Charity golf day (Ambrose)

Outdoor: weather matters

Teams of four pay to enter an Ambrose tournament; hole sponsors, auction and on-course games add to the take.

Typically raises

$6,500

$3,000–25,000 per eventest.

About $108 per organiser hour

Based on one Ambrose golf day

Is it right for us?

Money: $2,000–10,000
Work: A team for weeks
Helpers: 7–15 people
Lead time: 2–4 months
Red tape: A fair bit

Fairly common: a regular for clubs with business connections

People: 8-15
Organiser time: 40-80 (estimate)
Lead time: 3-4 months
Up-front cost: $500–$3,000. Course green fees per player, catering, prizes; often covered by entry fees and hole sponsors.
Risk: Medium. Courses may require a minimum number of players or a deposit.

Suits: Sports club or team, Community group, marae or service club

Less usual for: High school, Charity

When: Summer (Dec–Feb), Autumn (Mar–May), Spring (Sep–Nov)

How big a job: A small team for weeks, 7–15 people

How it works

The money, as an example sum

Sell at $250 a hole sponsor, keep $250, so 32 hole sponsors = $8,000, or about $6,500 after about $1,500 of costs. That’s about the typical result.

Using the figures on this page. Your prices and costs will differ.

Where the money figure comes from

A Morrinsville charity Ambrose day raised $6,500 for junior golf (Rural Support Waikato post). Low and high are estimates.

Last checked October 2026. Ran this? Tell us what you raised and we’ll use real results to improve the figures.

Step by step

Book the course and agree a per-player rate and minimum field.
Sell hole sponsorships to businesses.
Sell team entries.
Collect prizes and auction items.
Plan on-course activities and the prize-giving.
Run the day with a starter and scorers.
Run the auction at the prize-giving.
Thank sponsors with signage and a post-event report.

Getting the word out

Even a well-run plan fails if nobody hears about it. There are two asks, and the first one goes out first.

Ask for help: Helpers for the day or night, and local businesses for prizes.
Ask people to buy: People to book tickets or tables, and turn up.
When to start: Ask for helpers first, as soon as the date is set. Start the public ask about 6–8 weeks out, and book newsletter and paper notices before that: small newsletters close early.

Where to put it

School, club and church newslettersYour own newsletter is free and read by the families most likely to say yes. Check when it closes.
Local Facebook pages and community groupsPost in your town’s community page and local groups (check their rules), and share from your group’s own page.
Facebook events and what’s-on listingsMake a Facebook event people can say they’re going to, and list it on your council’s or town’s what’s-on page.
Community newsletters and magazinesResidents’ newsletters, village magazines and other churches’ bulletins often run community notices free. Small ones close early.
Other groups sharing itAsk the school, kindy, church, sports club or marae down the road to share it in their newsletter or page. Offer to share theirs back.

The full guide to getting the word out: every channel from flyers to the evening news, with lead times and costs.

What you’ll need

Place: NeededA business’s site (shop front, store BBQ)
Landowner’s permission: NeededYes, in writing
Council permit: Not needed
Food rules: Not neededNo food sold
Alcohol: CheckUse a licensed venue and confirm its licence covers your event. A club licence usually covers members and guests only
Gambling rules: NeededClass 2: prizes up to $5,000 and all tickets printed worth up to $25,000. Run by a club or society, with the money going to community or charitable purposes. Prizes at least 20% of ticket value; sold in person only, every ticket numbered (our rule: on paper). Prizes over $5,000 need a Class 3 licence
Health and safety: CheckA simple risk check and briefing
First aid: NeededA first aider and kit on site (recommended)
Insurance: CheckCheck your cover

The golf club's licence covers the bar. Paid on-course games with a chance element may be gambling or a prize competition; check DIA rules. Hole-in-one prizes are usually insured.

Make more from it

Hole sponsors
often $250-1,000 per hole (estimate)
18 sponsorship slots on one day
Live auction of 3-5 strong lots
often $2,000-15,000 at a well-heeled dinner (estimate)
a good auctioneer turns competition between tables into money
Raffle on the night
often $300-1,500 (estimate)
the crowd is already there with cash or cards out
Silent auction of donated items
often $1,000-5,000 at a 100-person event (estimate)
guests browse between courses or acts

Stack it: on its own, about $6,500. With the 4 priced add-ons above, roughly

$19,500est.

What you can get donated

Hole sponsorship from businesses, prizes, carts, on-course food.

Tips

Hole sponsors are often more profitable than entries.
Run the auction at prize-giving, when everyone is seated (auctions need an audience).

Watch out for

A short field below the course minimum.
Prize-giving that runs too long.

Also pairs with: Prize-giving dinner with live auction, Longest-drive and hole-in-one games

Free tools for this

Sponsorship ask letterLine up hole or table sponsors with an honest letter and a log of who you’ve asked.
Event budget and break-evenCheck the per-player course rate against entry fees and hole sponsors.
Cash float and takings counterDoor and food-stall cash, counted in pairs and banked the next day.
Event run sheetOne timed plan for set-up, the event and pack-down.
Checklist for any ideaBefore, on the day and after, built from this idea’s own steps and rules.

Typical rules

Alcohol: at a licensed restaurant, hotel or club bar the venue's own licence normally covers the bar; confirm with the venue before planning BYO or your own bar.
On-course games where people pay for a chance at a prize (e.g. hole-in-one insurance, putting competitions with a draw) may be gambling or a prize competition; check DIA prize competition rules.
Raffle on the night: a lottery under the Gambling Act 2003. No licence if total prizes are $5,000 or less and turnover is $25,000 or less (Class 1: both $500 or less; Class 2: run by a society). Alcohol, tobacco, firearms and some other items are illegal prizes, so no wine hampers as raffle prizes.

Check the details

Sources

Researched October 2026. All fundraising ideas

* General fundraising information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Money figures are examples and estimates, not promises. Check current official requirements before you commit. About this guide