Your golf tournament is obviously a fundraiser on its own, bringing in donations with each registration and sponsor that signs up for your event. But there are always opportunities to increase the donations with extra add-ons before and during event day!
Classic Fundraisers
There are many classic fundraiser types that you will see at a golf tournament, and they’re popular for a reason! Well-loved and great at boosting your donations, these options are no-brainers to include at your tournament and usually only require minimal effort to coordinate.
Silent Auction
Collect prizes from sponsors or others willing to donate to your event and auction them off during tournament day. With donated prizes, you benefit from 100% of the proceeds, and the auction winners walk away with their prizes for a steal!
Run the auction throughout the day so people have time to get their bids in. Announce the winners during your prize ceremony or dinner to add to the end-of-day entertainment.
Planning Tip: Open your auction before your event date and boost the bidding with an online auction.
Raffle Tickets & Draw
Sell raffle tickets throughout the day for a chance to win donated prizes. The more tickets sold, the bigger the energy around the draw. Keep it simple with a few high-value prizes and a handful of smaller ones to maximize the number of winners.
Planning Tip: Make sure to offer multiple payment options when selling the tickets, so you don’t have to depend on your golfers having cash to help boost your donations.
Mulligan Tickets
Not everyone is great at golf, but that should never deter them from coming to your tournament! Sell mulligan tickets to give your golfers another shot and keep the vibes focused on fun throughout the day.
Planning Tip: Include the option to pre-purchase mulligan tickets during registration using an online store that links to your registration. Also, sell them during check-in on the day of to catch any last-minute sales.
Hole-in-one contest
A hole-in-one contest is probably the most well-known contest. Set up on a par three hole, golfers take their chance at getting it in the hole in one shot. Investing in hole-in-one insurance can get your golfers access to incredible prizes, for a minimal cost. Even better, get a sponsor to cover the cost of the insurance and let your golfers enjoy the potential of winning.
Planning Tip: Offer a second shot for an extra donation. It gives your golfers another chance at an incredible prize and encourages more donations.
Closest to the Hole
Pick a par 3 from your golf course and host a “closest to the hole” contest! Exactly what it sounds like, golfers will take their shot from the tee box, and whichever ball ends up closest to the hole, while also being on the green, wins!
Get a special sponsor for the contest to offer unique attention to a brand, provide the prize for the contest winner, and give your tournament another fundraising opportunity. Give golfers a second shot if they pay for a special contest mulligan while at the hole for an extra chance at bringing in donations.
Longest Drive
A longest drive competition is always a fun and easy way to get your golfers excited. Set up the competition on a par 5 hole, particularly one that is long and wide open, or take advantage of your course’s driving range. Unlike “closest to the hole” contests, this one is all about distance, not accuracy. Golfers get one shot to drive their ball as far as possible.
This is also another great opportunity to offer a special sponsorship package or use contest-specific mulligan tickets for extra donations.
New Fundraisers
There are truly endless options for fundraisers and competitions when it comes to your golf tournament, so let your creativity run wild! It’s all about finding what fits with your goals and your golfers. Here are a few ideas you won’t find at every tournament.
Beat the Pro
Beat the Pro is a great fit if you know your tournament attendees are avid golfers and skew more towards advanced players. They get to test their skills, and you get closer to your fundraising goal! Golfers pay to play on a select hole and go head-to-head with the Course Pro. If they win, they get double the amount, and if the Course Pro wins, the money goes to your cause.
Pay the Pro
If your tournament attendees are not the most avid golfers, there is still an opportunity to bring the resident Pro onto the course. Golfers can pay to have the Pro take their tee shot for them on a specific hole that they get to play off of. All proceeds go straight to your cause, and golfers get a leg up during play.
Flag Auction
If you’re hosting a charity or memorial tournament, auctioning off custom hole flags to golfers adds to post-round events and trades a special keepsake for extra donations.
Dinner Seat Lottery
Having a local celebrity or sponsors from some exciting companies attending dinner? Plan a lottery that lets people pay for the chance to sit next to them! Offer sales at registration or at cocktail hour before dinner begins, and make the big announcement before people head to their seats.
Live Leaderboard Betting
Pump up the competition with some healthy betting on who’s going to win. Make it a 50/50, where half of the amount goes to the winners, and half goes to your cause. Take bets before playing starts or after 9 holes have been played, so betters can see how the leaderboard is stacking up.
Planning Tip: Use a live leaderboard to show off the scores and let people know who’s in the lead every time they visit the clubhouse.
Longest Marshmallow Drive
Like any other longest drive contest, just with a little added fun! Instead of golf balls, use marshmallows. This works great if your course doesn’t have a driving range or a par five that makes it easy to focus on distance. The light and squishy snacks are the perfect size and shape. Just be wary of rain on tournament day if you want to avoid things getting a little sticky.
Make the most of your tournament with fundraisers that bring both extra fun and extra donations. Don’t forget to build excitement by showing off all your contests, activities, and prizes right from your tournament website.
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