The Ultimate Guide to Charity Golf Tournaments

Preface

Planning a charity golf tournament? Looking for fresh ideas, shortcuts, or just a better way to run your day? You’re in the right place.

This guide is built on years of real-world experience organizing The MOpen, a fan-favorite charity golf event in Ottawa, Canada. We’ve tested it all—what worked, what didn’t, and what made people say “best tournament I’ve ever played in.” In our last playing, 120 players finished golf in 3h45m and the entire tournament was 5 hours from start to the conclusion of all events someone might need to be present at.

We’ve distilled those lessons into this practical guide to help you plan a tournament that’s more fun, more efficient, and more successful—no matter your experience level.

Planning Your Tournament
Building a Great Committee
What Most Tournaments Get Wrong
The MOpen Philosophy: Subtract, Don’t Add
Speeding Up the Day: Shot Reduction Strategy (SRS)
On-Course Ideas That Actually Work
Après Golf: Reinventing the Dinner & Prizes
Rethinking Raffles & Auctions
Signage, Branding & Sponsor ROI
The Power of Great SWAG
Final Thoughts & Templates

1. Planning Your Tournament

Don’t do it alone.
Too many tournaments are run by one person juggling a full-time job. Build a committee. Our ideal structure:

Design & Branding
Sponsorships
Logistics
Volunteers
On-Course Activities
Banquet & Prizes

Design matters.
From the start, we focused on looking better than everyone else. A strong brand makes people take your event seriously—and look forward to coming back. Use a designer, or if needed, AI tools that can match your vision.

2. What Most Tournaments Get Wrong

A familiar (painful) itinerary:

10:30 – Leave work
11:30 – Register
12:30 – Still waiting
1:00 – Finally tee off
6:30 – Finish
7:30 – Speeches & auctions
9:00 – Depart

Verdict? Too long.
Nobody wants a 10-hour commitment. Charity golf should be tight, smooth, and fun. Adopt the mindset: “here for a good time, not a long time.”

3. The MOpen Philosophy: Subtract, Don’t Add

Our secret sauce? Cutting the fluff.

Fewer speeches
Fewer long holes
Fewer awkward moments

Then we added faster, funnier, more memorable elements in their place. It’s the heart of our Shot Reduction Strategy.

4. Shot Reduction Strategy (SRS)

Most scramble teams play 200–250 shots. We trimmed that by 20% without rushing the experience. The result: faster play and more fun.

Popular SRS Formats:

Take Off – Each player hits, worst shot is dropped each round
Tin Cup Hole – Everyone uses only a 7-iron
Timed Hole – Beat the 2-minute timer, earn a stroke bonus
Drive-Thru Hole – Pull a random score from a donut box and skip the hole
Lone Wolf – One player tees off, all play from that shot
Monopoly Hole – Hit a target to Advance directly to the green
XXL Cup Hole – Oversized cup = faster play, more fun
Multiple Pins – Better odds for great shots, less waiting

We also re-set tees for maximum playability. No 400+ yard par 4s. Charity golf should be inclusive, not punishing.

5. On-Course Activities That Work (And Don’t)

✅ Crowd Favorites:

Closest to Any Pin – 2-pin greens
Across the Pond – Hit a green over water, win a prize ticket
Spin the Wheel – Random tee box draw
Risk & Reward – 2 pin options: go big, win big

❌ Skip These:

Closest to the Line – Boring & subjective
Cocktail Holes – Slows everything down
Contact Information Collection holes – Kills the vibe
Gimmick Clubs – Oven mitts, hockey sticks = awkward

6. Reinventing Après Golf

Ditch the plated dinner. Here’s what we did:

Buffet style, no waiting
Kitchen alert system – Text the kitchen as groups are 30-60 minutes away from completing the round
Open ticketing – Spouses & friends could join for dinner only

Result: More energy. More social media buzz. Way more participation in the auction and raffle.

Then we skipped the long speeches. Prizes in 15 minutes. Live band after. Full dance floor. Perfect.

7. Rethinking Raffles & Auctions

Stop auctioning off $2,000 items for $700.

Instead:

Silent auction: 15–20 items
Choose-your-prize raffle: Each item has its own drop box
Put big prizes in the raffle – Engagement skyrockets

People want to play when the format is fun.

8. Signage, Branding & Sponsor ROI

We branded everything: passports, scorecards, hole signs, prize boxes—even the photo wall.

That photo wall? Thousands of post-event impressions for sponsors.
Not just 144 golfers. Way more value.

Strong branding = higher sponsor satisfaction + higher return rate.

9. The Power of Great SWAG

Gift bags = your brand in the wild.

Ditch the junk. Focus on 2–3 sharp, functional pieces:

Branded tumblers
Premium golf towels
Performance polos
Fully charged Speakers for on-course music
The winning team celebrates with the iconic mustache trophy at The MOpen charity golf tournament, proudly presented by Festival Promotions and sponsored by Air Canada and Sobeys.