Developing a Sponsorship Plan for Golf Tournaments

When you plan a golf tournament, there are so many aspects to organize, from the search for players to the selection of a golf course. But as with many events, the financial aspects are often the most difficult to manage. 

One way that many golf tournament organizers ease the financial burden of their event is through sponsorship. However, this provides a whole new organizational challenge. 

Here’s everything you need to know to develop a sponsorship plan for your golf event. 

Why Do Golf Events Need Sponsorship?

The main reason you may want to find sponsors for your golf event is to help cover the costs. Golf tournaments are expensive to run, thanks to the various expenses, with course fees often being the largest of these.

Sponsors will cover or pay toward these costs in return for recognition of their sponsorship and marketing opportunities. 

Why Do Businesses Sponsor Golf Events?

Golf event sponsorship isn’t a one-way street — the sponsors have plenty to gain, too. If you want to effectively sell your event to potential sponsors, you need to highlight what the benefits are for them. These are typically:

• Heightened awareness: Businesses that sponsor your event will have their name and branding displayed prominently, which exposes their business to a large audience.
• Increased reputation: Sponsors of local events are often viewed favorably by attendees, as they’ve helped finance the event. 
• New local business connections: Many golf events offer opportunities for networking, enabling sponsors to connect with attendees and other businesses.

How to Develop a Sponsorship Plan for Your Golf Event

Often, a large part of a golf tournament’s organizational labor is arranging sponsorship. To make this task easier for you, here’s what a typical timeline for golf tournament sponsorship could look like, six to 12 months before the event: 

• Create a committee to identify and communicate with sponsors, ideally a year or more in advance.
• Establish clear sponsorship goals and objectives, including the specific benefits that sponsorship will provide.
• Brainstorm a list of potential sponsors and reach out to them six to nine months before the event.

Once you’ve started communicating with potential sponsors: 

• Assign target sponsorship accounts to each committee member six months before the event.
• Send sponsorship packages four to six months before the event.
• Follow up with the sponsor to get confirmation three months before the event.
• Agree on a sponsorship package for each business and sign a contract with your sponsor two months before the event.

This final step is key, as it’s vital that both you and your sponsor know how much they’re putting toward your event and how their sponsorship is going to be publicized. 

What Types of Businesses Should You Target for Golf Tournament Sponsorships?

When you create your list of potential sponsors, it can be difficult to find enough businesses to target. In other cases, it can be difficult to whittle down your list of potential sponsors to those who will benefit your event the most. Here are the best types of businesses to approach for sponsorship. 

Businesses You Already Work With

A great place to start with your hunt for sponsors is with businesses that are already familiar with who you are. Whether you’ve worked with them or they’ve sponsored one of your past events, an existing relationship can go a long way toward getting that “yes” when you ask for sponsorship. 

What’s more, if you overlook businesses you’ve worked with in the past, they may be upset that they weren’t offered a chance to sponsor the event, which could damage the relationship. 

Businesses Who Want to Expand Their Golfer Customer Base

High-income individuals are 78% more likely to be interested in golf, showing that there is a lucrative market within the sport for many businesses. Therefore, it’s likely that many businesses will seize the opportunity to raise awareness through your event. Businesses that may be particularly keen to sponsor a golf event include:

• Restaurants and bars
• Gyms and leisure centers
• Sporting goods stores
• Banks or financial services companies
• Home services businesses

Local Businesses

Whether it’s a barbershop, mechanic or grocery store, small local businesses can benefit from the raised awareness, especially since 62% of golfers say they prefer to buy local. Beyond growing awareness with new customers, local businesses enjoy an increased reputation with both new and existing customers. 

Larger National Corporations

While local businesses may seem more approachable, don’t hesitate to reach out to larger businesses. When pitching your event to regional, national or even international businesses, try to find ones that have a connection to the local area, such as a nearby satellite office or headquarters.

Health Care Organizations

Health care providers view golf events as attractive sponsorship opportunities because they enable them to build connections within the community. Word of mouth and patient referrals are essential for health care practices, so sponsoring local events is a great opportunity for them to get their name out there. And although younger players are joining at high rates, golfers still have an average age of 43 years old, making them more likely to seek out specialist care.

Creating a Sponsorship Package

Businesses will have different budgets, which means you need to offer different sponsorship packages. Some businesses may even sponsor a golf event by providing their goods or services rather than cash support. 

Sponsorship tiers can make it easy for businesses to see what various packages will deliver. Some sample golf tournament sponsorship tiers are:

• Hole sponsors will have signage at each hole, and are typically one of the lowest levels of sponsorship.
• Food and drink sponsors will cover the cost or provide refreshments and food for the event.
• Hole-in-one competition sponsors are similar to hole sponsors, but will have their branding placed at a highly viewed competition area.
• Contest sponsors will run side contests with anyone who wishes to take part.
• Merchandise sponsors will either cover the cost of the merchandise or provide it themselves.
• Signage and advertisement sponsors will either pay for the signage and advertisements or offer this service themselves.
• Prize sponsors will cover the cost or provide prizes for the tournament.
• Title sponsors will receive the lion’s share of the recognition, and are often the most expensive level of sponsorship. 

Alternatively, you can create different tiers for cash sponsorships, and you can then assign the money where you need it. This gives you more flexibility, but businesses often like to be able to point to exactly what they paid for. 

Best Practices for Golf Tournament Sponsorship

When seeking sponsors for your events, several best practices can enhance your chances of attracting ideal sponsors. These include:

1. Approach sponsors early: Don’t leave it until the last minute. Give sponsors plenty of time to learn about your event and consider your offer.
2. Follow up after the tournament: Send a thank you and let them know how they made a difference. Mention that you’ll keep them in mind for future sponsorship opportunities.
3. Analyze your success: Did you get the right sponsors? Did you hit your sponsorship goals? Make a note of your successes, plus how you could do better next time.
4. Consider an event partner: Partnering with a promotional services expert can help you attract sponsors and players, and simplify the entire organizational process.

Organize Your Golf Event With Confidence

Organizing a golf tournament is no small task, so it’s always best to get whatever help you can to ensure your event runs smoothly and meets your goals. 

At Perfect Golf Event, we help you organize your tournament through our custom golf tournament website services. With one of our free websites, you can plan and advertise many aspects of your event, including sponsorships. 

To find out more about how Perfect Golf Event can help make your event a success, contact us today.