For golf tournaments
Sell out every hole of your golf tournament
Charity golf outings live or die on sponsors: the title sponsor, 18 hole signs, the hole-in-one prize, carts, lunch and the awards dinner. Sponsor Trove keeps every one of those deals in one place, from the first email to the logo on the sign.
The packages golf sponsors buy
Most outings sell a mix of a few big packages and many small ones. Each is a deal to track, with its own deadline for logos and signage.
Title or presenting sponsor
Name on the tournament, the banner at check-in and a foursome or two. Usually one, and the first deal to close.
Hole sponsors
A sign at a tee box, often 18 of them. Easy to say yes to, so they're the backbone of most outings, and the most to chase.
Hole-in-one sponsor
Often a car dealership putting a car on a par 3, with the prize insured. Needs the vehicle and insurance details early.
Contest sponsors
Longest drive, closest to the pin and the putting contest. Small, visible and good for first-time sponsors.
Cart and beverage cart sponsors
Logos on every cart, or on the cart golfers are happiest to see.
Meal and reception sponsors
Breakfast, lunch at the turn or the awards dinner, where the sponsor can speak or hand out prizes.
Foursomes and gift bags
Playing spots bundled with sponsorship, and branded balls, towels or gifts for every golfer.
Who sponsors golf tournaments
Golf outings draw local businesses that want a few hours in front of a room of decision-makers. Typical sponsors include:
- Banks, credit unions and wealth advisors
- Car dealerships, especially for the hole-in-one
- Law, accounting and insurance firms
- Real estate brokerages, builders and contractors
- Hospitals, clinics and physical therapy practices
- Breweries and beverage distributors
- Your board members' companies and your own vendors
The golf sponsorship calendar
Most outings run from late spring to early fall, and the selling starts months before anyone tees off.
- 5–6 months out: Set packages and your goal, update the sponsorship packet, and ask last year's sponsors to renew before anyone else.
- 3–4 months out: Send the packet to new prospects, and follow up with everyone who opened it.
- 6–8 weeks out: Signage and logo deadline. Chase the last hole sponsors and collect logos.
- After the event: Thank sponsors with photos and results, then note who to ask first next year.
How Sponsor Trove helps
Every hole, cart and foursome in one pipeline
Each sponsor is a deal, tagged with the package they're buying and moved from contacted to won. Set a goal for the tournament and watch it fill up as hole sponsors say yes.
- Packages, amounts and owners on every deal
- A goal for the tournament, with progress as deals close
- Your committee works from the same board
Know who opened your sponsorship packet
Send your packet as a link instead of an attachment. Every person who opens it is added to your pipeline, so you know which hole sponsors are reading and which never opened it.
- See who opened it and when they came back
- Each reader becomes a deal automatically
- Your logo and colors on the link
Hit the signage deadline
Set a follow-up on every sponsor who hasn't committed, and one click on the board shows everyone due today. Deals that have gone quiet are flagged before the sign printer's deadline sneaks up.
- Follow-ups assigned to each committee member
- One click shows every follow-up due today
- Quiet deals flagged automatically
Sponsor emails, on the deal
Connect Gmail and every email with a sponsor lands on their deal, so anyone on the committee can see where the hole-in-one conversation stands.
- Read-only, and only emails with your sponsors
- Everyone at a sponsor's company is matched
- See who's waiting on a reply
Questions
What should a golf tournament sponsorship package include?
Clear tiers with a price, what the sponsor gets (signage, playing spots, meals, speaking time, logo placement) and a deadline for logos. Keep the title tier to one sponsor, and offer plenty of affordable options such as hole sponsors so small businesses can say yes quickly.
How should we price hole sponsorships?
Start from what the event costs per golfer and what local sponsors paid last year, then price so that selling every hole covers a meaningful share of your goal. Bundle playing spots into higher tiers rather than discounting them. Track what actually sells in Sponsor Trove and adjust next year.
When should we start selling golf sponsorships?
Around five to six months before the tournament, starting with last year's sponsors. Most new sponsors decide in the last three months, and your signage deadline is usually six to eight weeks out.
Can our whole tournament committee use it?
Yes. Invite everyone on the committee, give each deal an owner, and assign follow-ups so nobody calls the same sponsor twice.
We track sponsors in a spreadsheet. Do we have to start over?
No. We'll move your spreadsheet into Sponsor Trove for you, free, including last year's sponsors so you can start on renewals.
Related guides: What to include in a prospectus · Following up on a sponsorship proposal