Golf tournaments are always a great way to raise money and bring people together. If you’re looking for ways to liven things up for your next event, why not try one of these fun golf tournament ideas?
1. Scramble
Golf tournaments can be intimidating for beginners, but this type of event helps everyone to join in on the same footing. Instead of playing individually, people are grouped into teams of 3-4 players. Each team member tees off, but only one drive from the group is chosen as the location for the second shot. Each of the players then places their ball at that point, and the game carries on in the same way for all 18 holes. Scramble is an ideal format for charity tournaments, as novice players and those who are out of practice can join in easily with more experienced golfers.
2. Hole-in-one challenge
Hole-in-one competitions are as simple as they sound: the only aim is to get a hole in one, and if you do so, you win a prize. It’s one of those golf tournament ideas that may work best as an add-on to an existing event, to provide extra excitement and suspense.
3. 100-hole golf marathon
If you’re looking for something more extreme than your common or garden golf tournament, why not organise a marathon event? Appealing to the competitive streak in every keen golfer, a 100-hole golf marathon is a great format for fundraising, and is likely to attract publicity from local media.
4. Choose your club
A fun challenge that will test the skills of beginners and pros alike, Choose your club involves each player selecting a club at random – so they are likely end up using mismatched clubs to complete their shot.
5. Virtual golf
A great option for young competitors or non-golfers, with the added benefit of it being weatherproof! You are still able to use your own clubs and balls so you can stick to what you know. Installing an Action Cam is an added bonus that will allow your participants to take home footage of all their shots. As well as making a fantastic souvenir, it’s a useful learning tool – so they can study their technique and hone their skills for next time.
6. Best ball
Best ball golf tournaments are similar to Scramble games, with the same advantages; they too involve 3-4 players on a team. In this variation, each person hits their own balls for a whole round. At the end of a round, the lowest score (‘best ball’) is adopted as the team score.
7. Beat the pro
Everyone loves a challenge, so Beat the Pro golf tournaments offer a fantastic way to bring out that competitive spirit and use it to fundraise for a good cause. The competition is exactly as it sounds: a golfing pro will tee off, and the participants must then try to ‘beat’ them by hitting their ball even closer to the pin. You can raise money by getting each player to bet on whether they will beat the pro and offering double their money back if they succeed. The remainder of the cash stays in the fundraising pot and gets donated to charity.
