by Samantha Sage
Corporate golf tournaments and combined activity golf events are among the most popular types of fundraising and brand engagement events, offering a wealth of fun brand awareness opportunities for the companies hosting and all the sponsors for the events. From small group golfing tournaments at local clubs, to annual golf events at resorts hosting major golfing competitions, a corporate golf event managed the right way can generate massive buzz - and create huge return on investment (ROI) for stakeholders.
But knowing what essentials are needed for a well-branded golf tournament, plus getting all of the logistics executed on time and on budget, can be extremely difficult - especially if your company has never hosted a golf event of the scale needed before! Luckily, there are a wealth of resources available to help you find the right branded golf supplies, banners, flags, giveaways and more necessities for your golf event planning needs.
We've compiled our top tips from over 65 years of experience managing swag & signage for golf tournaments in this blog, creating a complete checklist of event essentials to take your golf tournament to the next level for your brand and the sponsors who support you.
Tee Up Brand Visibility for Golf Sponsors
Corporate golf events offer an organic canvas for brand visibility with their many signage needs to direct visitors and players to each hole along the course. Welcome banners and directional signs will help your participants get oriented and checked in quickly. Photo backdrops for social media moments at the entryway will help get the word out about your fun golf event.
Custom printed double-sided golf flags and sponsorship banners will be needed for each hole to not only guide foot and cart traffic with designs according to your tournament brand guidelines, but to give your sponsors their piece of the player's attention and time during their own brand activation. Custom signage for hole sponsors can go beyond simple yard signs to fully custom-shaped corrugated signs that look like golf balls with sponsor logos and hole information, starting at order quantities of only 1 piece so you can customize for each hole's unique sponsor!
Speaking of brand activations, sponsors may need assistance sourcing custom branded tents for their booth, feather flags with booth theme elements, sandwich board signs displaying golf hole game rules for their brand activation giveaways, and any other signage needs for successful brand activations on the golf course. Allowing sponsors to customize a cohesive set of signage options as part of your golf sponsorship package offering will incentivize higher sponsor spends, while giving your overall golf tournament signage a polished, on-brand look.
But branding opportunities at golf tournaments go beyond individual hole decor and directional signage! For almost every piece of essential golf equipment needed for your event, there exists a custom branded option to create cohesive branding or additional sponsorship opportunities. Custom branded golf pencils are a low-cost, eco-friendly promo item to get extra branding in your attendee hands in a useful way during game play.
Imprinted golf balls from your favorite golf brands like Titleist, Callaway golf supplies & accessories, and more create a custom-branded memento item your golf attendees will be delighted to keep and reuse. Custom printed golf tees are one of the most popular golf swag items, and can be customized as individual tees or as part of customized golf supply gift packs that will delight your tournament participants.
For general event sponsors and your own tournament branding, consider items that will travel across the course with your participants. Branded golf cart seat covers add extra comfort and an unexpected tournament branding touch. Outfit your golf carts with custom imprinted cooler bags to keep drinks and snacks fresh - they make great surprise giveaways at the end of the event too!
Don't forget to leverage your golf tournament printed paper goods as an additional sponsorship offering! Adding sponsor logos on scorecards, event programs, and course maps is a good way to offset the price of paper goods needed to run a smooth golf tournament.
Player Giveaways That Go the Distance
While the thrill of competition drives most golf tournament participants, the free gifts and swag are also an added perk! There are a wide range of unique golf-themed giveaways ready to be custom imprinted for your event at low cost, like innovative golf ball hand massagers and golf ball-shaped lip balms, whichyour tournament attendees will enjoy and find truly useful - keeping your golf event and sponsor logos out of the landfill.
Tournament giveaway items that help your competitors step up their golf game are always appreciated! Consider custom printed practice putter sights that mount on existing putters or golf ball alignment marker sets to take strokes off your golfer's scorecard on future tournament attempts. You can even custom imprint 4-in-1 combo golf tools that improve alignment on putts, provide a club rest, clean putter grooves, and fix divots! Everything your golf tournament attendees need to play at their best in one convenient, cost-effective swag giveaway.
As we mentioned in the first segment, common golf equipment like custom imprinted brand name golf balls, tees, and ball markers not only make great brand visibility opportunities, but they can fill out your participant swag bags beautifully for thoughtful, useful golf tournament gifts! Available as individual items, combo groups, or imprinted kits in matchbooks or premium-feel tin containers!
High-quality embroidered polo shirts or golf caps with custom patches, rubber welds, or dimensional embroidery give a premium edge to your golf giveaways, keeping your event branding on the links long after your winners have been awarded. Choose classic golf polo colors or bright pops of color and fun patterns to coordinate with your brand guidelines for extra brand visibility at your golf tournament.
Custom golf bag tags or imprinted golf towels with all your sponsor logos included make great low-cost, high value giveaway items that participants will use on the course again and again. If your event needs more premium-quality golf event giveaways for your players, consider elevated golf-themed swag items like elegant leather golf scorecard holders with crocodile patterns and wool interiors for a classy touch.
Most importantly, don't forget imprinted swag bags to hold all your golf event giveaways for participants! Whether you need eco-friendly imprinted kraft paper bags that can be recycled after your event, custom tote bags of any size, budget or premium folding reusable bags for weekly needs, or even custom branded personal coolers or lunchbags to hold all your golf tournament goodies in a useful bag - any style of bag you can imagine can be custom printed or embroidered to add your brand's personal touch to swag bag giveaways and create a unique, impactful gifting experience for your golf event attendees.
Desirable & Memorable Golf Raffle Prizes
Think beyond the swag bags and golf tournament supplies to extend your branding onto extra-desireable items that will actually make your golf event money! Raffle prizes and silent auctions go hand-in-hand with corporate golf events, offering an opportunity for fun participant involvement and a way to get your fundraising goals met.
Aim for golf-themed, high-ticket items your attendees are sure to want and be willing to bid on. Premium golf club sets, embroidered golf bags, from trusted retail brands like Callaway and OGIO's lightweight line of golf bags, or custom branded putters by industry-standard brands like Wilson will draw intrigue and feel worthy of higher bid amounts from your golf tournament participants.
Quality golf accessories like retail-quality club cover packs from Tumi or branded golf shoe bags (which come pre-loaded with tees and a divot tool to complete the look!) make great mid-range, quality raffle items for any golf themed event or fundraiser.
Golf tournament raffle prizes are also a great chance to incorporate golf-focused tech items customized with your event or sponsor logos. Smart watches or rangefinders make ideal topical tech gifts that participants will truly want, leading to more raffle ticket purchases for fundraising - helping you recoup the costs of hosting your golf tournament.
While golf-themed items are sure to be a hit with your attendees, resisting the urge to limit your raffle prizes to only golf items will draw in more bids! Home goods like Cuisinart brand home and kitchen items are well known, well respected, and truly desired by many participants (and their spouses!), sure to draw raffle ticket purchases when personalized with classic engraving of your event logo. Branded retail-quality items including customized hard-side coolers and imprinted speakers (or even the classic hinge top Igloo KoolTunes Cooler with Speakers for an all-in-one combo item) always draw bids at golf events.
Golf Trophies & Awards to Wow
You've secured all the essentials you need to run a golf tournament, you've created awesome swag bags to gift your participants, your silent auction or raffle prizes are awe-inspiring and primed to maximize your golf event ROI - all that's left is a gorgeous trophy to crown the winner and cap off your event in style!
There are a massive selection of golf-themed classic trophies, crystal awards, cup-shaped trophy designs, and eco-friendly wood, recycled glass, or metal plaques to recognize your golf tournament winners and motivate participation.
From budget-friendly golf trophies with low minimum order quantities perfect for small golf events or golf tournaments on small budgets, to ultra-premium champion's cup trophies worthy of a PGA victory. Even multi-year golf clubhouse trophies can be customized with annual plaque additions to create a stunning centerpiece for your golf tournament year after year.
Deliver maximum appeal for minimal budget with 3D subsurface crystal awards with golf themed designs captured inside -
you can even layer background prints to create a captivating scene inside your golf tournament award that will demand to be placed with honor on desks or mantlepieces. Golf-themed plaques and shadowboxes with scorecard and golf ball displays make incredible mementos that your tournament winners will display with pride.
We love helping businesses customize speciality awards and recognition items so much, we even wrote a whole blog on the topic of creating the best custom awards to help guide your events from ordinary to extraordinary with that polished finishing touch to truly wow recipients.
Final Thoughts
Hosting a successful and well-branded golf tournament requires a bit more than just signage and custom imprinted golf supplies! Consider the best brand activation activities and golf hole mini-games to align with your sponsor and event brand guidelines and entice your participants to get involved. Put planning into how you will message the event on social media, email campaigns, and other marketing channels to reach the right potential sponsors and interested players or teams. Begin your logistical planning early to secure the best golf course locations for hosting your event during peak golfing season in your region. If you need more help figuring out the logistics of your corporate golf tournament, give the swag specialists at MARCO Ideas Unlimited a call or email! We've been providing supplies and awesome ideas to golf tournaments since 1959.
Even more golf event ideas can be found by browsing our wide range of golf-themed swag and decor here on our website. Browse our complete golf swag ideas for your one-stop golf tournament checklist shopping destination!
Samantha Sage is the Marketing Coordinator & Sales Assistant for MARCO Ideas Unlimited. Sam leverages her 10+ years of multi-industry marketing experience to help businesses grow their brands with quality promotional products. When Sam isn't researching new & unique swag options, you can find her in the Oregon woods with her husband & senior rescue dog.