How to Run a Golf Outing Fundraiser: A Checklist for Small Nonprofits

One week before an outing, a club had 18 foursomes registered — 72 golfers, a full shotgun start, 18 groups going out simultaneously. Day-of, four teams didn't show, and one team arrived with only three people. That left 57 golfers for an event built around 72. The shotgun start had to be restructured on the fly, groups were combined, and three sponsor holes sat empty for the first hour because nobody had been assigned to staff them. The problem wasn't a planning failure. It was a payment policy failure. All 18 teams had signed up but not paid. Paid teams almost never no-show. Free registrations are just expressions of intent.

The fix is simple: require payment in full at registration, no exceptions. Everything else in this checklist assumes you've made that decision.

8–12 Weeks Out: Book the Course and Lock In the Basics

This window closes faster than people expect. Courses that host fundraiser outings book their weekend dates in spring and summer early — sometimes by January for April and May dates.

Book the course with a contract. Get in writing what's included: cart rental, range balls, on-course beverages, a meal or reception, and what happens if it rains. A verbal agreement with the pro shop manager is not a contract.
Clarify the payment structure. Most courses require a deposit at booking and the balance due a week before the event. Confirm the minimum guarantee — that's the number of golfers you're paying for regardless of actual attendance.
Choose your format. For a charity outing with casual golfers, scramble is the right choice almost every time. Every player on a team hits, the team plays from the best shot, and the pace stays manageable even for people who haven't touched a club since last year's outing.
Set your per-golfer price. A typical local charity outing runs $75–$150 per golfer, including cart and a post-round meal. Know your course costs per golfer before you set the price — you should be netting at least $25–$50 per golfer on registration alone, with sponsorships on top.
Set your team registration deadline and payment policy. Full payment at registration, no refunds. Communicate this clearly on every registration form and in every confirmation email. It is not harsh — it is how you avoid scrambling on a Tuesday morning with 57 golfers and an 18-hole shotgun start designed for 72.

8–10 Weeks Out: Sponsorships

Sponsorships can match or exceed registration revenue if you work them. Most clubs leave this money on the table by waiting too long to ask or by asking too casually.

Local businesses get a lot of golf outing sponsorship requests. Early outreach gets the best placement and the larger commitments.

Hole sponsors: A business pays $150–$500 to have their sign at a specific hole. Many will also send a representative to stand at the hole with branded merchandise, water, or snacks. This is low effort for them and a concrete deliverable you can describe in the ask.
Title sponsor: One business gets prominent naming on all materials — banners, scorecards, social media posts, the announcement at dinner. Price this at $500–$2,000 depending on your outing's scale and the business's visibility interest.
Cart sponsor: Logo on golf cart signage for $300–$500. Easy yes for businesses — it's visible all day.
Beverage cart sponsor: If the course runs a beverage cart, one business can sponsor it for $300–$500. Their brand is visible every time a golfer gets a drink.
Prize sponsors: Businesses donate a prize or sponsor a specific competition — longest drive, closest to pin, putting contest winner. Ask local retailers, restaurants, and service businesses. A gift card and a mention at dinner costs them almost nothing.

Make a list of businesses you have relationships with before you make cold asks. A personal call from a club member who is also a customer is ten times more effective than a letter from the organization.

6–8 Weeks Out: Registration

Use online registration with upfront payment. Paper registration forms and "pay at the door" arrangements are how you end up with 15 teams registered and 11 that actually show up. An online form with a required payment step creates real commitments.
Collect the right information. Team name, individual player names, contact information for the team captain, and any meal dietary restrictions. Collecting names at registration means you're not trying to sort out scorecards day-of.
Send a confirmation immediately and a reminder one week before the outing. Include the start time, where to check in, and what to bring.
Keep a waitlist. If you fill your maximum golfer count, maintain a waitlist. Late cancellations happen, and a backfilled spot is better than an empty tee box.

Potluck gives you a payment link for team registration — teams pay online, money goes directly to your account, and you have a record of every registration. No paper forms, no chasing checks from 18 foursomes.

4–6 Weeks Out: Add-On Revenue

Registration and sponsorships are your two primary revenue streams. Add-ons are a third that most clubs underuse.

These are all sold at check-in the morning of the event:

Mulligans: Sell three for $10 or individually at $5 each. Golfers buy them before the round to use for a do-over shot. This sells well. Budget players who never buy them will watch someone use one on the first hole and reconsider.
Closest to pin (par 3s): $5 per player per par 3 hole. Collect names and track entries at each par 3 with a volunteer or tee marker sheet.
Longest drive: $5 per player for a designated par 4 or par 5. Easy to run, easy to judge.
50/50 raffle: Sell tickets at check-in and during the post-round dinner. Draw during the dinner while the room is still full — waiting until the last 10 minutes means half your crowd has left.
Putting contest: Set up a putting green challenge at the registration area. Charge $5 per entry, run it during the 60–90 minutes before the shotgun start when players are arriving and warming up.
Auction or prize table: At the post-round dinner. Solicit donated items from the same businesses you approached for sponsorships. Gift baskets, gift cards, rounds of golf, sports tickets.

None of these require much setup. All of them require a person assigned to run them.

2 Weeks Out: Logistics Confirmation

Confirm your volunteer assignments in writing. Course registration table, hole sponsor staffing, scorecard collection, 50/50 ticket sales, mulligan sales, dinner setup, cleanup. Every role needs a name next to it, not "someone from the club."
Print scorecards. The course may provide these, but confirm. If you're adding mulligan tracking or closest-to-pin markers to the scorecard, design and print your own.
Confirm the dinner headcount with the course. Most courses need a final headcount for the meal 1–2 weeks out. This is also when price adjustments happen if your attendance shifted from your original estimate.
Order or gather prizes. Know what you're handing out for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place teams, longest drive, closest to pin, and your last-place "most honest score" award. Do not leave this to the week before.
Check your raffle licensing. Most states require a gaming or raffle license even for a simple 50/50. Verify this with your treasurer and confirm the license is current before you start selling tickets.

1 Week Out: Final Preparation

Send the team captain reminder. Include: shotgun start time, check-in open time (60–90 minutes before start), where to check in, and what to expect at check-in. Remind them of the no-refund policy if any last-minute cancellations come in.
Prepare your cash box. Have at least $200 in small bills. Mulligans, raffle tickets, and putting contest entries are all cash transactions, and people will hand you a $50 for a $10 purchase.
Assign scorecard collection and tabulation. Know which two or three people are collecting scorecards at the end of the round and running the calculations. Have a backup plan if those scores are close — contested placements slow down the awards and people get impatient at dinner.
Confirm sponsor holes are assigned. Every hole sponsor who paid for a representative presence should have a confirmation of which hole they're on, what time they need to arrive, and who to check in with. Do this before the day-of, not the morning of.
Confirm your 50/50 cash handling procedure. Who holds the money, who counts it, who issues the payout, who records the total. Two people should be present for every cash count. This is both good practice and what your bylaws probably require.

Day Of: Timeline

The shotgun start format — where all teams begin simultaneously on different holes — is what makes a charity outing efficient. Everyone finishes within a short window, dinner runs on schedule, and nobody is waiting for the last group to come in.

60–90 minutes before start:

Registration table opens for check-in
Mulligans, putting contest, and 50/50 tickets go on sale
Sponsor representatives check in and get to their holes
Any sponsor gifts or swag bags distributed at check-in

At the shotgun start:

Confirm all groups are on their assigned starting holes
All sponsor representatives are in position
Beverage cart is on course if included

During the round:

Closest-to-pin markers set up at par 3s with entry tracking
Longest drive marker set up at the designated hole
50/50 ticket sales continue if possible

After the round:

Scorecards collected at a central point — one person's job
Scores tabulated while golfers transition to dinner
50/50 drawn during dinner with the room full

Awards portion: Keep it short. Golfers are tired, they've had a drink, and they want to know who won and go home.

1st, 2nd, and 3rd place team (scramble net score)
Longest drive — men's and women's if applicable
Closest to pin — one per par 3 if you ran it that way
Last place — give them something funny, keep it good-natured
Announce the total raised before people leave. Say the number out loud. People came to support your organization, and they want to know what it added up to.

After the Outing

Count the money that night. Do not leave cash to be counted sometime this week. Two people count together, one person records. Bring your totals together: registration, mulligans, raffle, add-ons, sponsorships paid day-of.
Post results and photos on social media the same evening. First place team, total raised, a couple of action shots. This is when engagement is highest — people are checking their phones on the drive home.
Send thank-you emails to sponsors within 48 hours. Include a photo of their hole sign or cart signage. This is what gets them to sponsor again next year.
Send a thank-you to participants with the final total raised. They want to know the number. Telling them keeps them connected to the outcome.
Write down what didn't work within one week. Not a formal report. A note in a shared document or a text to yourself. You will not remember clearly in eight months when planning starts again.

If you want to stop chasing registration payments by check, Potluck sets up a payment page in 5 minutes. Free to start.

Looking for more ideas? See the full list: Fundraising Ideas for Small Nonprofits and Community Clubs.