Best Pro Golf Gambling Stories

1. Best Pro Golf Gambling Stories For Beginners
2. Best Pro Golf Gambling Stories Games
3. Best Pro Golf Gambling Stories 2019
4. Best Pro Golf Gambling Stories Videos

If the participant hits the ball closer than the pro, then they win the bet and is paid double. If the pro wins the bet, the money will go to the nonprofit. Additionally, see if your pro is free to offer a few lessons! Golf pointers are one of the most reliably effective charity auction item ideas.

• Pictured at Prestwick around 1860. Hulton Archive/Getty Images. Old Tom Morris is an iconic figure in the history of golf, a great professional golfer, golf's first professional greenskeeper, a course designer and club builder.
• Golfing and losing. The former San Diego Sports Arena manager Richard Esquinas was actually inspired by his royal Airness as most of us were, but for many different reasons, as he talked about Jordan’s gambling problem in his best-selling book, stating that the greatest player in basketball history actually owed him almost 1.3 million dollars after 10 days of golfing together, although MJ.

Golf outings are a great way to raise money. And let’s face it — they’re fun, too! Take your event to the next level by adding some new golf outing games to the mix.

Remember that not all of your players will want to participate in all of your games. Some foursomes would rather play a leisurely game on the course, while some will want to try their hand at every game you offer. Everyone, though, should be interested in your innovative mobile fundraising and bidding software!

We’ll cover seven of the most popular charity golf outing games:

To ensure you can plan for the right amount of materials and staff to pull off the charity golf outing games your donors are excited about, include registration for these games in your registration form.

You’ll need a registration solution that allows guests to register for different ticketing packages and add extras at check-in, like event fundraising software by OneCause!

1. Pink Ball

This popular golf tournament fundraising idea works great for best ball golf outings. Each team begins to play using a pink ball, which is rotated between players for each hole. During the rotation of the pink ball, the score of the golfer with the pink ball is recorded.

Any team that loses the ball is eliminated. If more than one team manages not to lose the ball, then the winner is decided by the teams’ scores for the pink ball.

2. Longest Drive with a Marshmallow

Designate one hole as the “marshmallow hole.” Then, station a volunteer at that hole to give each golfer their marshmallow. Whichever golfer can hit their marshmallow the farthest wins a small prize!

This game allows your golfers to have a little lighthearted fun and gives them the potential to win a great prize in one fell swoop!

The best prizes for golf outing games are related to the game and to your organization! Think about branded golf shirts, golf balls, and towels as well as intangible prizes such as prime parking or complimentary caddie services at your next golf tournament.

If you want to get the biggest bang for your buck, consider asking sponsors to pitch in for prizes as part of their sponsorship package.

They might be interested in including their own logo alongside yours on the items themselves as well as on your online event materials. To keep track of your sponsorship offerings, manage sponsorships with event fundraising software by OneCause.

3. Closest to the Pin

Test your golfers’ skills on a par 3 with a contest called “Closest to the Pin.” Whichever golfer can put their ball on the green closest to the hole wins.

In order to show the current leader, use a creative contest marker that ties into your organization or theme.

You can incorporate this game into your charity golf tournament in two ways: as one of the holes in a traditional 18-hole tournament or as a standalone event.

Closest to the Pin pairs well with an online charity auction, a popular companion to a charity golf tournament.

Only one golfer can take a shot to the green a the time, so give the other players something to do while they wait for their turn! Mobile bidding with BidPal Mobile Bidding by OneCause is a perfect way to spend that time.

4. Beat the Pro

This charity golf outing game takes a bit more planning. You’ll need to coordinate with the gold club or course you’re partnering with to station a local pro at one of the holes.

Your golfers will place bets with the pro that they can hit the ball closer to the pin, depending on the par. If the participant hits the ball closer than the pro, then they win the bet and is paid double. If the pro wins the bet, the money will go to the nonprofit.

Additionally, see if your pro is free to offer a few lessons! Golf pointers are one of the most reliably effective charity auction item ideas.

If your golfers actually beat the pro, they’ll want to share the news! Make sure your event software integrates with social media so golfers can easily share their success with friends and family — and spread the news of your nonprofit in the process.

5. Hire-a-Pro

Hire-a-Pro is another game that you can play if you have a pro golfer at your event.

Here’s how it works: you’ll station your golf pro (ideally, one who’s particularly strong at hitting long drives) at the longest and toughest hole on the golf course. Once a team gets to the hole where the pro is stationed, they can pay the pro a set amount (we recommend $10-$40 per swing) to make the shot for them.

This game requires you to quickly accept donations at tee-off, so make sure you have a mobile-optimized event fundraising software.

Some teams will naturally opt out, but in the heat of the competition, we’re willing to bet that this will be an opportunity many teams can’t refuse! In any case, Hire-a-Pro is a fun way to add a competitive edge to your event, all while raising a little more money for your cause.

6. Hole of Fortune

Give your charity golf outing some off-the-wall flair by incorporating a game of Wheel of Fortune.

Near one of your holes, you can place a wheel sporting different instructions, some advantages (automatic hole-in-one, starting closer to an important hole, etc.) and some embarrassing tasks (take your next swing blindfolded, do a silly dance before your next hit, etc.).

As you can imagine, this idea has the potential to be a riot!

If you want, you can have golfers make donations to spin the wheel to incorporate additional fundraising opportunities your event.

7. Frisbee Golf

If you want to make your golf outing really unorthodox, try using a frisbee! The basic gist is the same, except your “golfers” will be throwing a frisbee instead of hitting golf balls. You might have to alter the format of the game some, but it’s pretty easy to change it up while leaving the overall feel of the game intact.

Because your participants don’t have to be golfers to play, you can expand your marketing techniques if you decide to go with a frisbee golf tournament!

Encourage donors to bring their children for a more laid-back version of the traditional charity golf outing, then ensure your online registration solution can record seating requests to keep families together on the course and in the clubhouse.

With the right software and a little creativity on your side, these golf outing games are sure to bring in unprecedented revenue to your charity golf tournament!

For more on fundraising with golf, check out these resources:

• Golf Tournament Fundraiser Ideas that Drive Revenue. Need more golf fundraising ideas? Check out our list of the 18 most popular (and profitable!) charity golf tournament ideas for nonprofits!
• How to Run a Charity Golf Tournament. Ready to put on your first charity golf tournament? You can’t go wrong when you use our free golf tournament checklist!
• Chinese Auctions and Penny Socials: 10 Steps to Success. Try incorporating a fun raffle-style fundraising event into your golf outings. These events are engaging and easier to organize than a full auction.

Gambling is intricate to the game of golf. So much so that the USGA in its amateur status rules actually differentiates between winning prize money and winning dollars in gambling – with the former costing a player his/her amateurism and the latter generally not.

With the PGA Tour in Las Vegas this week for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, Golfweek took a look into gambling in golf. What are the best and funniest stories out there involving wagering on the game? Whether the events happened in reality or fiction, we compiled some of the most compelling tales of gambling in golf.

• • •

Ryder Cup heckler makes putt for $100

We’ll start out with a recent one. While this may not have been the highest stakes bet in terms of cash thrown down, it is in terms of the stage.

As you likely recall, an American fan named David Johnson was heckling European players for missing the same putt over and over during a practice round at the 2016 Ryder Cup. The Euros somehow heard him and called him out from the crowd to prove that he could make the putt himself.

The man obliged and Justin Rose put down $100 for Johnson to win if he could sink it. Turns out the Englishman underestimated the fan, as Johnson calmly buried the putt in front of several thousand to earn $100.

Has the @rydercup started already??pic.twitter.com/s6EImcbnZv

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) September 29, 2016

Note to Rosie: If you can’t win this bet, it’s probably best you stay away from the slots.

Best Pro Golf Gambling Stories For Beginners

Phil Mickelson’s Tin Cup story

Phil Mickelson was one of the pros to make an appearance in “Tin Cup,” a movie about the unlikely quest that leads fictional driving range pro Roy McAvoy to nearly win the U.S. Open.

Lefty didn’t have a prominent role in the flick, but that didn’t stop the short game master from performing an unbelievable trick shot and taking some cash for it in the most hilarious way.

Cheech Marin, who played McAvoy’s caddie Romeo in the film, offers the tale:

“There was this really tall pine tree, and someone said to Phil Mickelson, ‘I bet you can’t put your shoulder against the tree, drop a ball and hit it over the tree.’ ” Marin told Golf.com. “The shot basically had to go straight up. Everybody threw in a hundred bucks. I think there was $1,200 in the pot. And he did it! When the ball was still in the air, Mickelson bent over, picked up the money, and put it in his pocket.”

Oh, Phil!

Phil Mickelson tricks Nick Watney into bigger payout

Mickelson’s known for being an extremely eager gambler on the course, so we had to post a second Phil story here. And this one may be even funnier.

It comes courtesy of Nick Watney, an apparent victim of Mickelson’s penchant for practice-round money games. In 2010, Watney joined Mickelson and Dustin Johnson for a practice round at the British Open and agreed to a $1,000 bet due to “peer pressure.”

Well, Watney would lose and that’s where things really got interesting.

The recounting from Shane Ryan’s ESPN The Magazinestory:

“On the 18th green, Watney counted out $1,000 and handed it over with a word of congratulations. Mickelson grabbed the stack of cash, gave it a quick glance and handed it right back. ‘This is Britain,’ he told Watney. ‘I need pounds.’

Watney stared at him, hoping it was a joke. It wasn’t. He had no choice but to pay Mickelson $1,700 to satisfy the currency exchange. ‘They’ve asked me to play again,’ Watney says with a slight smile. ‘And now I just say ‘f— you’ and walk away.’ ”

Titanic Thompson… pick a story

One of the most famous gamblers of the 20th century, Titanic Thompson was also a golfer that Byron Nelson believed was good enough to make it on the PGA Tour if he wished. Needless to say, plenty of his high-stakes betting dealt with golf.

As Kevin Cook chronicled in Titanic Thompson: The Man Who Bet on Everything, there’s a number of startling tales on Thompson golf betting.

One time a teenage caddie tried to rob Thompson at gunpoint hours after a money match. On another occasion, Thompson had one of his men tamper with the cups with a pocket knife to throw an opponent off. Then there was the ingenious instance he magnetized a few cups and then bought balls with steel cores. In the ensuing match, the trick meant Thompson’s golf ball sucking right into the hole.

Oh and don’t forget the time he doubled down tens of thousands on Raymond Floyd in a series of big-money matches against Lee Trevino even though Thompson couldn’t cover the money if Floyd lost. Floyd won on the final hole.

What it must have felt to be Titanic Thompson.

“Gambling is illegal at Bushwood, and I never slice.”

There are so many iconic scenes from “Caddyshack,” but this has to be right up there.

Throughout the movie, we see the brash Al Czervik and stodgy Judge Smails clash but maybe never more so than in this clip. Czervik taunts the slow-playing Smails on a tee at Bushwood Country Club and tries to goad him into a bet. Smails doesn’t exactly submit to the gambling, but you could say he gets rattled. “DAMN!”

And then later on…

Then when he actually gives in and plays a match for money, he loses $80,000 on a fluke final putt. Poor Smails 🙁

Best Pro Golf Gambling Stories Games

Tin Cup 7-iron bet

We go to the realm of movies again (and back to Tin Cup) to find some of the best golf betting stories.

Best Pro Golf Gambling Stories 2019

This one may be the most elegant of all due to its simplicity. McAvoy, fresh off qualifying for the U.S. Open by parring out with just a 7-iron over his final nine holes, is feeling just a bit cockier than usual (which is saying something for him).

Best Pro Golf Gambling Stories Videos

Nothing like getting knocked down a peg by getting beat by your fiercest rival with your own club. An emboldened McAvoy challenges his greatest foe (and the movie’s villain) David Simms, a fictional rising star on the PGA Tour, to a bet with McAvoy’s trusty 7-iron. At first reluctant, Simms is goaded in by McAvoy, and teaches the upstart a lesson.

With McAvoy’s car versus $1,000 from Simms on the line in a bet for who can hit McAvoy’s 7-iron farther, Simms promptly outsmarts the driving range pro and walks away with maybe the most satisfying victory in golf gambling history.