data & Take the Next Step 

In order to truly use your golf fundraiser as an effective vehicle for donor outreach and stewardship, you need to know who is playing in the tournament each year. It’s essentially an exercise in capturing donor data, getting it into your donor database, and leveraging it to attract folks to future events, like your golf tournament, and get them engaged in your mission.

Technology is key. Upgrading to online registration as part of a golf-specific event management platform has a number of time-saving advantages and also allows for thorough, real-time collection of donor data. A professional event website with an intuitive online registration process allows you to easily capture the information for each player and sponsor. You’ll want to couple online registration with a platform that makes it easy for one player or sponsor to register a team without necessarily knowing who they’ll tap to play with them, and the ability to add that information later.

---

Qualify for a Free Golf Tournament Website

If you’re a nonprofit or planning an event that benefits one, you likely qualify for a free event website and no-cost access to GolfStatus—a golf event management platform that allows event organizers to effortlessly collect valuable donor data while streamlining planning, management, and execution. The result is an easier way to plan a golf outing that attracts new donors and stewards existing donors through an all-around great experience.

Ready to hit the easy button on a first-year golf event or streamline an existing tournament? Click the button below to get qualified!

As golf season moves into high gear, tournament organizers like you are likely exploring avenues to boost revenue from your golf fundraiser. This blog series continues to outline various tournament components, add-ons, and strategies to raise as much money as possible from your golf tournament. Check out the other posts in this series:

BackSwing Golf Events

Hole-In-One Contests

On-Course Games

In-Kind Donations

This installment will explore a popular addition to golf tournaments: auctions. Auctions are a common—and lucrative—complementary activity that can have great ROI for your nonprofit.

Why is an Auction a Good Choice for My Golf Tournament?

Auctions and golf tournaments go hand-in-hand. Not only does an auction add an exciting, interactive experience to your golf tournament, but it encourages attendees to participate and contribute generously. An auction is another opportunity to engage with area companies and businesses when you solicit auction item donations. And, of course, auctions have the potential to generate significant revenue for your tournament and organization.

What Types of Auctions Work Well at a Charity Golf Tournament?

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, using an online bidding platform to submit their bid. 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.

Another option is a 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.

Finally, you can choose an online auction. An online auction extends the auction beyond the golf tournament itself, reaching a larger audience and broader participation.

Link out to your auction right from your golf tournament website.

How do i add an auction to my golf event?

An auction can easily be added to your tournament at any time. Of course, the earlier you plan for an auction, the more time you’ll have to procure items, promote the auction, establish bidding processes, and finalize the details. What’s more, a well-organized auction ensures a positive overall experience and can even encourage higher bids.

Much like your golf tournament, using technology will help it run smoothly and save you time and hassle, so start by choosing an auction platform. The most important feature is a mobile-friendly interface so golfers can browse auction items during the round and place bids right from their phones. It’s also a good idea to enlist volunteers to help with auction setup, answer questions and assist folks with bids, and finalizing payment and item pickup at the auction’s conclusion.

---

Pro Tip:

Use your GolfStatus event website to promote your golf tournament’s auction, highlighting top-tier items and recognizing donors.

---

ADD AN AUCTION TO YOUR GOLFSTATUS EVENT WEBSITE

Find out more!

How can an auction boost my tournament’s revenue?

A combination of desirable items, low overhead costs, and a smooth experience can significantly increase your golf event’s overall revenue and further your nonprofit’s impact. Here’s what an auction can do:

• Attract New Participants. An auction can draw a wider audience to your tournament, including those who may not be interested in golfing but want to support your cause another way. Spouses or guests of golfers or sponsors may be eager to attend an auction, but not the rest of the tournament.

• High-End Items Encourage Higher Bids. Competitive bidding, especially in a live auction, can drive up the final sale price of items, leading to increased fundraising.

• Donated Items Drive Costs Down. Seek as many donated items as possible to keep overhead costs low. Items purchased outright or on consignment come with a cost that eat away at your overall take from the auction. Engage your donor base, partners, vendors, and sponsors to solicit auction item donations.

• Offers Multiple Income Streams. In addition to team registrations, sponsorships, contests, mulligan sales, and other add-ons, an auction provides yet another source of income for your tournament, diversifying your fundraising efforts.

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

What Items Should I Offer in my Auction?

One key to a successful auction is offering items that are appealing, attractive, and valuable to your audience. Some popular auction items generally include:

• 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.
  

Hole #18 at Victoria National, part of the Dormie Network.

---

Pro Tip:

GolfStatus’ giving partners at Dormie Network Foundation offer in-kind donations that level up nonprofits’ fundraising efforts. Learn more and request consideration at dormienetworkfoundation.org.

---

What are some best practices for my golf event’s auction?

• Start Planning Early. Begin organizing your auction well in advance of the event. Secure high-quality items and experiences that will appeal to your audience.

• Set Clear Guidelines. Clearly outline the auction rules, including bidding increments, payment methods, and pick-up procedures, to avoid confusion and ensure a seamless process. Be sure to communicate these to your bidders before the auction begins.

• Utilize Technology. Consider using online bidding platforms for silent or virtual auctions to streamline the process and reach a broader audience.

• Leverage Sponsorships and Donated Items. Partner with local businesses for donated items or experiences, reducing costs and fostering community involvement. You’ll improve fundraising outcomes as a result!

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

• Recruit Volunteers. Recruit the help of volunteers to assist with auction setup, bid tracking, and attendee support during the event.

• Follow Up with Bidders. After the auction, promptly reach out to winning bidders to confirm payment and item delivery, and thank them for their support. Be sure to add them to the invite list for next year’s golf tournament.

Auctions by 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

---

Planning a Golf Tournament?

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

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

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

1. do your research

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

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

---

fundamental tournament planning resources

---

2. select your tech provider

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

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

• Professional, responsive event website

• Online registration with secure payment processing

• Intuitive interface

• Communication tools

• Web-based for easy collaboration

• Broad sponsor exposure and offerings

• Live scoring and leaderboards

• Ability to collect donations

• Robust reporting

• Seamless data exports

3. reach out to area golf facilities

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

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

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

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

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

4. lock in a date

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

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

5. Launch an event website

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

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

6. fill in the details

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

---

what’s next?

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

---

Get a Free Golf Tournament Website (And More!)

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

Sales is a big part of a successful charity golf tournament, much to the chagrin of some nonprofit event organizers. The thought of reaching out to businesses to sell them on sponsoring your golf tournament might put you into a cold sweat, but with a solid strategy and the right tools in place, it won’t seem as daunting.

It’s important to start your sponsor outreach as early as possible, for a few reasons. First, you have a longer window to bring in sponsor dollars to help cover tournament expenses. Second, businesses often allot their marketing or charitable dollars early in their fiscal year, so the earlier you can get on their radar and into their budget, the better. Finally, the sooner they come on board as a sponsor, the longer they earn impressions and get exposure for their brand. It’s in the best interest of your tournament and the business to onboard them as early in the planning and marketing process as possible.

Before you outline your sales strategy, be sure to check these to-dos off your list:

• Set a Fundraising Goal. Knowing the revenue you’re aiming for with your golf event will help inform the type of sponsorships you build, the businesses you approach, and even the price of golfer and team registrations. Be realistic, but don’t underestimate the value of your tournament.

• Have an Event Website in Place. A golf tournament website gives you a place to send folks to learn more about your tournament, register a team, or purchase a sponsorship—as soon as they hear about it. An event website is also key to providing digital sponsor exposure, as golfers and prospective sponsors visit the site and see current sponsor logos.

Once you have these in place, you’re ready to dive into your sales strategy.

1. Create a prospect list

A prospect list is simply who you plan to go after for sponsors for your golf tournament. Start by getting your planning team together for a brainstorming session to throw out names of potential sponsors. Nothing should be off the table at this point! Many businesses find golf tournament sponsorships especially appealing, as their audience is made up of their ideal client or customer.

• Local, Regional, and Even National Businesses. Don’t limit yourself to only local businesses, especially if a larger company has an office or headquarters in your area.

• Businesses Where You Have Personal Connections. Who’s your dentist? Or doctor? Where do you take your dog to be groomed? Who sold your house? What printer does your organization use? Who are your nonprofit’s vendors? Use your personal networks to your advantage.

• Businesses That Are Connected to Your Cause. Think about businesses that have some type of connection to your mission. For example, if you’re raising money for a pet rescue, think about groomers, boarders, veterinarians, or pet supply stores. If yours is a memorial tournament, look for those that have a connection to the tournament’s namesake or the cause you’re raising money for.

• New Businesses. These are a great option for golf tournaments, especially for hole sponsorships. New businesses might not have a large budget for advertising, but still need and want the exposure.

Once you have your prospect list established, identify connections with your and your planning team’s personal and professional networks. Having an “in” at a business often leads to a successful sponsorship pitch!

2. build attractive sponsorship packages

Keep this in mind as you build your sponsorship packages: If you can put a logo on it, you can sell a sponsorship! Start by looking at your tournament’s hard costs and building sponsorship packages to cover them, such as food and beverage, player gifts, on-course games, beverage carts, golf carts, or hole-in-one contests.

Consider these best practices for sponsorship packages:

• Provide Value. Every sponsor package should provide enough return on investment (ROI) to justify the business’ support. Whether it’s brand exposure, the opportunity to engage with golfers, the chance to speak at the tournament’s kickoff or banquet, or registrant information, be sure to clearly outline the benefits for each sponsorship so prospective sponsors understand exactly what they’re getting.

• Show Tangible Impact. Help businesses understand what their support of your tournament will do. For example, the Title Sponsor will underwrite 10 dog adoptions. The goal is to help connect sponsors to your cause and compel them to participate.

• Attach Teams to Sponsorships. Not only does this add additional value to each package, but it functions to help fill your tournament’s field. Many of the highest grossing tournaments only have teams attached to sponsorships.

• Be Flexible. Don’t be afraid to create custom sponsorships based on what returns value for the business. It’s likely that your final slate of sponsorships will look different than when you started—and that’s ok!

• Accept In-Kind Support. Businesses are often interested in providing in-kind donations of goods or services instead of monetary support. These can be leveraged as raffle prizes, player gifts, auction items, pin prizes, to just enhance the overall tournament experience, or reduce your operating costs. For example, a local caterer or grocery store might be interested in providing lunch or snacks. Or perhaps a sporting goods store wants to donate a golf bag or gift card. Provide exposure and thanks for these contributions.

Your event management platform should make it simple to create and list sponsor packages on the golf tournament website, plus make additions and updates as necessary.

---

Sample golf fundraiser sponsorship packages

This free guide outlines three sets of golf tournament sample sponsorship packages, including pricing, benefits, and golfer registration costs. You’ll find examples for small, mid-sized, and large tournaments that you can adapt based on your tournament’s unique needs.

---

3. price packages effectively

As mentioned previously, your fundraising goal will guide your pricing, combined with the caliber of the host golf facility and size of the tournament’s field. Don’t expect to hit your goal with one sponsorship sale! Keep these points in mind as you consider package pricing:

• Cover Costs. As a baseline, you should cover hard costs and build in pure revenue to each package.

• Offer Varying Price Points. Lower price points might be an easier sell for businesses that don’t have a huge budget. That being said, don’t be afraid to go after the bigger fish who have more robust philanthropic or marketing budgets.

• Understand your network and its capabilities. Are there a number of businesses you can approach for lower-cost packages? Or do you have one or two you can target for pricier sponsorships?

• Don’t Underprice Your Sponsorships. Remember that your tournament has a unique value proposition! Sponsors get high engagement and exposure to an audience they can’t access anywhere else.

4. make an effective pitch

Once you’ve identified connections at prospective sponsors on your prospect list, determine who will reach out to each prospect. Lean on your planning team, staff, or board as much as possible in this phase, not only to leverage their connections, but to share the work. It’s a good idea to put the person tasked with reaching out to a business in charge of the relationship with that sponsor.

It’s also a good idea to use a shared template or talking points to ensure consistent messaging and make it easier to make the pitch. Use a combination of approaches, perhaps with an introductory email, followed by a phone call and/or check-in email. For larger sponsorships or when pitching to a known partner, you might want to connect in person. Every pitch should clearly outline the pricing and benefits, as well as an overview of the audience and estimated attendance numbers, if known. Ask them what they hope to get out of the partnership, which helps both parties get the most value out of the sponsorship. Send folks to the event website to view available sponsorships and purchase their package.

If yours is an existing tournament, offer past years’ sponsors the first right of refusal. Give them the option to move up to a different package, or stick with what they’ve done in the past.

Above all, remember the worst they can say is no!

An event website makes it simple for prospective sponsors to view available sponsorships and purchase a package with a few clicks.

5. Lean on technology

Technology is a key part of golfer and sponsor outreach, with an event website as the centerpiece. The website makes marketing and promotion as simple as sharing a link, where folks can learn more about your organization and event and register or become a sponsor as soon as they hear about it. A website makes the tournament shareable, so your supporters can share it with their networks, instantly expanding your potential audience.

The digital exposure afforded by the event website adds even more value to your sponsor packages. Every time someone visits the site, sponsors get eyeballs on their brand. And with the right event management tool, sponsor exposure is automatic—it gets added to the site as soon as a sponsor purchases a package via the website and starts earning impressions right away.

---

GolfStatus Makes It Easy

GolfStatus’ golf tournament management platform makes it easier than ever to build custom sponsorships, sell packages, collect assets, and provide digital sponsor exposure. It comes with an attractive, mobile-responsive event website and a user-friendly interface that streamlines tournament planning and execution. Nonprofits and charities (and third parties hosting golf events on their behalf) can qualify to use GolfSatus at no upfront cost through the Golf for Good program. You’ll get access to tech tools, exclusive premium sponsorships, add-ons, and our A+ in-house support team to make your tournament a success. Click below to get qualified!

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

1. Donation Appeal

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

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

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

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

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

2. Hole-in-One Contest

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

3. Longest Drive Contest

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

4. Closest to the Pin contest

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

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

5. Putting Contest

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

6. Auctions

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

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

7. Mulligans

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

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

8. Skins Games

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

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

Ready to plan your best charity golf tournament?

Click here to book a GolfStatus demo today!

9. Raffles

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

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

10. Matching Donations

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

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

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

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

11. Virtual Round

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

12. Food and Drink Tickets

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

13. On-Course Games

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

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

14. Technology Sponsorship

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

15. Pin Flag Sponsorship

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

16. Celebrity Appearance

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

17. Ball Drop

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

18. Golf Clinic 

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

19. VIP Package

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

• Premium parking spots

• Exclusive tournament merchandise or gift packages

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

• Discounted entries into the contests or games mentioned above

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

20. Event-Specific Merchandise

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

21. Pledge Drive

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

22. Beat the Special Guest Challenge

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

23. Golf Tournament Bracket

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

Wrapping Up

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

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

---

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

Ready to plan your best charity golf tournament?

Click here to book a GolfStatus demo today!

Partner Snapshot

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

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

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

The challenge

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

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

The solution

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

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

— JB, Head Golf Pro at Mahoney Golf Course

the results

No More Manual Signups

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

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

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

easy communication

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

More Golfers, More Events

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

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

— JB, Head Golf Pro at Mahoney Golf Course

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

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

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

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

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

Printouts, Flighting & Tiebreakers

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

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

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

Golfstatus for every golf event

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

Still looking for ideas to boost your golf tournament’s fundraising revenue? In this installment of the “golf tournament ideas that raise more money” blog series (check out the posts that focused on the pros at BackSwing Golf Events, on-course games, and in-kind donations), we’ll discuss how you can boost revenue and add excitement with a hole-in-one contest.

What’s A Hole-In-One Contest?

A hole-in-one contest is a revenue-boosting idea for a charity golf tournament. It gives golfers the chance to test their skills (or luck!) to win a prize if they shoot a hole-in-one on a specified par three hole or holes. Tournament organizers purchase hole-in-one insurance to cover the cost of the prize (or work with a sponsor to underwrite the cost of the prize) in the event someone gets an ace.

How Does a hole-in-one contest Work?

Hole-in-one contests can be added quickly to any tournament. Tournament organizers purchase their hole-in-one insurance or package, determine how many contests they want to offer, and work with golf facility staff to determine the appropriate par three hole or holes for the contest on the golf course. The minimum distance for women is usually 140 yards and 160 yards for men.

Golfers get one chance per contest to ace the hole. Entry into the contest is often included in the golfers’ tournament registration fee, but can also have a separate cost to enter. Depending on the terms of the contest insurance, a witness may be required to be present on the hole to verify if a golfer gets a hole-in-one.

What Are the Benefits of Having a Hole-In-One Contest?

• It adds an extra dose of excitement into a golf fundraiser. It doesn’t matter if it’s an avid golfer or first-timer taking the shot—everyone gets excited about the possibility of winning a valuable prize! Golfers of all skill levels can participate, which encourages greater community involvement and support.

• It provides additional fundraising potential to the tournament. Whether you sell a contest sponsorship, require folks to pay an entry fee to participate, or capitalize on the contest to help promote the event and attract additional teams, hole-in-one contests are packed with fundraising power.

• It creates lasting memories. Yes, fundraising is important, but so is the overall event experience. A hole-in-one contest lets nonprofits further engage with participants and build connections. Plus, if someone does get a hole-in-one, you can be sure everyone will remember it (and your golf event)!

• It doesn’t come with risk. Investing in hole-in-one insurance makes sure that your nonprofit is financially protected. And when you leverage the contest as a sponsorship opportunity, you’re not left covering the cost of the insurance.

---

What is hole-in-one insurance?

If someone gets a hole-in-one during a contest at your golf tournament, hole-in-one insurance covers the cost of the prize, such as cash, a new car, or a vacation. While it’s relatively unlikely for someone to make a hole-in-one at your event, it’s not impossible, so hole-in-one insurance removes the financial risk to your nonprofit.

How does Hole-in-one insurance work?

Once you’ve made the decision to include a hole-in-one contest in your golf fundraiser, connect with the golf facility to determine the hole or hole the contest will be held on. Next, you’ll purchase an insurance package and determine a prize. GolfStatus offers two hole-in-one contest packages with valuable prizes that attract and excite golfers, including thousands of dollars in cash, a Dormie Network Stay and Play package, or a Dormie Network membership. Like any insurance, the cost is paid up front, and if a participant hits a hole-in-one, the insurance policy will fund the prize.

---

How can we sell hole-in-0ne sponsorships?

Hole-in-one contests can be sold as premium sponsorships that cover your costs and raise thousands more dollars for your cause!

Start by identifying businesses that you, your nonprofit, or someone on your planning team already has a relationship with, who are interested in getting in front of the golfer demographic, or who relate to your nonprofit’s mission in some way. GolfStatus suggests targeting industries such as healthcare and luxury goods, to name a few.

Next, create sponsorship packages and a proposal that highlights the key benefits of sponsoring a hole-in-one contest, such as premier exposure while being associated with a fun, exciting part of the tournament. It’s a win-win—the sponsor supports an important cause while promoting their business to a captive audience of golfers.

How do I get started?

Click below to get in touch with GolfStatus to learn more about hole-in-one insurance, contest options, and how golf event management technology can streamline and simplify your golf tournament. Through the Golf for Good program, nonprofits and third parties planning golf tournaments to benefit one get full access to GolfStatus’ golf event management platform—with a free event website, built-in automations and fundraising tools, exclusive sponsorships and add-ons, and best-of-the-best support team—to save time and raise more money. Click below to get in touch!

Ready to get started?

Click here to book a demo today!

Still looking for ideas to boost your golf tournament’s fundraising revenue? In this installment of the “golf tournament ideas that raise more money” blog series (check out the posts that focused on the pros at BackSwing Golf Events, hole-in-one contests, and in-kind donations), we’ll discuss how adding on-course games bring fun and fundraising to your tournament.

What is an on-course golf tournament game?

An on-course game is an addition to your tournament that involves an activity on one or more holes on the golf course that golfers pay to participate in. The games can have a variety of outcomes, like improving the team’s score, providing a better tee off location, removing an obstacle, winning a prize, or just to add an element of fun.

The Credit Unions for Kids Golf Classic adds extra fun to its tournament with on-course games, like kicking soccer balls onto an inflatable dartboard.

How Do on-course golf tournament games Work?

Games can be added to your tournament at any time, well in advance or right before the event. You can opt to have golfers pay to play when they register or pay the day of the tournament. Make sure you have an easy way to collect credit card payments in case golfers don’t carry cash. Your GolfStatus event website is a great option for this! An all-in games package is the easiest option—folks pay one flat fee to participate in all the games. Use wristbands or something similar to signal to the volunteers working the games on the course that those golfers have already paid.

Keep pace of play in mind when choosing the number of on-course games and their corresponding locations for your event. You don’t want teams piling up on a hole with a time-consuming game. Keep them easy to explain and quick to play to keep the round moving and golfers happy.

You’ll need to recruit volunteers to run each of the games. These can be staff or board members, other volunteers, or even sponsors. Depending on the length of the round, you might want to have two shifts of volunteers. They need to be comfortable explaining the rules and procedures, how to pay online via your event website, or collect cash payments.

how can we boost revenue with on-course golf tournament games?

Sell a games sponsorship! There are a few ways to structure a games sponsorship for your golf fundraiser. It’s up to you and what works best for your tournament!

Individual Games Sponsorships

Sell a sponsorship for each individual game on the course and encourage the purchasing business to run the game the day of the event. This gives them great brand exposure and ample opportunity to connect with golfers.

Overall Games Sponsorship

You might consider offering an overall games sponsorship that encompasses every game on the course. This sponsorship would sell for more than the individual game sponsorships and provide premium exposure for the sponsoring business.

Front & Back Nine Games Sponsorships

Alternatively, you could offer two separate games sponsorships, one for the front nine and one for the back nine.

What Are the Benefits of Having on-course golf tournament games?

• Fun, fun, and more fun! Golfers of all skill levels can participate in on-course games and enjoy the extra entertainment.

• You’ll raise more money. Games bring in additional revenue, whether you sell one or more game sponsorships or just rely on golfers paying to play.

• They’re memorable. Golfers are guaranteed to remember the tournament where they shot the ball down the course with an air cannon or had to tee off or putt wearing Mickey Mouse gloves. Games add to a more enjoyable overall tournament experience.

• Cause connection. Tying a game to your cause in some way helps golfers better understand and connect with what they’re helping raise money for.

Outlook Enrichment uses sleep shades for a blind putt hole to help golfers better understand vision loss.

What are some ideas for golf tournament games?

The possibilities are endless, so gather your planning team to brainstorm ideas. Reach out to the Pro at the host golf facility, who might also have ideas for games that have been popular at other tournaments. These ideas can help get you started.

Connect Golfers to Your Mission

Games that connect golfers to your mission in some way have double the impact—they get a deeper appreciation for your cause and are more likely to chip in addition money. For example, Outlook Enrichment, a nonprofit that serves the visually-impaired, had a blind putt hole to help golfers better understand the struggles of vision loss. Golfers wore a sleep shade and relied on their teammates to help them line up their shot through audio cues. If a team made it, they could replace any score from the tournament with a hole in one.

Another example is Habitat for Humanity of Columbus, which helps provide affordable housing and homeowner education, had a game on the practice green where golfers putted with building tools, like sledgehammers and levels, instead of their putters. They also had a hole where golfers teed off using work gloves, and golfers could pay to opt out if they didn’t want to chance the gloves affecting their shot and corresponding score.

Golfers at Habitat for Humanity of Columbus putted with building tools as part of a golf tournament game.

beat the pro

Groups like BackSwing Golf Events will send a pro to your golf event to engage golfers with contests like beat the pro, long drive pro, glass break challenge, and more—and raise a ton more money in the process. There’s no upfront charge to adding a BackSwing pro to your tournament, and they take care of all the logistics.

A spin on a beat the pro contest, if you’ve got a willing sponsor or other golfer, is a beat the amateur” contest. It could work like this: The amateur goes head-to-head with golfers on their tee shot; if the amateur hits it further, the money paid to participate becomes a donation. If the golfer wins, they get double their money back.

Golf ball cannon

Give golfers the chance to shoot their ball down the fairway using an air gun or golf ball cannon, instead of hitting a tee shot.

hole of fortune

Choose one hole that’s dubbed the “hole of fortune.” Golfers pick a card, play Plinko, or spin a wheel to determine the club they’ll use to tee off or play the entire hole with or the tee boxes they’ll start from. Prizes could also include an extra mulligan, an automatic hole-in-one, or a free drink. Alternatively, some slots or cards could result in something not as rewarding, such as teeing off while blindfolded or getting a penalty stroke.

Roll-a-score

Have golfers roll a set of dice and give them the option to replace any score from the event with whatever they rolled.

marshmallow drive

Have golfers tee off with a marshmallow. The golfer with the longest “drive” wins a prize. You could change this up to have golfers chip with a marshmallow, and the golfer with the closest chip to the hole gets the prize.

How Can We Level up Our Golf Tournament games?

On-course games definitely boost golfer engagement throughout the tournament, but if you’re looking for ways to supercharge that engagement, try these ideas that level up golf tournament games:

• Leverage social media. Go live from one of the games, create a specific hashtag for a new game, and assign someone to share photos from each game throughout the tournament to get more people excited about participating in the games.

• Hype it up. Ask a volunteer, a staff or board member, or recruit a local celebrity to announce or emcee a game to hype golfers up to participate (and make extra donations!). 

• Incorporate team-based challenges. Create ways for teams to compete against each other in the games. For example, if you use the marshmallow drive game, you can keep track of distance across all teams and award a special prize to the ultimate winner.

• Use real-time leaderboards. When you use a software solution that provides hassle-free live-scoring, you can use real-time standings as part of your games. Perhaps teams that are under par at a certain game hole get a free extra wheel spin or Plinko drop, or teams that are more than a few strokes over par get an additional try at the marshmallow drive.

• Take online payments. Whether you’re selling supertickets, wristbands, or individual game entries or collecting donations, the ability to collect payments online via your event website helps bring in more dollars and makes post-tournament accounting easier. Post a sign with a QR code that links directly to the packages page to make it super simple for golfers and your planning team, and you won’t have to deal with keeping track of cash payments.

---

Golf for Good

Nonprofits, charities, and third parties planning charity golf tournaments can get started with GolfStatus at no upfront cost through the Golf for Good program! Get access to GolfStatus’ golf event management platform—with a robust event website, time-saving automations and built-in fundraising tools, premium sponsorships, trusted partners, and an A+ in-house support team—to make your next golf event the best one yet. Click below to connect with our team!

Ready to get started?

Click here to book a demo today!