The Best Golf Tournament Goodie Bags

If you’re organizing a golf tournament, it’s vital to include a goodie bag. A goodie bag is simply a collection of gifts that golfers receive before or after the tournament or event.

What can golfers at a charity tournament expect? It all depends on the nature of the event. If it’s a low-key event with just a few golfers, participants will be delighted to receive a sleeve of golf balls plus a few coupons or ball markers from the golf shop. However, at major fundraisers with much larger fields, the goodie bag can be nothing short of epic. If you’re playing in a major event, you can expect a box of balls plus items like shoe bags, custom tees, shirts, customized bag tags, sunglasses, titanium ball markers, personalized golf towels, or gold-plated golf tools.

Of course, gifts in the goodie bag don’t have to fit in the goodie bag. I’ve been to events that have given away golf clubs, golf shirts, golf sweaters, and even rain and wind jackets.

Many charity tournament organizers go to local businesses to get coupons and promotional items, or “swag,” for the goodie bags. Other events go to local companies and raise money by selling the rights to include items in the goodie bag, tournament sponsorship, and on-course signage. Either way, the goodie bag is vital because it sets the tone for the event. Many tournaments make a huge effort to include a phenomenal goodie bag so it becomes the main talking point of the event.

To make choosing the items easier, you can visit a website that specializes in golf-themed gifts or visit a local golf shop. If you’re holding your event at an upscale course or resort (or even if you’re not), you can ask the PGA professional and the associates about the goodie bag.

If you’re attending a Member-Guest tournament, it’s often the highlight of the club’s golf calendar. You can expect an impressive goodie bag. And there’s no reason to stick with golf gifts. One Member-Guest provided a pair of binoculars as a gift.

Yes, professional golfers get to play for large amounts of money, but they also receive phenomenal goodie bags when they arrive at the event. At the 2011 US Open, certain golfers received a large red, white, and blue goodie bag including shoes, hats, golf gloves, and more.

Your golf goodie bag might not be the most important part of a tournament, but it helps to set the tone. It can also help to raise more money, plus keep tournament participants coming back year after year.

Photo credit: robertstinnett / Foter / CC BY