Do's and don’ts of the golf day prize table

It’s all gone swimmingly and now it’s time for the prizes. But have you got it right? Find out in our dos and don’ts of the golf day prize table…

When it comes to the prize table on golf days, obviously budget comes into it, but it doesn’t have to be expensive – it just needs a little thought. The pooled wisdom of the Golf Monthly staff suggests the following ‘dos and don’t of the golf day prize table...’

Trophies

A big win deserves a fittingly impressive trophy of some kind, not a nasty plastic golfer mounted on an MDF plinth with a skewiff engraved plaque glued to it. Spend a bit of time researching it and it is just as possible to get something relatively inexpensive that looks nice as it is to get something relatively expensive that looks naff!

As a general rule of thumb, if the other half snaffles it away never to be seen again the minute she sets eyes on it, you’ll know it wasn’t a winner.

Alcoholic beverages

Unless it's the Temperance Movement Golf Day, it’s pretty hard to go wrong with an alcoholic beverage of some sort. Obviously champagne is the pinnacle, but few golfers will be disappointed with a couple of bottles of wine, or a crate of beers if it’s a blokes’ weekend.

Golf balls

No golfer is ever going to spurn some nice gleaming white golf balls, especially if the budget runs to Titleist Pro V1s. But even if it doesn't, you need to remember that they’ve won a prize, so something decent please that they will actually use, and certainly not a 15-ball pack of yellow Donnays.

Vouchers

These are almost always good, whether for the local pro shop, a major High Street retailer, a fourball somewhere nice, or perhaps even an overnight stay or weekend break on bigger golf days. Just be a bit wary of a fourball voucher somewhere miles away where prohibitive travel costs mean it’s unlikely to ever get used, and therefore not really a prize!

A nice club memento

If you’re playing at a well-regarded course, some kind of logo’d memento will usually go down well. The beauty here is that it can range from something as inexpensive as a ballmarker right up to a top-notch waterproof jacket depending on your budget. Golfers like logos!

Something from the pro shop

What the pro would ideally like to get rid of and what the average golfer would most want are probably, by definition, two very different things. Few would begrudge the pro at least having a go at shifting old stock, as long as it’s on the understanding that it can be swapped for something else.

A locked pro shop by the time of the prize-giving can be hugely disappointing, especially for those who have travelled miles to play and are unlikely to be passing again any time soon.

Other tips

* Avoid items that are looked down on as golfing no nos by certain elements of the golf fraternity for various reasons – things like ball retrievers, golf ball monogrammers, putt returners and other staples of the non-golfer’s Christmas list for golfers!

* If you’re tempted to go a little off-piste with non-golfing items, just be aware that your view of what is nice may not tally with the views of others, and you do want people to go away happy rather than disappointed.

* A driver is rarely a sensible option for someone who has just won the Longest Drive!