The Big List of Golf Tournament Games

Written by Sarah Smith, Senior Tournament Sales Manager | Los Verdes Golf Course

The Secret of Great Golf Tournaments: Being Fun, Memorable, and Unique

One of the easiest ways to maintain player retention for your tournamentis to make it fun, memorable, and different from all the others out there. Golf tournaments can easily get stagnant. People begin to feel that they are playing the same tournament year after year.

Games Help You Stand Out in the Crowd

The best way to stand out among the crowd of other golf tournaments is to add games that no one has played before. Games are small, low-cost additions that add enjoyment to your players and keep the momentum and energy of the day high. People will talk about the games, and return the next year just to see if you’ve added anything new. Below are just a few games that would be easy for you to add to your event, and they will make a huge impact for your guests – and in most cases – your funding!

Cone Game

Set up three cones: one at 150 yards from the green, one at 50 yards from the green, and one on the green (at about a 10-ft. putt) – all of these distances can be altered if necessary, but these are good starting points. Place 2 volunteers at the tee box, selling yardage to golfers. The costs could break down like this: • 150-yard cone - $10 • 50-yard cone - $25 • Straight to putting - $50 Again, the prices can be altered to fit the level of players you have at your tournament. Not only is this a fun way for your players to gain a competitive advantage on this hole, it also makes money and speeds up pace of play on a harder hole – which is a win for everyone! The key here is assigning outgoing volunteers willing to upsell the game.

Circle Hole

For the Circle Hole, draw a 15-ft. circle around the pin on a par 3. Have a volunteer ask each golfer to buy-in for $5 or $10. If the ball lands inside the circle, the golfer gets a prize – if it doesn’t, they can try again or move on. Each golfer can have up to three tries that do not count as mulligans, but they will have to buy-in each time. The prize for this game can range from a sleeve of balls, raffle tickets, or logo’d merchandise.

Wheel of Fortune Hole

Buy in to spin the wheel, where you split the options into beneficial ones such as: “Proceed to the green to putt” or “hole-in-one” or “everyone gets an extra drive” – and silly ones, such as “Sing like Johnny Cash while you hit” or “Drive with a wedge or putter” or “Do 10 push-ups before you tee off” – whatever you want, just have fun!

Poker Runs

Always a good moneymaker! At registration, everyone who wants to buy in (this can be part of the mulligan package) gets 3 cards. On two holes on the course (one on the front 9, and one on the back 9), you’ll draw two more cards – one card at each station. When you have five cards, you can buy in for more, or trade all your cards in. Each new card costs $5 (or whatever price you set). At the banquet, you’ll show the flop – and the person with the best hand wins.

Straightest Drive

This can be a great alternative to the Longest Drive, for people who might not be able to hit the ball far – but they can hit it straight! You can also do Closest to the Curve, and instead of a straight line, draw a zig zag on the course, and whoever lands closest to the white line, wins. Closest to the Curve can be fun as it’s all about luck, and even the worst golfer can win!

Beat the Pro and Play with the Pro

Many tournament planners know people who played in college or play professional golf. Use these contacts and take advantage of the great fundraising opportunity. Set up on a par 3 hole, and have the golf professional challenge the group to a Closest-to-the-Pin contest. Teams will buy-in to participate. If anyone gets a better shot than the pro, that golfer gets a small prize. If they don’t hit a better shot, no prize is awarded – except that the golfer can use the pro’s shot as their next to score better. Play with a pro is a slight variation on the above, where the pro is stationed at the hardest hole, and you allow golfers to buy his/her tee shot, instead of using their own.

Fun Games for Free

You don’t have to charge to host a fun on-course game. You might consider adding a game for great photo opportunities, such as putting with a bat or hockey stick. Provide a bat or stick, and golfers have to use it instead of a putter. I have seen men laying on the green, using the bat like a pool stick – very funny! Or try a marshmallow drive. A volunteer with provide marshmallows, and golfers can add a penny, small rock, or other object to the marshmallow, and then tee it up. Take a whack at it, and the one that flies the furthest, wins! Frisbee Golf mixes it up for your golfers a bit. Tee off at a par 3 approximately 30-50 yards from the green, and use a Frisbee instead of a golf ball and club. Score by how many times it takes a golfer to throw the Frisbee and land it inside a hula hoop you have placed around the flag. This is a great photograph hole and fun! Any of these games will be fun for your group, but make sure that you don’t add too many as you want the golfers to still be able to play the course. IF you find the right balance, however, you’ll guarantee your golfers have fun and enjoy the day – and return the next year for more. Interested in planning your next tournament? Contact us or check out Los Verdes Golf Course!