Fun Golf Outing Ideas (15 Ideas)

Whether you are planning a massive fundraising golf outing or simply organizing a several groups of friends to go out and play, there are some awesome ideas you can put in place to make sure everyone has fun that day.

Golf is supposed to be fun, right? Yet, we often get frustrated on the course with game. Our ideas below will help everyone have fun regardless of their skill level or how they perform that day.

Keep the pressure light and turn up the fun. Check out our 15 ideas below, many which include different games that can be played on the course that a golfer of any skill level can win.

Looking for a step by step plan on how to run a golf out – Check out This Post

Golf outings are more fun with the many ideas below! Check them out!

Fun Golf Outing Ideas

Here are our top 15 suggestions to make your golf outing fun and memorable:

Have plenty of good food and beverages available

Have a Hole in One Contest
Run a putting contest on the practice green
Allow people to buy mulligans

Have a long drive competition
Have a closest to the pin hole
Have a straightest drive contest

Turn a par 4 into a drivable par 4
Utilize a shotgun start
Have door prize giveaways

Run a skins game
Run a beat the pro on a par 3
Allow each golfer one throw per nine holes

Provide different lengths of string that can be purchase
Play the yellow ball game

Bonus Idea: Let each group have the option replay their 1st hole of the day to better their school for a $20 donation to a charity.

Below is a quick description of each of these 15 ideas and some further insight to make your golf outing the most memorable event of the golf season!

Idea 1: Have plenty of good and beverages available

Golfers of all skill levels enjoy the opportunity to not only enjoy the outdoors, but to eat some excellent food before, during and even after the round.

The best golf outings, especially those for fundraisers have some impressive food that keeps the non serious golfer coming back every year to support a good cause.

Some ideas consist of a donut in the morning, a hot dog or sandwich at the turn and then a steak or rib dinner at the completion of the round.

People love the socialization part involved with eating and regardless of skill level, everyone loves a good meal!

Idea 2: Have a Hole In One Contest

Interested in winning a fancy car or $10,000? Many insurance companies will sponsor the opportunity for someone to win a big prize if a hole in one is made. Usually the hole has to be a certain length and there is a spotter to protect the insurance company, but it is fun to dream about making that hole in one and taking home 10 to 20 thousand dollars from one shot. Holes in ones can be made by golfers of many levels and everyone loves the chance to win a big prize or big money!

Idea 3: Run a putting contest on the practice green

As people are getting ready to head out to the course, pick a really long putt like 60-70 feet and give people three chances. Play a closest to the pin contest here and see who can either make the putt or get closest to the hole.

If you can obtain a good prize or even something simple it provides extra fun as people get ready for their round and socialize with others. Plus anyone regardless of skill just might be able to run the putt in!

Idea 4: Allow people to buy mulligans

Many outings have a scramble format and you can charge $5 per golfer or $20 per group to buy 4 mulligans that can be used throughout the day. This provides some additional strategy and a chance to make that 10 footer that everyone seemed to miss.

Plus it is an additional and easy way to raise more money for the good cause you may be running the outing for. I have played in outings that sell the mulligans and it adds an extra strategic challenge to the round and the money goes to a good cause!

Idea 5: Have a long drive challenge

Everyone enjoys trying to tap into their inner John Daly or Bryson DeChambeua and there is nothing better than being announced as the long drive winner at the end of the outing.

Pick a wide open par 5 and have a contest for men, women and seniors. This is another way for people to have fun and to test their driving ability! Plus it provides some awesome bragging rights!

One little detail…the drive must be in the fairway!

Find fun games to keep the mood light and provide tons of fun!

Idea 6: Have a closest to the pin challenge

Another fun game that people of various levels can win. Pick a par three in the 100-130 yard range and see who can hit it closest. Once again, pick a hole for men, women and seniors.

Everyone enjoys the chance to hit one close and win some small prize. Pick a green where it is easy to see the hole so people no where the current leader is! It adds some extra pressure and fun!

Idea 7: Have a straightest drive contest

While not everyone can hit the ball far, everyone has a chance to hit the ball straight. Ask the course to paint a line down the middle of the fairway for your straightest drive competitions.

One little rule is that the line should start at the beginning of the fairway and the ball has to travel at least 100 yards. This will still involved most golfers and keeps people from hitting a chip shot to the line!

Idea 8: Turn a par 4 into a drivable par 4

Take a 400 yard plus hole and allow people to pay $5 to $10 per golfer to tee off from around the 275 yard distance. This is a fantastic way to raise money and gives a golfer a major advantage.

This once again adds some fun and intrigue to the hole. Along with the mulligans, now every group has a chance to make at least a couple of birdies and feel like good golfer for at least one day!

Idea 9: Utilize a shotgun start

The great part about the shotgun is that everyone tees off at the same time and ends around the same time. It allows people to socialize before and after the round and makes providing the food and giving away prizes much easier.

The key here is having enough golfers that the course will allow you to have a shotgun start. Check with the course to see what requirement they have and what days would be available.

Idea 10: Have door prize giveaways

If your outing is for a good cause, many different businesses and golf courses are willing to donate a dozen of golf balls, a free foursome at a course, or different apparel that shows your appreciation to everyone that showed up at the course that day for your event.

People love free giveaways and it shows your appreciation for the money they paid and the time they gave up to attend your event!

Idea 11: Run a skins game

The better golfers in the outing will appreciate the opportunity to win a skin or two and take home some big money. The entrance into the skins game could be around $20 per group, which can build up to some quality money if only one skin is won all day.

This brings extra intrigue to the round and allows even the weaker groups a chance to make an eagle on a short par four and take home at least several hundred dollars!

Idea 12: Run a beat the pro on a par 3

Find a local pro or young golf star to stand on a par 3 and allow people $5 to try to beat the pro. The pro hits their shot and then the golfers has the challenge of hitting it closer than the pro. If they do you can give them $10 or a sleeve of golf balls.

Yet another way for some fun and to test the golf skill of those attending the outing!

Idea 13: Allow each player one throw per nine holes

This can bring some extra fun and challenge to the game. Allow golfers the opportunity to buy a chance to throw one or two golf balls per round. This throw would probably be best utilized around the green and you can set rules that it has to be used off the green.

This is an opportunity for the not so skilled golfer to continue to the team by throwing a chip shot or another way to help the team! One of the keys to a good outing is allows the non skilled golfer the chance to contribute to the team!

Idea 14: Provide different lengths of string that can be purchased

Provide each group a chance to buy so many pieces of string. These strings can be used anywhere on the course to improve their lie or move closer to the hole on the green.

It adds some more strategy and gets all skill level golfers involved in the fun! The strings can be prepared ahead of time and are of different lengths. So it provides an element of surprise on what length string you get. This is another way to bring in some easy money for the fundraising based golf outing!

Idea 15: Play the yellow ball game

Give each group one yellow ball. The rules are that each golfer on the team must used that ball every fourth hole and if the ball is not lost by the end of the round, the team receives some sort of prize.

This adds some pressure on water holes or where there are heavy woods or other hazards that can add to the stress of hitting the golf shot if you have the yellow ball that hole!

BONUS IDEA

Give away a free foursome to the winning group! The winning group should win some sort of prize for their good score, even with all of the opportunities such as mulligans, strings, etc. that can be used during the round. It is always fun to crown a champion and have them defend their title the next year!

Final Thoughts

Golf is a fun game for people of all ages. Find a way utilizing our 15 ideas above to make sure people want to come back the next year! Be a great host and make sure you show appreciation through different giveaways which can be easy to obtain from different sponsors of your golf outing!

Are you someone looking to take your game to the next level in golf?

Check out our recipe below for improving your game!

Starting hitting those irons pure, hit more fairways and of course gain some distance. The recipe below will help you achieve all three:

Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better

What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:

1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:

Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:

George Gankas

2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:

Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:

3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:

We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.

How to Break 70

4 – Practice Frequently

Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:

Is a Golf Simulator Worth It?