Golf is on the upswing in popularity in Australia; this can be seen in club membership numbers and total participation (including non-club members). This expanding popularity is a great reason to think about making your next fundraising event a charity golf tournament.

Organising a charity golf event can generate significant funds and, when carefully planned as an annual occasion, can become something people in your community look forward to every year. This guide covers how to organise a golf charity event, from planning to marketing and everything in between.

Table of Contents

How to plan a golf fundraiser

Charity golf day ideas

Ready to have a great round?

How to plan a golf fundraiser

You don’t have to be a golf pro to plan a fundraiser around 18 holes. This section looks at how to set up a charity golf event using innovative event planning.

Set your budget and fundraising goal

Determining your budget is an essential part of the early planning process. Consider what it will cost to book a golf course, provide refreshments, and book announcers or entertainment. If you’re planning your event on a tight budget, reach out to potential sponsors who can provide capital or resources. Think about how to price your tickets to help cover your overheads while still being able to raise funds for your organisation or cause. Set a fundraising goal that’s achievable yet aspirational enough to excite attendees and donors.

Choose and book your golf course

Finding the perfect course for your event will come down to logistical factors. Contact the golf courses you’re interested in and ask if they’re available for booking on your proposed event date. Consider:

Plan the schedule

Put together a detailed program that covers everything that will happen at your event from start to finish. Charity golf competitions are often Ambrose (different playing abilities all mixed together) format with a shotgun start. Include tee times for the golfers involved in the tournament, additional fundraising events such as auctions or putting contests, and parties or dinners that may take place after the tournament. Give all staff and volunteers access to the schedule so they know what should be happening at all times.

Find volunteers for your golf fundraising event

Make a list of the volunteers you’ll need for your event. Aside from typical event volunteers such as check-in staff, greeters, bartenders, and servers, you may also need caddies and golf cart attendants. The golf course you’re holding the event at may already provide some staff, so check with them first. Reach out to your organisation’s network of local contacts to find volunteers. Open volunteer registration up to more people than you need so you aren’t short-staffed on the day.

Secure food and drink vendors

Charity golf tournaments are typically full-day events, so you’ll want to provide food and refreshments for golfers and spectators. Find out whether your venue has an on-site caterer or whether you’ll need to secure one yourself. Think about what meals, drinks, and snacks you’re providing. If your event has an early start, serving breakfast is an opportunity to increase your takings. Or, offer free breakfast rolls, coffee, and juice as part of the registration, which is what management advisory firm AsiaAustralis does for its annual charity golf morning.

When you reach out to local caterers or food vendors, offer them generous sponsorship perks in exchange for their services, and inquire about any special rates they might have for nonprofit organisations.

Recruit sponsors

When budgets are tight, corporate sponsors can help raise capital or resources. They could sponsor a hole on the course, golf carts, or food and beverages. You can also work with sponsors to create freebies or prizes for the event.

Consider the values that potential sponsorship organisations have and whether they align with your own. Create a wish list of preferred sponsors and narrow that down based on whether each is appropriate for the event.

Plan your prizes and freebies

Partner with local businesses such as travel agencies or entertainment companies to provide a weekend trip, tickets to a big event, or other prizes for the winner. Consider procuring smaller prizes for other players who come close to winning. Show participants that their tournament entry fee is valued by giving out swag bags or freebies: think golf balls, branded sportswear, or other merch.

Promoting golf charity events

You can plan a golf charity challenge, but you might not have many attendees if you don’t do your marketing. Create a marketing plan that includes email, social media, and promotions with local businesses. Ask golf and sporting goods shops if you can post a flyer in their window or leave some at their points of sale. Use Eventbrite Boost to send marketing emails to your contact list and promote the event to your social media followers using a unique hashtag. When it comes to social media marketing, visual content is the most eye-catching, so use high-quality video clips or photos from previous events to show potential attendees what they can expect.

Thank attendees, participants, and sponsors

The ultimate goal of your event is to raise money for charity. Make your appreciation for all donors known with thank-you gifts for different donation levels and exclusive invitations to future events. Have the event announcers or MC express sincere thanks, then follow up after the event with an email thanking them for their participation, donations, and overall support. Throughout the event, plan to update your attendees on how much you’ve raised and let them know how close you are to reaching your goal. Include the final number in your thank you email and post-event blog.

Charity golf day ideas

If you’re afraid of running out of room on the green – or want to attract non-golfers to your event too – check out these additional golf event fundraising ideas to increase donations.

Allow dinner-only attendees

Allowing people to attend for golf and dinner or just dinner will increase the number of dinner attendees – attracting people who aren’t necessarily interested in playing or watching the sport. That’s what Charity Bounce does for its Annual Dinner and Golf Day, held at Little Bay in Sydney, NSW, to raise funds for disadvantaged youth. It uses Eventbrite’s flexible ticketing options on a dedicated event page.

Up the fun with contests

Raffles and contests held during the tournament or dinner allow those not interested in playing golf to get involved while letting you raise more funds. Hold a putting or closest-to-the-pin contest on the side for spectators, a raffle, or a silent auction. Up the ante for the golfers with a prize for the best-dressed player. Give away swag, donated prizes, or free rounds of golf to the winner.

For its Golf4Health Charity Golf Day at Wynnum Golf Club in Queensland, Friends of Health Promoters Australia has gift bags full of goodies plus on-course entertainment included in the registration ticket.

Demonstrate the importance of donations

Talks or meet and greets with people connected with the charity show how important donations are to the charity’s work. Invite people associated with the organisation you’re raising funds for on-site during the event to explain their mission and what the donated funds will go toward. Include information in your marketing materials telling potential donors what different amounts of money allow the charity to do or provide.

Create hype with well-known sportspeople

Special guests, even from other sports such as football, can encourage people to attend. Inviting celebrities will create buzz and get people excited about your event. Involve your guests in your marketing to expand your reach and increase attendance. To attract increased donations, ask guests to talk personally about the charity and what the work they do means to them.

Ready to have a great round?

A top golf charity event can engage your community and raise money for good causes. Make things easy for your attendees by having them buy their tickets through Eventbrite.