FUNDRAISING & EVENTS
Golf Tournaments
A golf tournament can be your association's biggest fundraiser of the year. The registration fees are only the start — the real money comes from sponsors, on-course games, raffles and auctions.
HOLE SPONSORSHIPS
Sell every hole — more than once
We recommend $100–$200 per hole sign, and selling several sponsors on each hole instead of one. Eighteen holes with three or four sponsors each adds up fast.
A sponsor who sets up a station at their hole — handing out samples, drinks or giveaways — gets far more engagement than a plain sign, and is much more likely to come back next year.
Dealerships love the hole-in-one
Car dealerships often sponsor a hole-in-one prize — a car on display at the tee box is a great draw for players and great exposure for the dealer.
Start local
If your players are local, your sponsors should be too. Businesses that live on referrals and community visibility are the easiest yes.
WHO TO ASK
Where to find sponsors
These are the businesses most likely to step up for a Guard or veteran association tournament.
Military-friendly employers
Veteran-owned businesses, defense contractors, and companies with strong military-hiring programs. Look for ESGR (Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve) supporters and Freedom Award winners — companies that accommodate drill weekends and deployments want to be seen doing it.
Big Guard employers
Utilities, telecoms, energy companies, major manufacturers, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, trucking and logistics firms, major retailers and warehouse operators, healthcare systems and the trades. Anyone who shows up at hiring fairs is a strong prospect.
Military-focused services
VA mortgage lenders, financial advisors who focus on servicemembers, and firms that handle VA disability, SGLI/VGLI, estate and Medicaid planning, TRICARE Reserve Select, retirement points or state tuition benefits.
Referral-based professionals
Real estate agents, financial advisors, insurance agents, attorneys, accountants and CPAs, and mortgage brokers. These folks live on referrals and networking.
Automotive
Car dealerships, auto repair shops, detailers, tire shops and car washes. Dealerships in particular often sponsor the hole-in-one.
Home trades
HVAC companies, plumbers, electricians, roofers, landscapers, pool companies, general contractors and home security firms.
Food & drink
Local restaurants, breweries, distilleries, caterers, coffee roasters, beverage distributors and liquor stores. A tasting station at their hole draws a crowd.
Health & fitness
Dentists, orthodontists, chiropractors, physical therapists, rehab facilities, med spas, optometrists, hearing clinics, and gyms or fitness centers — especially near the base or installation.
Community partners
Banks and credit unions, country clubs, golf shops, sporting goods stores, and any business that already sponsors community events. Don't forget American Legion posts, VFWs, local chambers' military committees and industry associations.
ON-COURSE GAMES
Extra ways to make money
Small add-ons, sold all day, often out-earn the entry fees. Most work best at around $5 each.
Mulligans
$5 each
A do-over shot. Sell them at registration and at the first tee.
The putting string
$5 or by the foot
Each team buys a length of string — by the foot or a flat price for a set length. During the round they can move their ball anywhere within the string's length: gimme a putt, escape a bunker, whatever. They cut off what they use, so it's a shrinking resource and creates great agony over when to spend it. Perfect for a scramble.
Cornhole tee-off
Pay to play
Set up cornhole boards at a tee box. Depending on the score, players earn the right to tee off farther up the fairway.
Red tee tokens
Per token
Buy the right to hit from the forward (red) tees on a given hole.
Throw or toss
Per toss
Pay to throw your ball out of a hazard or onto the green — once.
Stroke-off and skip-a-hole passes
Per pass
For teams that are struggling: buy a stroke off your score, or a pass to skip a hole.
Hole-in-one, closest-to-the-pin, longest drive
Small entry
Classic contests with a small entry per player. The winner splits the pot or takes a prize. Easy add-on revenue with a competitive hook.
Hula hoop challenge
$5 to try · $20 prize
Lay hula hoops out in a fairway. Players pay to try to land a drive inside a hoop and win a cash prize or a donated giveaway.
Putting contest
$5 entry
Before or after the round — or on the 18th green. Flat entry; sink a long putt to win a prize.
Beat the pro
Per try
If you can get a local pro or long-drive hitter, players pay to try to out-drive them on one hole.
Poker run
Small buy-in
Players draw a card on certain holes, and the best hand at the end wins. Small buy-in.
Grip-it-and-rip and mystery balls
Novelty
Novelty buys like a big-driver rental for one tee shot, or a mystery ball. Small, fun and easy to sell.
RAFFLES & AUCTIONS
Your biggest margin
Because the prizes are donated, raffles and auctions are nearly pure profit — and often out-earn everything else combined.
Prize raffle
$5 per ticket
Ask sponsors and local businesses for donated items and sell raffle tickets throughout the day.
50/50 raffle
Half the pot
Sell tickets all day; the winner takes half the pot. Legal for non-profits in most places, but check your state's charitable gaming rules first.
Silent auction
Donated items
Put your best donated items up for bid at the clubhouse or online, and let players bid from their phones. See our silent auction service →
PRO TIP
Sell a player package
Bundle the extras into one flat-price package at registration. For example:
- 2 mulligans
- 1 putting string
- 1 raffle ticket
- 1 red tee token
— all for $40.
Bundling dramatically raises the take, because players stop deciding item by item. Sell it in advance when you can, and again at check-in for those who didn't.
DAY-OF
Make it easy to pay
Take both cash and phone payments. A lot of players don't carry cash anymore, and you'll lose sales if you can't take a card or phone payment on the spot.
Venmo, Square or Zeffy's Tap to Pay app all work. Put a payment option at registration, at the games and at the raffle table.
Assign a volunteer to each game hole, give them change and a simple tally sheet, and collect totals at the turn and at the end of the round.
Ready to plan your tournament?
From sponsor lists to game-day volunteers, let's build a tournament that raises real money for your members.