Every golf day organiser hits the same question about six weeks out: what do we give the players? Get it right and your logo is on the course every weekend for years. Get it wrong and you've paid for a box of novelty tees that never leave the car park. This guide is for anyone running a corporate, charity or society golf day in the UK.
Quick answer: The golf day gifts players actually use are a branded golf polo or cap, a golf towel, and a few small consumables on the day such as tees and ball markers. Brand them with your company, charity or society logo plus the event name, order by confirmed headcount with a small buffer of sizes, and approve your proof at least three weeks before the day.
Start with who the golf day is for
The right gift depends on why the day exists:
- Corporate client days – the gift is part of the hospitality. Quality matters more than quantity, and a premium brand on the label says more than another branded pen.
- Charity golf days – budget is tight because every pound spent on gifts is a pound not raised. Sponsors often fund the shirts or prizes in return for a sleeve logo.
- Golf societies – the gift is really kit: a society shirt and cap the members will wear on every away day and tour.
- Staff and team days – a thank-you that also builds team identity. Something wearable beats something edible.
The golf day gift hierarchy: what gets used and what gets binned
Tier 1: wearables (the gift people remember)
A good golf polo is the single most-used golf day gift, because golfers need a fresh one every round. Pick a genuine performance shirt, such as a Nike Dri-FIT Victory polo or an Under Armour Golf polo, rather than a cotton workwear polo; golfers notice the difference immediately. Our personalised golf shirts page shows the full range and placement options. A cap is the low-cost alternative and photographs well when the whole field wears one.
Tier 2: course kit (useful, low cost per head)
A branded golf towel clips to every bag and gets seen on every hole. Tees, ball markers and pitch-mark repairers are cheap and genuinely used, so they work well in a goodie bag. Branded golf balls are popular too, though they're consumed quickly; budget for a sleeve rather than a dozen. CentralCustom supplies the textiles (shirts, caps, towels) – for printed balls and metal ball markers you'll need a specialist hard-goods supplier.
Tier 3: prizes (where premium belongs)
Nearest the pin, longest drive and the winning team deserve something better than the tee gift. A half-zip mid-layer or a full-zip jacket from the Under Armour Golf range makes a prize the winner will actually wear, and an embroidered logo turns it into a keepsake. For client prize tables, our luxury corporate gifts page has more premium ideas.
What usually gets binned
Novelty items with no use on the course, cheap umbrellas that break in the first gust, and anything with a logo so large nobody wants to be seen in it. Our guide to promotional merchandise for events covers the same principle beyond golf.
Set the budget per player first
Decide a per-head budget before you choose products, then split it. A typical split puts most of the budget into one wearable (usually the shirt), a small amount into course consumables, and a separate pot for prizes. If the budget can't stretch to a shirt for everyone, a quality cap plus a towel will be used more than a cheap shirt.
For corporate days where players are clients, UK tax treatment of business gifts has its own rules, including a per-recipient limit and a requirement for the gift to carry your branding. Our guide to corporate gifts for clients explains the basics in plain English; as ever, confirm the detail with your accountant.
Branding: what to put where
- Left chest: the host's logo – your company, charity or society badge.
- Sleeve: the event name and year, or a headline sponsor.
- Cap front: the same logo as the chest, kept simple so it reads from a distance.
- Towel: a single logo near the hem, where it shows when the towel hangs from the bag.
Keep it restrained. Golfers will happily wear a neat chest logo to their own club; they won't wear a shirt covered in sponsor logos. For charity golf days, put sponsors on the sleeve and get written approval from each sponsor before you send artwork. Vector files (AI, EPS or PDF) give the cleanest embroidery. Our charity merchandise page has more on sponsor-funded kit.
Sizes and quantities
Sizing is where golf day merchandise goes wrong most often. Three habits fix it:
- Collect sizes at registration. Add a shirt size field to the entry form so you aren't chasing 80 people by email.
- Offer a women's fit. Mixed fields are now common, and a men's small is not a women's polo.
- Order a small buffer. A couple of spare shirts in the most common sizes covers late entries and swaps on the day.
For spring and autumn golf days, consider a long-sleeve polo or a half-zip instead of a short-sleeve shirt; in a cold April round, it's the layer everyone reaches for.
A working-backwards timeline
- Six weeks before: confirm the format, headcount estimate and budget per player.
- Five weeks before: choose garments and send your logo for a quote.
- Four weeks before: close shirt sizes on the entry form and review your free digital proof.
- At least three weeks before: approve the proof. Orders are typically dispatched 7–14 working days after approval.
- The week of the event: check the delivery against your size list and pack the goodie bags.
Running several events a year? Your logo setup is kept on file, so the second golf day is quicker to order than the first.
Golf day merchandise checklist
- Player shirt or cap with your logo (and names, if you want them)
- Golf towel
- Tees, ball markers and pitch-mark repairers
- Prizes: nearest the pin, longest drive, winning team
- Staff or volunteer shirts so marshals are easy to spot
- Sponsor logo approvals and vector artwork
- Size list from registration, plus a small buffer
FAQs
What do you give players at a golf day?
Most organisers give a branded golf polo or cap as the main gift, a golf towel or a few tees and ball markers in a goodie bag, and better items such as a half-zip as competition prizes.
What do golfers actually want as gifts?
Things they'll use on the course: a good-quality performance polo, a cap, a towel or balls. Recognised brands such as Nike and Under Armour are valued far more than unbranded alternatives.
What is a good small gift for golfers?
A golf towel, a branded cap or a set of ball markers. They're inexpensive per head and they get used every round.
Is there a minimum order for branded golf shirts?
Not with CentralCustom. There's no minimum order, so you can brand shirts for a four-ball or a full field. Request a quote and we'll reply within one working day.
