How to Plan a Golf Tournament or Fundraiser

A golf tournament is undoubtedly about an enjoyable, stimulating round of golf. However, with everyone elbowing to play, your job as the planner is to make sure all players have a good time, they feel included and everything runs smoothly.

Some suggestions: Keep groups small (four to six players on one hole) by pairing up attendees; make sure the handicaps of the golfers are somewhat similar to keep scores even; designate an experienced player as a "sweeper" to play behind those who need his help.

Any tips on how to have an enjoyable golf tournament? Consider these tips:

- Take care of the basic things - like getting everyone where they need to be on time. If someone is waiting for someone else, it throws off their whole round.

- Give your entire group input into how things should run - including how the outings are timed and how many people are in each foursome - so no one feels cheated or overcrowded.

- Have snacks/lunch available and ready to be served whenever your group breaks - how often this should happen depends on how hungry they are/how long it takes them to play.

- If multiple courses are involved, make sure you divvy up tee times. The last thing anyone wants is too many people crammed into carts with little time to actually play golf.

- Keep participants' interests in mind when organizing prizes. You may choose a crystal or a metal plaque, or fun prizes instead. This may a question to ask golfers before the tournament day,, so ask around ahead of time! You don't want to distribute an unwanted prize.

Above all, remember the goal of any outing is quality time, especially if you're hosting it yourself so everyone can have fun together.

The most important factors for a fun golf tournament are having a relaxing round of golf and eating/drinking in a nice atmosphere afterwards.

Golf outings are typically an extremely relaxed, yet fun environment. Here are some keys to ensuring that your golf outing is as enjoyable as possible:

- Make sure all participants have a good time! A relaxed, fun environment can be created by making sure that each player feels included and has a good time.

- Mix up the teams so people aren't playing with the same people all day long.

- If you organize a team event, try to make it as casual as possible! While there's nothing wrong with having a couple of prizes or trophies for certain events or milestones throughout the round, keep things from getting too competitive. Your goal should be for everyone to have fun and not let something like winning ruin their day!

- If you are hosting the event yourself, plan how things will run so no one feels cheated or crowded out. Also make sure to have enough food for everyone!

You want your golfer friends and acquaintances to have an enjoyable day on the links – not endure a miserable experience because they were paired with someone who either didn't know how to play golf or was overly competitive. Even if you love golfing and playing in competitions, something as simple as showing up late for a tee time can put an immediate damper on other players' days. Try these tips:

- Pair people accordingly; if someone is new to the sport or doesn't golf often, pair them with someone who has more experience. If you're pairing yourselves up, keep in mind how competitive you are.

- Keep teams even by mixing up the number of men and women or how many people are playing from company A vs. company B so scores stay close throughout the day.

- Show up on time to all tee times! This is crucial to everyone having an enjoyable experience. If you need to reschedule a tee time because someone will be late, let the group know ahead of time (not when they're on their way) and make sure there's enough room for them to play at another time if possible.

- Make sure everyone has snacks and lunch available throughout the outing; it can be hard on some people not knowing how long it will take them between holes and how hungry they'll get in the meantime. Also, offer to be a designated driver if someone is playing while drinking alcohol!

- Keep an open dialogue throughout the day so that if anyone has any concerns or suggestions, you can address them right away and take care of the problem before it becomes too much of an inconvenience for everyone else.

- Make sure you have a clear understanding how late people can show up and how many mulligans per person is allowed.

- Be considerate of how much space each group needs on the course depending on how advanced they are, how long it takes them to play etc.

- Set basic rules for how team members dress, how far apart they stand from one another etc. so everyone gets acclimated as soon as possible.

- Arrange how many teams there will be and how much time each team has to play. This can help with how many carts are needed, how long the outing lasts etc. Also decide how much money is being spent on food/drinks etc. so everyone knows what they're getting into beforehand. Keep in mind how many mulligans each person gets too if mulligans are allowed within reason of course! Make sure you have any rules regarding mulligans ready before the outing starts so no one gets into an argument with how many mulligans they can or cannot have.

- Decide how much money everyone will pay to participate if the outing is meant as a fundraiser for example. Also decide how any funds raised above and beyond expectations will be allocated (i.e., how the prize money will be divided).

- If you're not playing yourself, make sure there is someone leading each group that knows where to go next; otherwise no one will have any idea how to play the game!

- If there are children involved, make sure they know how to behave around golf carts and how not to be a distraction to other participants. Also make clear how close they are allowed to stand by the course or how close they are allowed to get near players swinging etc. depending on how young they are.

- Make sure group members know if it is windy/rainy etc. so their day doesn't end up being ruined by something out of their control. Always err on the side of caution when it comes outside weather conditions! If you're hosting somewhere with an indoor setting, make sure everyone knows where that is in case of inclement weather.

Keeping these tips in mind will ensure your group gets along well and enjoys themselves from start to finish. Don't forget how important quality time with friends is! You don't need a license to play golf nor do you need to spend a fortune on elaborate prizes for each hole. The company of your peers is enough to make any outing enjoyable. If anything causes tension within group, there's no better cure than a little laughter on the back nine.

Just remember that etiquette and showmanship go a long way toward creating great golf memories, regardless of how many strokes one has!

Learn How to Plan a Golf Tournament by reaching out today!