Collect more than registration fees at your next charity golf tournament. Everything from skill contests to silent auctions to hole sponsors, we’ve put together a list of sure-fire money generators to set a fundraising record at your golf scramble.
Basic Revenue Generators
These are the “long hitters” for your outing. At a minimum, use these items to cover your event costs and earn incremental profit with the remaining options.
1. Registration Fee
Include more than just golf in your registration fee to drive up the price. Give discounts for early birds and for registering a foursome to encourage signups.
2. Auction
Pair your golf outing with a live or silent auction (consider TravelPledge for item procurement). Try the “18 Hole Auction” to let golfers bid on items while they are on the course.
3. Raffle
Include raffle tickets in the registration fee and sell additional tickets at the event. Raffle drawings are a great way to get golfers to stick around after the event for your dinner and auction.
4. Dinner
Sell a dinner ticket as on optional add-on to the golf registration. Dinners after the golf event are a great for earning revenue from non-golfers.
Golf Skill Contests
The goal of a skill contest is to add some additional excitement to the day. Select a mix of contests that will appeal to avid golfers and beginners alike. Many courses offer services to run these contests for you. Read more about picking the right golf course for your outing.
5. Skins Game
The Skins Game rewards teams for scoring the lowest particular holes. They are great for benefit golf outings since 1) There may by ties on all the holes (hence, no skins won); and 2) Winners of skins may opt to donate back their winnings.
6. Long Drive
The Long Drive is a golf scramble staple. Pick a straight hole with a wide fairway to include the most contenders.
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7. Closest to the Pin
Another golf scramble staple. Short, downhill par 3’s make for for good selections since players can see what they are shooting for before they hit.
8. Putting Contest
Choose an impossible putt on the practice green to reward those who make it. Some tournaments require players to sink a 10-footer before advancing to the long putt to limit the chance of someone winning.
9. Long Putt
Reward teams for sinking the longest putt on a particular hole. Consider placing this contest on a long par 3 or difficult par 4, where there will be lots of long birdie putts.
10. Straightest Drive
Paint a line down the middle of a fairway to see who can come closest. Straightest Drive contests pull in long and short hitters alike.
11. Hole-in-One
Offer a vacation package or other amazing prize for the first hole-in-one on the par 3 of your choice. The insurance company may require you to provide a witness.
12. Beat the Pro
Station a scratch (or better) golfer on a par 3 who always hits first. Allow players to wager they can get closer. You keep the wagers when the pro wins – a great bet!
13. Gambling Hole
A modification of Beat the Pro, the Gambling Hole lets golfers wager on themselves to hit their tee shot within a 20-foot circle on the green.
14. Short Drive
The short drive is a gag contest that gives the worst golfers in the field a chance. Tops and chunks are valid entries – just no whiffs!
15. Marshmallow Driving Contest
It’s exactly what it sounds like. See who can drive a marshmallow the farthest. Be on the lookout for the ringer who brings a frozen marshmallow!
16. Bad Cards Fore Good TOURNAMENTS
Putt with a pool cue? Tee off with a leaf blower in your face? Teams draw cards to learn their fate or donate to gain an advantage. Check out customizable tournament activations at Bad Cards Fore Good TOURNAMENTS or shop games at Bad Cards Fore Good Golfers.
Team Score Improvers
Give your competitive teams a way to spend more money and second-tier teams a way to level the playing field.
17. Mulligans
Usually priced around $5-$10 each, mulligans allow players to re-do an errant shot. These can be huge revenue generators so sell them during registration, check-in and on the course.
18. Pro for Hire
Set up a long hitter on a par 5 and let teams hire the pro to hit their t-shot. Take the pressure off the pro by giving teams a “drop area” in the fairway if the pro hits a bad shot.
19. Tee Off from the Reds
Give teams the opportunity to play long hole from the forward tees.
20. Thrown Shots
Allow golfers to choose to throw one of their shots instead of hitting it with their club. Thrown shots are a huge hit among novice golfers who hate to hit chip shots.
Additional Earners
Consider these additional ways to raise money for your cause. Every last dollar counts!
21. Drink Tickets
Ask your course if you can pre-buy drink tickets in bulk to resell to attendees.
22. Rent a Caddie
Find local volunteers to caddie or partner with a caddie service. The option to hire a caddie can give guests a unique experience.
23. Donation Appeal
Offer a place to donate during online registration or station a friendly volunteer out on the course. A good place to post up is by a par 3 that is likely to get backed up. Nothing beats a captive audience!
24. Merchandise
Custom swag is easier and cheaper to procure than ever. Sell polos, pullovers, towels and other swag to your supporters. Make your design specific to this year’s event so they buy one again next year.
25. Photographs
Post a photographer at an iconic view and take professional quality photos of each group and individual. Sell the photos at the event reception or in an event follow-up email
26. Helicopter Ball Drop
A helicopter ball drop functions exactly like a raffle or sweepstakes, except instead of drawing a ticket, numbered golf balls are dropped out of a helicopter and onto a green. The closest to the hole wins the prize.
Sponsorships
Give local businesses and heavy donors the opportunity to support your cause and gain some recognition.
27. Advertising
Sell advertising space to local businesses (and encourage supporters to patronize those businesses). Businesses can sponsor holes, scorecards, cart signs, banners and more.
28. Individual Sponsors
Ardent supporters can provide additional funding to your event and receive some nice recognition.
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Camille Despenas
Your article on raising money at charity golf tournaments is a goldmine of ideas! I’ve found your basic revenue generators to be essential, especially leveraging registration fees with early bird discounts and foursome incentives. Have you observed a significant impact on signups with these strategies? The golf skill contests you highlighted, such as the Skins Game and Marshmallow Driving Contest, seem like fantastic additions to enhance the excitement! I might have to use these for my tournament! So unique. I’d love to hear more about your experiences with implementing these contests and any memorable moments they’ve created during tournaments. Team score improvers like Mulligans and hiring a pro for a shot add an interesting dynamic to the event. Have you noticed particular contests that teams are more eager to participate in, leading to higher revenue generation? Lastly, your suggestions for additional earners and sponsorships are spot-on. The helicopter ball drop idea is particularly intriguing! How have sponsors responded to these unique opportunities, and do you have any tips for effectively pitching these ideas to potential sponsors? Looking forward to learning more from your wealth of experience in organizing successful charity golf tournaments!
Al McDonald
The signup incentives are beneficial not only to get people to act now, but also it gives you an excuse to contact your email list early without seeming later on like you’re saying the same thing over and over again. It’s all about repetition without being repetitive.
Mulligans are great because they are easy to sell and cost you nothing. Make sure to sell them at online registration, day-of registration, and on the course.
The key for which games to include are to have something that appeals to everyone without overwhelming. E.g., The serious golfers will like the mulligans and skins game, and the less-so will like things like the short drive.
Getting sponsors is selling the sponsor that your attendees are their target customer (e.g., local, affluent, etc…). Try to make the sponsorship opportunity “on brand” for the sponsor. E.g., you could give every team a free mulligan sponsored by your local insurance agent.
Hope this helps!