organiser · 16 July 2026 · By Simon Berriman, Founder of Caddie Live

Golf Day Prize Ideas and On-Course Games

Prizes are what turn eighteen holes into a competition. They give players lower down the leaderboard something to chase, the winners something worth remembering, and the whole field a reason to stay for the prize-giving rather than slip off to the car park. And here's the thing most organisers eventually learn: for the vast majority of players, the recognition matters far more than the value. A £15 club voucher and a moment in front of the room beats an expensive gift handed over quietly.

This guide covers what to award, the on-course games worth running, what to actually give, and how to hand it all out smoothly. It's a companion to our complete guide to organising a golf society day.

Main competition prizes

Start with the core awards for the day's format (see our guide to golf day formats if you're still deciding). A sensible structure:

1st, 2nd and 3rd in the main competition — the backbone of any prize table. Best gross as well as best net, if your field has some good players — otherwise the low handicappers rarely feature on a net leaderboard. Best back nine (or front nine) — a cheap, clever extra that keeps people who've had a rough front nine still trying, and spreads the prizes around. Team prize if you're running a team competition alongside the individual one. Guest / visitor prize on a corporate day, so a client can win something.

A good rule: don't let one player sweep everything. Many societies apply a "one main prize per player" rule so the winnings spread across more of the field — it feels fairer and more people go home happy.

Set the prize rules before play

Decide in advance who is eligible for each prize, and publish the rules before the first group tees off. Questions worth settling:

Can one player win both the gross and net prizes? Are guests eligible for the main competition? Can players without an official handicap win a net prize? Does a countback decide ties, and by what method? Does the "one main prize per player" rule apply?

For score-based prizes in particular, decide the tie-break in advance. Most golf days use countback — typically the best back nine, then the last six, last three, and finally the 18th — but state the exact approach before play. Clear rules prevent awkward conversations at the prize table.

On-course contests

These are the staples that add fun and a bit of needle to the round, awarded on specific holes:

• Nearest the pin on the par 3s — a marker by the green shows the distance to beat.
• Nearest the pin in two on a short par 4 or reachable par 5 — a good variation that rewards both the drive and the approach.
• Longest drive on a chosen wide, straight hole — run one overall prize or separate categories that make sense for your field. The ball normally needs to finish on the fairway to count.
• Straightest drive — a nice equaliser: nearest to a line down the middle of the fairway, which rewards accuracy over power. Longest putt holed on a nominated green.

Pick two or three; you don't need one on every hole. Mark them clearly on the tee or green so players know a contest is live, and decide in advance how ties are settled.

Novelty and fun prizes

A few light-hearted awards keep the mood right and get the biggest laughs at the prize-giving:

The wooden spoon for last place — worn as a badge of honour. Best-dressed / best team name on themed or corporate days. "Beat the organiser" — anyone who beats the organiser's score wins a small prize, while the organiser gets the bragging rights if nobody manages it.

Keep these cheap and cheerful; the joke is the point.

Fundraising games (for charity days)

If you're raising money, several of these double as revenue: mulligans (buy a do-over), beat the pro, and an insured hole-in-one prize all bring money in while adding to the fun. We cover these in full in the charity golf day guide.

What to actually give

The prizes themselves don't need to be lavish — they need to be things golfers actually want:

• Pro-shop or golf-club vouchers — the safe favourite; nearly everyone would rather choose their own gear.
• Quality golf kit — a dozen premium balls, a decent glove, a good umbrella, a rangefinder for a top prize.
• Experiences — a fourball at a nice course, a lesson with the pro, green fees somewhere special.
• A trophy, medal or engraved keepsake for the winner — cheap to produce, and the thing people actually treasure.

Avoid branded tat that ends up in a drawer. And for charity days, ask local businesses and the club to donate prizes rather than buying them — it's often easier than you'd think and keeps costs off the cause.

Planning the day?

Set up your event, add your players and organise the groups in a few minutes. [Create your golf day free →]

Match the prize table to the size of the field

A 20-player society day doesn't need fifteen awards, while a 100-player charity event may need more than just 1st, 2nd and 3rd. As a rough principle: keep the main prizes meaningful, and add only enough side competitions to hold interest — without turning the prize-giving into a roll call.

Presenting the prizes

The prize-giving should be the emotional high point of the day — don't let it fizzle. A few pointers:

Do it after the meal, with everyone in the room and a drink in hand — not in the car park while people are itching to leave.

Build up: hand out the on-course contest prizes and novelty awards first, then the main competition from 3rd up to the winner.

Say a few words — thank the venue, the sponsors, and anyone who helped. It takes two minutes and means a lot. Get a photo of the winners; it's the content that reminds everyone what a good day it was.

The one thing that reliably ruins a prize-giving is not knowing the results — standing at the front cross-checking cards while the room waits.

Keep track of it all without the maths

The more prize categories you add — main competition, best gross, best nine, team prize, plus the contests — the more there is to work out, and the longer the room waits if you're doing it by hand. This is where live scoring pays off: with Caddie Live, scores go in from the course and the main leaderboard is calculated automatically for your chosen format, so when the last group finishes you can read the placings straight off the standings and move through the prize-giving without a calculator or a queue. Keep a simple separate list of the nearest-the-pin, longest-drive and novelty winners, and the whole prize list will be ready to hand out while the room's still full.

Quick checklist

• Main prizes: 1st–3rd, best gross, best nine, team and guest prizes as needed
• Two or three on-course contests: nearest the pin, longest/straightest drive
• A novelty award or two for laughs (wooden spoon, best-dressed)
• Give things golfers want: vouchers, quality kit, experiences, a proper trophy
• For charity days, get prizes donated
• Present after the meal, build up to the winner, thank people, take a photo
• Have the results ready so the prize-giving flows

Get the prizes right and you spread the goodwill across the whole field — winners, back-markers and jokers alike — and send everyone home already looking forward to next year.