Last Updated on March 8, 2024 by Britt Olizarowicz
Are you looking for a unique theme for your next ladies’ golf tournament? You are in the right place. As a former golf professional and membership director at a country club, I’ve hosted, planned, and organized many ladies’ golf tournaments. The best ladies’ golf tournament themes will ensure that the event is enjoyed and discussed for years. I’ll give you one word of caution here: don’t over complicate your selection. Women love a fun yet simple tournament with all the right decorations and additions to the day.
Top 25 Ladies Golf Tournament Themes and Ideas
This list of the best ladies’ golf tournament themes and ideas are events that I have seen held at a golf club or neighboring course. Remember that regardless of the event’s theme, you want to provide an excellent golf experience for everyone involved.
- Disco Divas
- Back to the ’80s
- African Safari Adventure
- Rainbow Rally
- Wizard of Oz Wonders
- Hollywood Glamour
- Tropical Paradise
- Roaring ’20s
- Wild West Showdown
- Casino Royale
- Under the Sea
- Garden Party
- Mardi Gras Madness
- Hawaiian Luau
- Carnival Chaos
- Ice Queen Winter Wonderland
- Around the World
- Real Housewives
- Country Club Classic
- Gatsby Gala
- Masquerade Ball
- Polka Dot Party
- Beach Bash
- Stars and Stripes (Patriotic)
- Black and White Ball
Tips To Pick a Winning Ladies Golf Tournament Theme
Whether you sit on the tournament committee or are a professional trying to impress for your next women’s golf day, here are the things to consider before picking a tournament theme.
Think About Choosing a Time Period
If you aren’t sold on a Wester theme or a tea party event, you may want to consider choosing a time period. Something like the 60s, 70s, or even 80s can work quite well and bring creativity to your day. The tournament participants can decide how far they want to take their team outfits.
Make Sure To Tie Into Golf and Dining
It’s really fun to come up with an excellent idea for a golf tournament theme, but you have to make sure that you can also tie this into golf and dining. Think about everything from tee prizes to hole sponsors to centerpieces for the middle of the table.
You must have it all if you want the day to be memorable. Also, let’s not forget that the tournament format is essential and has to be both fair and fun.
The Dress Code Still Matters
Many golf courses and country clubs have a dress code. If you choose to do a Western theme and have all golfers wear cowboy boots, it won’t work with the golf course superintendent.
Don’t do it.
Make sure that your golf event theme still works and allows players to have a great round of golf in addition to having fun.
Know Your Crowd
I’ve seen what I thought were some of the most ridiculous themed events, which are some of the favorites of the members of a club. Why? The event organizers knew their clientele and made sure to appeal and cater to them.
The bottom line is that if you want fun ideas, you can find them, but if you want your field to think it’s fun, you better know them.
Best Tournament Formats for Ladies Golf Events
Once you have a theme in place, it’s time to make sure that the tournament format is a good fit. Some of the old golf tournament formats, like a simple scramble, are easy and will help increase the pace of tournament play. However, choosing a fun format can be a great way to make a lady’s golf tournament or event more memorable. Here are a few of the formats I would recommend considering.
Colored Ball Tournament
Each team is given a colored golf ball (usually a pink one) that rotates among team members in a defined order.
The team’s score on each hole is the sum of the best score plus the pink ball player’s score. If the pink ball is lost, the team is penalized.
Pressure is on when the pink ball is in play, but the fact that you still need one more low score on each hole makes this a fun team event.
String Tournament
The string format will make you wish you had a string with you each time you go to play.
Each player is given a length of string, which they can use to improve bad lies.
The string can be cut and used throughout the round to “move” the ball without counting as a stroke (e.g., out of a bunker or to the hole). The trick here is to make sure you only use the string when you need it the most. Save it to the end to get the ball in the hole real quickly!
Mystery Nine (or Hidden Holes)
Does the 9th hole always get you? How about the 13th? When you play the Mystery Nine format, you will never know which golf holes count toward your final score. This is a perfect opportunity for players to get their minds off the game and focus on hitting great shots.
My favorite part of the mystery nine-hole event is the excitement at the scoreboard.
Regardless of skill levels and player ability, everyone walks to the scoreboard without knowing where they stand.
Step Aside Scramble
The step aside scramble can be a good choice if you want something other than a traditional scramble or best balls. After each shot, the player whose ball is selected steps aside for the next stroke, not playing that shot. This rotates until the ball is holed. The great thing about the step aside scramble is that everyone has to participate and contribute.
There is typically a gross and net division, so even teams with higher handicaps are able to compete.
Step aside, scrambles generally take a little longer than traditional scrambles because there are times when golfers will have no choice but to take a shot from a less than ideal location.
Do Ladies Member Guest Tournaments Need a Theme?
A golf club I worked at didn’t do a theme for their ladies’ member guest for one year. They kept it simple, made it a classic golf day, and chose delicious food.
People liked the event, their guests were happy, and nobody complained that there wasn’t a red carpet or cowboy hats.
The decision to have a theme for your ladies’ member guest should come down to the members of the ladies’ group and what their guests will enjoy the most.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you now have some themes to make your next event memorable. Try to look at the club’s history and what events were held in the last 5-10 years. Doing something unique is an excellent way to engage new golfers and to keep current ones happy. In the end, please take my suggestion to make sure you choose an excellent golf format so that the competition is not an afterthought.
