Start with Your Venue's Timeline
Every golf event schedule starts with what the course gives you. Get confirmation on your tee time or shotgun start, your last tee time, and when the course needs the course back. Work backwards from there.
A standard 18-hole shotgun tournament takes approximately 4.5 to 5 hours of play. Add time for check-in, a putting contest or range warm-up, and the post-round awards ceremony.
A Sample Day-of Timeline
- 7:30am. Venue access begins. Sponsors set up hole signage, committee sets up registration
- 8:30am. Check-in opens. Players arrive, receive pairings and scorecards
- 9:30am. Shotgun start
- 2:00pm. Last groups finish
- 2:30pm. Lunch or cocktail hour begins
- 3:30pm. Awards ceremony, raffle, announcements
- 4:30pm. Event concludes
Adjust based on your start time and format. Morning shotguns are the most common for charity and corporate events.
Build Buffer Time in Three Places
Most schedules run late. Build buffer into check-in (players always arrive in clusters), the transition from golf to the awards area, and the awards ceremony itself.
15 minutes of buffer in each of those three spots prevents a 30-minute delay from becoming a 90-minute one.
Communicate the Schedule to Players
Send a day-of schedule in your pre-event email at least 48 hours before the tournament. Players who know when to arrive and what to expect have a better experience and cause fewer delays at check-in.
Assign Someone to Watch the Clock
Designate one committee member whose only job during the event is keeping things on schedule. They track pace of play, coordinate with course marshals, and give the emcee time cues during the awards ceremony.
