How to plan a golf tournament

Charity fundraiser, member event, corporate outing, league championship, or a friends-and-family scramble. The answer shapes the budget, the format, and how serious the scoring needs to be.

• Scramble: mixed skill, social, fast. The default for outings and charities.
• Best ball: teams of 2 or 4, everyone plays their own ball, count the best score per hole. More competitive than a scramble.
• Stroke play: for a serious championship. Slower, harder for newer players.
• Match play: brackets and head-to-heads. Great for ongoing leagues, harder for a one-day event.
• Skins / side games:add on top of any format to keep things interesting.

• Confirm the date, tee times, and whether you can run a shotgun start (everyone tees off at the same time on different holes).
• Lock in cart fees, range balls, food and beverage minimums, and any per-player surcharges in writing.
• Ask about signage rules, sponsor placements, and whether the pro shop will run check-in for you.

Per-player fee should cover green and cart fees, food, prizes, tournament costs, and a buffer. For charity events, add the donation target on top, funded mostly by sponsors and side games (mulligans, raffles, hole-in-one contest).

• Title sponsor: top billing on all materials.
• Hole sponsors: a sign on the tee box, low ticket size.
• Cart sponsor, beverage sponsor, prize sponsor.
• Send sponsors a one-page deck with logos, deadlines, and what they get for each tier.

• Open registration 6 to 8 weeks out (3 to 6 months for larger charity events).
• Collect names, handicaps, dietary needs, and team requests in one place. A shared form beats a chain of emails.
• Send a reminder one week out and a logistics email the day before.

For a shotgun, assign each team to a starting hole. Balance teams if you are running flighted prizes. Print a tee sheet, but also have a digital copy on the phone so changes do not require a new stack of paper.

• Paper cards: fine for a one-off, but you will spend an hour after the round tallying.
• App-based scoring:one tap per hole, live standings on every phone, no manual tally. Worth it the moment you run more than one event a year.

• 1st, 2nd, sometimes 3rd team.
• Closest to the pin (par 3s).
• Longest drive (one or two designated holes).
• Hole-in-one contest, often insured.
• Raffle prizes from sponsors for non-winners.

1. T-90 min: organizers on site, signage up, registration table ready.
2. T-45 min: check-in opens, hand out cart assignments, scorecards or app access.
3. T-10 min: short announcement (format, contests, pace of play, where to go after the round).
4. Shotgun horn. Play.
5. Post-round: food, scoring, prizes, sponsor thank-yous, photos.