One of the primary purposes of a charity golf tournament is to make a profit. If all you do is break even with your costs, then you really haven’t raised any money for the actual charity you want to promote. Therefore, when planning a charity golf tournament, you should make sure you increase the profit margin wherever you can. Since golf tournaments are one of the most expensive fundraisers to put on, it takes considerable thought and intentional planning to make a decent profit. It’s not just about putting on an event that people enjoy, although that is certainly important. But, it is also about coming up with creative ideas to raise money for your charity. 

5 Ideas to Raise Money at Your Golf Tournament 

Whether you are just starting to plan your charity golf event or you’ve been planning it for months already, here are five ideas to consider incorporating into your event to maximize your total revenue. 

1. Secure Corporate Sponsors for Your Event 

While ticket sales are important, they are not the bread and butter of a charity golf event. Again, golf tournaments are expensive events. Highly priced elements include venue cost, prizes for the golfers (check out these SongBirdie bluetooth speakers for a great prize idea), marketing, and more. While ticket sales certainly help offset the costs of putting on the tournament, you shouldn’t depend on them to bring in a significant profit. 

In addition to the money you make from ticket sales, you should consider securing corporate sponsors for your event. Make sure you offer attractive purchasing options to potential sponsors that would allow them to gain valuable exposure at your event. Some ideas include: 

• Sponsored food & beverage packages - Potential sponsors could offer meals, snacks, and/or beer, which would add to the experience for your golfers and also be a great advertising opportunity for the sponsor. 

• Option to sponsor a hole on the golf course - A corporate sponsor could have a booth and offer some kind of unique experience for every hole on the golf course. Several different sponsors could be a part of this. 

• Sponsored title - In this case, you could have a corporate sponsor purchase the option to have your event named after them. This would be a huge advertising opportunity for the sponsor, and it could be a highly priced option that brings in significant revenue to your event. 

2. Get Creative With Ticket Options 

If you get stuck on offering one golfing format at your event, then you might unnecessarily limit the amount of revenue you can bring in. Instead of choosing only one format, consider offering various formats for the golfers to choose from. This allows for a variety of revenue streams. Some examples include: 

• Offer single-player packages & team packages - You could offer a discount for the team package, which could attract more golfers to your event. A win-win. 

• Offer various competitions to participate in - Some golfers might want to play all the holes on the golf course, but others might enjoy a more relaxed competition such as the longest drive or a hole-in-one. 

• Offer VIP tickets - You could charge significantly more for VIP tickets and include perks such as a golf cart rental, vouchers for food and beverages, lounge access, etc. 

3. Offer Various Activities in Addition to Golf

Include activities at your golf tournament that will attract more than just golfers. You could make it an event for the whole community and target golfers’ families, spouses, friends, etc. Just a few ideas to attract more people from the community include: 

• Live music 
• Food & drink experiences like food trucks, beer carts, etc. 
• Kid’s mini-golf tournament 
• Raffle 
• Silent auction  

4. Offer Add-On Items for Sale

Your sale opportunities don’t have to stop at event tickets. There are various other items that event attendees are likely to purchase without much thought. Make sure you offer an easy way to make payments such as Venmo so that there aren’t any purchasing inhibitors. Here are some ideas to get you started: 

• Mulligans - A mulligan gives golfers a second chance if they have a poor putt. Each mulligan would be an extra shot, and you could charge $10-$30 for them. 

• Convenient supplies - You could offer sweat towels, water bottles, easy snacks, sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, t-shirts, golf balls, and more for purchase at various stations throughout the golf course. 

• “Putting String” - The idea of a putting string is to give more amateur golfers the option to place their ball closer to the hole. This will help them make par more often, and you could charge a fee for this ability. Another win-win. 

5. Make it an Annual Event

If you plan on putting on your charity golf tournament annually, then each year the costs and workload will decrease because your efforts can be refined and duplicated. If the tournament is successful, then the attendance each year will increase as well because it is an event that people will mark on the calendar and look forward to. Here are a few ideas you can use to turn your golf tournament into an annual success: 

• Thank-you cards - Sending custom or automated thank-you notes to your event’s attendees, donors, and sponsors is a way to invite them to the event the following year. 

• Early-bird discounts - If you plan on hosting the event annually, then you can plan ahead and offer early-bird tickets. This not only gets people excited for the event early on, but it brings in some early revenue to help offset the event’s expenses. 

• Repeat sponsor discounts - Not only should you thank your sponsors after the event, but it could definitely benefit you to offer a discounted package if they make an early commitment to sponsor the following year’s event. 

Take Fundraising Seriously at Your Golf Tournament 

You should never plan on “winging it” when planning a charity golf tournament. The stakes are higher than other events because of the significant financial investment it takes to put on a golf outing. Don’t be dismayed though! It is certainly possible to put on a successful charity golf tournament if you’re willing to put in the work. With some intentional thought and planning, you’re bound to have a successful charity event for years to come.