Golf Outing Fundraising Guide: How to Plan, Promote, and Maximize Your Event

While winter fundraising is dominated by indoor activities like basketball shoot-a-thons and bowl-a-thons, in the summer and early fall there’s one fundraiser that stands tall above the rest, golf outings.

There’s a reason that on a summer weekend morning that your local golf course is probably not going to be able to get you a tee time. Courses are packed and fundraiser golf outings are a big reason why. Yes, golf outings for charitable causes are among the most popular and effective fundraisers you can host, and it’s easy to see why.

Giving people an excuse to go out and golf for five hours and support a great cause? Yeah, sign us up.

In this blog, we’re going to provide a full guide on how to run a golf outing from start to finish, and some tips and tricks from us here at Teamfi who actually have plenty of experience working with golf outings.

Before the Golf Outing

Step 1: Pre-Marketing Your Golf Outing

To run a successful golf outing, the first step is letting everyone know it’s going on. Using social media, flyers around town, and having the golf course promote it are good starts. If you’re running any sort of organization, you have to be on social media. Facebook is big with parents, while Instagram is popular with kids. Exemplary social media use is just one of the reasons Chelsea Football raised over $60,000 with us in Summer of 2025.

Email past participants and supporters of your organization to give them early access to sign up. Reach out to local newspapers, radio stations, and community calendars to list the event. Partner with sponsors to share the outing on their channels, giving your promotion a wider reach. The more visibility you create early, the faster you will fill your spots and generate excitement.

Noting how many spots are available is a good tactic too, because when it’s full, there’s no joining.

Step 2: Golf Outing Volunteer Roles

Volunteers are the backbone of a smooth golf outing. Get a group of parents, coaches, or a combination together to help run the outing and coordinate with the golf course.

Mostly day of needs coverage. Places like registration table check-in, contest hole supervision, raffle ticket sales, and photo-taking are all important. Make sure volunteers know the schedule, the course layout, and who to contact for questions. Have water and drinks on hand for volunteers or set them up with a tab at the clubhouse.

Step 3: Golf Outing Registration

Golf courses have 18 holes. 18 holes are essential for a golf outing, nobody really does 9 hole fundraisers and doing so will limit your potential golfers. Carts are also non-negotiables at golf outings, you’ve got to have carts included.

A key here is, yes you want to fill all 18 holes. So that’s 18 teams. Golf courses often allow you to double up some holes. Doubling up too many holes causes backups on the golf course and decreases golfer experience. So aim for between 18-23 teams of four golfers to have an ideal experience.

When it comes to pricing, account for fundraising goals, costs for food, and greens fees.

Step 4: Finding the Right Golf Course

• Location - A golf course that is easily identifiable in your local community with a good reputation and within a short driving distance is a crucial part of a golf outing fundraiser. Anything within a 30 minute drive for your main audience is good.

• Pricepoint - Most golf courses will give discounted greens fees to golf outings. If 18 with a cart is usually $75, you will likely be able to get golf for maybe $50-$60. With that said, what should you charge golfers? Most outings are charging between $75-$125 per golfer. The more you’re charging, the better the experience you should be providing your golfer. We’ll go into more detail later on pricing.

• Atmosphere - When it comes to golf courses, understand your audience. If you’ve got a fun group of parents and are looking for a more laid back golf outing, think about a local municipal course or local public course. If you’ve got older people or higher income, consider a country club if you can get in. 

• Availability - Obviously, you need to get on the course. Find a date that works for as many people as possible, and the sweet spot for most golf outings is going to be Saturday or Sunday morning. You can often find deals in the fall, pairing in other unique fall fundraising ideas.

Step 5: Layering on Other Fundraisers

A golf outing is a good fundraiser. It becomes a great fundraiser when you can layer on more fundraisers. Here are some other fundraisers that pair well with golf outings.

• Sponsorships – Sponsorships are what turn a good golf outing into a major fundraiser. Start by creating tiered sponsorship packages that offer clear value—think hole sponsorships with signage, logo placement on scorecards or goodie bags, or naming rights for contests like longest drive. Reach out to local businesses, especially those connected to your golfers, such as restaurants, banks, real estate agents, and service providers. Make it easy for them to say yes by offering options at different price points, from $100 hole signs to $1,000 event sponsorships. Always emphasize how their support will be recognized during the event and in any follow-up marketing. The more visible you can make their contribution, the more likely they are to come back year after year.‍
• Mulligan Packs – What if I told you that you could make $500 for your organization during a golf outing without really doing anything? Well that’s what a mulligan pack is. A mulligan pack literally gives your foursomes mulligans. Charge $20 for a simple plastic bag with four tickets that say mulligan on them. Each ticket lets a member of their foursome take a mulligan or a “rehit”. These are common at golf outings and a super easy way to layer on funds. Whether you’re fundraising for a cheer program or football program, an extra $500 is a great add on.‍
• Silent Auction – Another golf course staple, A silent auction is a perfect add-on to your golf outing because it keeps guests engaged and can significantly boost your fundraising total. Set up tables in a visible spot, ideally near registration in the morning and again during the post-round dinner, so golfers have multiple chances to browse and bid. Aim for a mix of items and experiences such as golf gear, rounds at local courses, restaurant gift cards, sports tickets, spa packages, or weekend getaways. Secure these through donations from local businesses or supporters of your cause. ‍
• Raffle – Easily paired with silent auctions, sell raffle tickets for a variety of donated door prizes. Again reaching out to supporters or local businesses is a great way to get door prizes for raffles. Announcing winners at the dinner at the end is a great way to cap off the fun.‍
• Tipping QR Code – If you’re running an online fundraiser in addition to your golf outing, putting the QR code to that fundraiser and having that on golfer’s golf carts as a way to further support the cause is a way to bring in extra dollars. If you’re using a Teamfi donation page, your money is kept securely until you want to end your fundraiser, then we cut you a check or you can set up a direct deposit to receive your funds immediately.‍
• Dinner Tickets – For people who don’t like to golf, offer meal tickets so they can hang out and have a good meal, while also supporting the cause.

Step 6: Golf Outings - Let’s Talk Food

Feeding your golfers is a key part of the experience, and the right food plan can keep energy high while adding to the fun. 

Hot dogs at the turn is one way to help make those in your golf outing happy. Hot dogs or brats are both common and well-liked food options. If it’s a colder day, options like a bowl of chili can be good substitutes. The golf course will usually handle the food, talk with the course about what they can do. Yes, you may be able to save some money by doing a potluck or hiring your own catering, but golf courses do this on a weekly basis. 

After the round, most outings finish with a group meal in the clubhouse or an outdoor tent. Dinner choices range from casual buffets like pulled pork sandwiches and sides to plated steak or chicken dinners for a more upscale feel. Again, these can be catered in or trust the golf course with this. For fundraisers, keeping it hearty but simple helps with both budget and timing, while still giving golfers a satisfying end to their day.

Step 7. …And of Course, Drinks

Keeping golfers hydrated (and happy) is just as important as feeding them. Most courses have beverage carts that will go around and sell drinks. You cannot bring your own alcoholic beverages to golf courses.

Some outings sell drink tickets in advance to speed things up on the course, while others include a certain number of drinks with each golfer’s entry.

If your event has a dinner afterward, consider offering a cash bar or a couple of complimentary drink tickets for beer, wine, or a signature cocktail to round out the day.

It’s important to avoid situations with overserving, encourage your golfers to have fun, but not go overboard. Giving out a bottle of water at the beginning is a good way to help with this, along with selling cold waters and pops during dinner for a low price.

Step 8. On Course Golf Outing Games

Competitions that take place during your outing like men’s and women’s longest drives, longest putt, and closest to the green are good ways to add to the fun.

Super common during outings, your host golf course will be able to provide the signage for these games and help with where these games should be allocated.

A small event sheet stapled to your scorecard will help tell outing participants where these games are. There should be small prizes for each game. Golf balls, gift certificates, or raffle door prize items are a good choice.

Last is a skins game. A skins game is a popular side bet done during golf outings. Teams will typically put in about $20 each for the opportunity to play. The team with the lowest score on a hole wins that skin, and ties do not count. If 20 teams enter, that’s a pot of $400. If there’s only one skin, that’s a big payday for that team. Have a tiebreaker for if no skins occur, such as a closest to the pin competition, with the winner taking home the pot if there are no skins.

Step 9. The Elusive Hole in One

Offering extravagant prizes for holes in ones is a way to draw people into your golf outing. The odds of a hole in one for an average golfer is around 12,500-1. Not too scary right? 

If you have 80 golfers and three par threes, you’re looking at about a 1 in 52 chance of a hole in one occurring during a golf outing. A little more scary. 

So if you’re offering a new car as a hole in one prize, you may be like, “I’m not too sure about this.”

That’s where hole in one insurance comes into play. Hole-in-one insurance allows you to offer big prizes, such as a car or a large cash payout, for anyone who makes a hole in one during your outing without putting your organization at financial risk. You pay a set premium to the insurance provider based on the prize value and number of golfers. It adds excitement to the event, draws more participants, and can even help attract additional sponsors.

During The Event

Step 10. Golf Outing Day

Now it’s officially golf outing day. Your outing support staff should arrive at the course well before the outings start time. Two hours is sufficient time in order to help with set up.

• Tee Signs. Sponsorship tee signs should be set up in a prominently visual spot, where it is easily visible to golfers on the tee box. Most golf courses will have workers available to help you place these signs, but having a volunteer be there just in case is a smart thing.
• Any banners or signage outside of tee signs should be prominently displayed. A fence just outside the main entrance or clubhouse. Work with the golf course beforehand on good positions. 
• Goodie bags. A great way to thank your golfers is a goodie bag on the golfer's golf cart with simple gifts like balls, tees, snacks like granola bars and trail mix, bottled water, and ball markers.
• Sign in table. Here is where you check in golfers and take registration, as well as collecting registration fees. What usually works easiest is you take the full amount from golfers and teams, then pay the golf course their invoice immediately after with the cash made.
• Pre-golf announcement. Thank your golfers who came out and reiterate what your cause is and what the money is going toward. A practice facility for your wrestling team? New basketball uniforms? Remind them all revenue goes toward this cause and most importantly to have fun and enjoy themselves.

Step 11. Prizes and Awards

Scorecards should be turned into the clubhouse where most golf clubs will do scores and skins for you.

Capping off your outing with prizes is a great way to send golfers home happy and leave them looking forward to next year. Paying out for 1st place, 2nd place, and a random draw is a good recommendation for 18-25 teams. Sometimes golf teams will even donate winnings back, but this is not something you should expect.

Additionally, distributing the prizes for winners of longest putt, longest drive, and any other on-course game, and then skins is a good conclusion.

Post Golf Outing

Step 12. Thanking Your Sponsors and Participants

Sponsors are often the financial backbone of a golf outing, and they deserve public recognition. Use the post-round gathering to thank each sponsor by name and remind golfers which businesses supported the event. A follow-up thank you email or handwritten note reinforces your appreciation and helps secure their support next year. 

The same goes for your golfers, let them know their participation directly impacted your cause and that you’re grateful for their time and generosity.

Step 13. Planning for Next Year

One of the best ways to improve your outing is to gather feedback while it’s still fresh. Have volunteers or staff talk to golfers at dinner, or send out a short online survey afterward. Ask what they enjoyed most, what could be improved, and if they’d return. Keep a detailed record of logistics, budgets, and contacts so planning the next outing is easier. You can even set a date with the golf course early and potentially get a discount for booking early.

If it’s your first golf outing, the experience built this year can be the foundation for an even bigger and better event next year.

We hope this blog helps you out with 18 holes of fun and a great way to fundraise. Looking for other forms of fundraising? Let’s talk!