How to build golf tournament sponsorship packages and tiers

A golf tournament sponsorship package is a set of placements and access sold at one price. Golf tournament sponsorship packages stack in tiers, from a low-cost supporter level, through hole sponsors and feature sponsors, up to a single title sponsor. Each tier adds something the tier below it can’t buy.

Three weeks before an outing, your pro shop phone rings. It’s the owner of a local car dealership. He has the sponsor sheet in front of him and one question: “What does Gold get me?” The sheet lists a price next to the word "Gold" and no other information. The committee chair isn't sure. Neither are you. The dealer buys a hole sponsorship instead, and the event misses out on the extra money a Gold sponsorship would have brought in.

A sponsor decides what to buy based on what each package includes, so every tier on the sheet needs to spell this out.

What sponsorship tiers should a golf tournament offer?

Four tiers give a golf tournament a level for every size of sponsor: one title sponsor, a feature sponsor for each standout asset, a sponsor for each sellable hole and a supporter level. Each one fits a different kind of sponsor, from a business that wants its name on the whole event to one that wants to show support without a big commitment.

Set the hole sponsorship price first. Feature and title sponsorships are priced above it, and the supporter level below it. For what to charge at the hole level, start with how to price hole sponsorships. Once that’s set, your next step is to decide what goes in each tier’s package.

What goes in each sponsorship package?

Each tier’s package should include everything in the tier below it, plus at least one thing the lower tier can’t buy. A logo can appear in many places, so the package has to say which logo locations are available for each tier. Access matters too: foursomes, dinner seats and time at the microphone are worth as much to some sponsors as logo placement.

Start with the list of every place the sponsor’s logo appears, then assign each placement to a tier:

• Title sponsor. The event name, a speaking slot at the awards, the header of the live leaderboard and every email before and after the round.
• Feature sponsor. The asset itself, such as the beverage cart or the closest-to-the-pin hole, plus the moment players stop there.
• Hole sponsor. A hole package at one of three levels: sign, sign and mentions, sign and presence.
• Supporter. A name on the sponsor board at check-in and on the event page.

Then add the access items: included foursomes, seats at dinner and recognition at the awards. Give the larger access items to the top two tiers.

How should the tiers compare in price?

Each tier should cost more than the one below it. Price each tier by how much visibility and access it adds over the tier below it. A feature sponsorship costs more than a hole because an event has just one beverage cart, one lunch and one closest-to-the-pin contest to sell. The title sponsorship costs the most because no other tier puts a sponsor’s name on the whole event.

How many sponsors should you sell at each level?

Sell one title sponsor, one sponsor per feature asset and one sponsor per sellable hole. Cap every sponsorship tier except the supporter level. The caps give the higher tiers their value, because a sponsor at the top is paying to be the only one there.

A second title sponsor takes away the one thing the first one paid for: being the only name on the event. Two sponsors on one beverage cart turn a feature into a shared sign. When a tier sells out, offer the next sponsor the tier below it or a spot at next year’s event. Don’t add a second sponsor to a tier that’s already sold.

Should sponsorship tiers be named Gold, Silver and Bronze?

Consider naming each sponsorship tier after what it includes instead of a metal. "Beverage cart sponsor" tells a business owner what they're buying before they read the details.

Asset names also help the committee. A sold-out beverage cart is easy to track. A sold-out “Silver” level could take a spreadsheet to explain.

The takeaway

A sponsor sheet should read like a menu of things a sponsor can see. Set the hole price first, give each tier something the one below it doesn’t have and cap every tier except the supporter level. When a sponsor asks what Gold gets them, the answer should already be on the sheet.

Beyond the sponsor sheet

Once your sponsor sheet is set, the rest of the outing still has to run. Golf Genius Tournament Management is built for the pros and committees who run golf tournaments.