The Best Charity Golf Outing Games

Golf tournaments are a great way to raise money and give people a good time, so they keep returning for more. In many ways, charity golf days are a go-to for nonprofits — they provide golf enthusiasts a chance to compete on once-in-a-lifetime courses and donate to a cause. Golf is an excellent way for teams of like-minded people to get together and make a difference — and it’s fun. 

Although most people attend golf fundraiser games for the cause, the experience should still be enjoyable. There are many ways to spice up your charity golf days, such as adding themes to raise awareness and fun golf tournament games. Games like these help your initiatives stand out and are relatively inexpensive to put together. 

Fun Games for Golf Tournaments

Ensuring your guests have a fantastic experience can make a positive impact on fundraising. Consider spicing up your next charity golf tournament’s games with these exciting options:

Hole of fortune

If you want to add a zany alternative to your golf event, consider this hole of fortune game. Create a wheel alongside a hole. Participants can spin the wheel for quirky instructions. Some could be lucky, like minus a shot from your total score, while others can bring out the funny side — taking a swing on one leg or quacking like a duck before you take your shot. You can use your imagination and make this a hilarious golf tournament game. 

Longest marshmallow drive

All you need to do is substitute golf balls for marshmallows. Choose a hole as the ‘marshmallow hole’ and ask one of your volunteers to dish out large marshmallows. The golfer who drives the marshmallow the furthest wins a prize. 

Straightest drive

Instead of the longest drive, which favors the stronger players, consider adding a twist by awarding a prize to the participant with the straightest drive. You can draw a straight line and have a volunteer judge which player comes closest to the mark. 

Beat the pro

You may need a few helping hands for this one. Reach out to the golf club and organize to have a golf pro at one of your holes. Depending on the par, your players can place bets with the pro so that they can get the ball closer to the pin. If they beat the pro, they can double their money. If the pro wins, it goes to your nonprofit.

Hire a pro

This game can be an excellent way to increase donations. Have a few golf pros stationed at the most challenging hole. Players can “hire” them to make shots, increasing the price for each successive shot the pro makes for the player. Quick mobile bidding software allows players to make their contributions during the game. 

Cone game

You’ll need some enthusiastic volunteers to get people excited. Place three cones at a hole — one on the green, one about 50 yards from the green, and one around 150 yards from the green. Golfers can buy yardage from volunteers, allowing them to tee off closer to the hole. The closer the cone is to the hole, the higher the requested donation will be. 

The pink ball

The pink ball game will be an absolute hit if you plan a best ball event. Give each team a pink ball at the start of the game. Players must take turns playing with the pink ball at each hole. They must record each player’s score with the pink ball for each hole. The team with the lowest pink ball score at the end of the game wins. 

Closest to the pin

In this game, players must make a shot to the green, and the player who makes their shot closest to the hole wins. You can make this game part of your 18-hole course or have it as a separate event. 

Circle hole

Circle hole is another opportunity to have players bidding during the game. Pick a par 3 hole for this game and draw a 15-foot circle around the hole. Have a volunteer close by to officiate. Players can pay to take turns getting the ball inside the circle in one shot. If they achieve their goal, they win a prize. If they miss, they can buy up to three chances that don’t count as mulligans. 

Games for a Scramble Tournament

If you’re planning on hosting a scramble tournament, you can keep things interesting with some fun additions. Scramble is for teams of four and works like this:

• All players take their first shot from the tee. 
• Each player takes their next shot from the best landing position from the previous shots. 
• All players putt from the closest approach shot to the hole. 
• Players continue in this format for 18 holes. 

Take a look at these funny golf tournament games to give your scramble tournament a little extra zing:

Three-club scramble

Players must devise a strategy as they’re only allowed three clubs for the match. They have to plan differently and use unusual clubs to execute their shots. This game can make the tournament more of a challenge for players and offset the advantage they get from playing off someone else’s ball position. 

Draw the club

Write the names of each of the 14 clubs on paper. Players must draw a club out of a hat for each shot. Leaving the use of clubs up to chance creates a challenge for teams and can yield some comical results for spectators. 

Worst ball

Take the regular scramble tournament rules and turn them on their head. Instead of playing from the best of the four tee shots, players must all play from the worst. 

Skins and scramble combo

Holes or ‘skins’ are awarded to the player with the lowest score for that hole. If two people tie for the lowest score, the skin rolls over to the next hole, so players can play several holes without being awarded any skins. With plenty of teams of four on the course, teams will likely tie with the lowest score on a particular hole, and this way, they can start accumulating skins. If a player scores brilliantly on one of the holes, you could give them multiple skins and ramp up team competition. 

Get Your Golf Fundraiser Up to Par with GiveSmart

When raising money for your nonprofit, GiveSmart technologies can help take the stress out of the process. GiveSmart specializes in applications that make accepting quick donations on-site easy and hassle-free. With GiveSmart, you can easily manage your donations from anywhere and collect donations during your charity golf game. 

Raise more money with less stress using GiveSmart bidding and silent auction software. We have helped numerous charitable organizations raise more than $2 billion in the last seven years with our industry-leading silent auction software and seamless event fundraising software. Explore more game ideas for fundraisers!

Giving should be easy, and our team can help facilitate your event to make it successful. Request a demo today to learn more about how GiveSmart can help you with your most successful golf fundraiser and more.