How Much Does Charity Golf Tournament Software Cost?

Charity golf tournament software ranges from $0 for the organizer to several thousand dollars a year, depending on the platform and pricing model. The right answer for your event depends on how many events you run per year, how many golfers you expect, and who you want to pay for the software: your organization, or each golfer as part of their registration.

There are three pricing models in this category: annual subscriptions, per-event fees, and per-golfer booking fees. Each has different implications for your budget planning, your cash flow, and what your golfers see at checkout.

Annual Subscription Pricing

Annual subscription platforms charge a fee per year regardless of how many events you run or how much you raise. The best-known example in golf is Golf Genius.

Golf Genius (annual licence, price not published): Golf Genius doesn't publish a pricing page we could verify, so we don't quote a price here. Ask Golf Genius for a quote. Some state golf associations give member clubs the basic tier for free, so if your event is run through a member club, ask about that first. The annual model makes sense if you're using the platform continuously — running leagues, multiple tournaments, ongoing handicap management. For a nonprofit running one charity golf event per year, that is a significant line item. You're paying for year-round access to features you're using for one month of actual planning and one day of execution.

Pros of annual subscriptions:

• Predictable cost you can budget for at the start of the fiscal year
• No surprise fees if your event performs better than expected
• Simpler accounting — it's a flat expense, not a variable

Cons of annual subscriptions:

• You pay the same whether your event raises $8,000 or $80,000
• If you run only one event per year, you're paying for 11 months of unused access
• The cost is due whether or not the event happens

Per-Event Pricing

Per-event platforms charge a fee for each event you run rather than an annual subscription. EventCaddy and BirdEase are two golf-specific examples.

EventCaddy (free, $299 or $999 per tournament, per its pricing page): The free tier covers a website, registration and marketing, but not mobile scoring or an auction. The $299 Pro tier adds mobile scoring and a leaderboard, an online store, online sponsor payments, donations and 500 texts. The $999 Elite tier adds analytics and a dedicated specialist. Players also pay a $4 fee per registration, and the auction (Pro and up) carries a 2.5% fee on auction purchases. There's no annual contract, which is attractive if you're not sure you'll use the platform every year.

BirdEase ($299 per event, per third-party listings): Third-party listings show a Standard tier at $299 per event and a Pro tier at $498 per event. We couldn't confirm these on BirdEase's own site, so ask them directly.

The issue with per-event fees is that they add up if you run more than one event. Two events on EventCaddy Pro cost $598 in tier fees before the auction percentage; two events on BirdEase Standard would cost $598 by the listed price.

Pros of per-event pricing:

• No annual commitment — you pay only when you run an event
• Easy to evaluate the platform on one event before committing
• Works well for one-off events or organizations that aren't sure about frequency

Cons of per-event pricing:

• Costs add up if you run multiple events per year
• Still a fixed fee regardless of event size — a 40-player event costs the same as a 140-player event at the same tier
• The fee is owed even if your event comes in small

Per-Golfer Booking Fee Pricing

Redswing uses a per-golfer booking fee. Redswing is free for organizers: each golfer pays a $5 booking fee when they register. There is no setup fee, no subscription, no minimum and no contract, and text messages are included.

How golfers see it: The $5 is shown inside the price, so a golfer sees "$180, includes $5 booking fee" rather than a surprise at checkout. If you'd rather your golfers see your base price, you can choose to cover the $5 yourself instead.

What Redswing takes from everything else: 0%. Redswing takes nothing from sponsorships, donations, auction or add-ons like mulligans.

Golfers you add by hand: If you add golfers yourself — people who paid by cash or check, comped players, or a list you import — they cost nothing. Redswing never sends you a bill.

What this means in practice: On a 100-player event where you set registration at $175, each golfer sees $180, including the $5 booking fee. Golfers pay $500 in booking fees in total, and your $17,500 in registration stays yours: $0 comes out of your revenue for Redswing unless you choose to cover the fee. If you do cover it, golfers see $175 and your share drops by $5 per golfer, or $500 for the event. If 12 of those golfers paid you by check and you added them by hand, those 12 cost nothing.

Card processing: Like every platform that takes card payments, there is a card processing cost. On Redswing it is charged by your organization's own payment account at the processor's standard rate, not by Redswing. Redswing's fee is set up so your organization never pays card fees on the $5 itself.

Refunds: If you refund a golfer, the $5 is refunded with them.

The $5 is not a donation. It is not tax-deductible.

Pros of a per-golfer booking fee:

• Nothing to pay before the event, and $0 from your revenue when golfers pay the fee
• You know the number in advance: $5 times your golfer count
• 0% on sponsorships, donations, auction and add-ons, so your biggest fundraising lines aren't touched
• You choose who pays it: golfers by default, or your organization

Cons of a per-golfer booking fee:

• Golfers pay $5 more than your base price (unless you cover it)
• If you cover the fee on a very large field, the cost grows with your golfer count, so compare $5 times your field size against a flat-fee tool
• Golfers you add by hand cost you $5 each, up to $299 per event

What's the Total Cost to Run a Charity Golf Tournament?

Software is one line item in a longer event budget. Here's a breakdown of typical ranges for a 100-player charity scramble. These are typical ranges, not quotes — costs vary a lot by region and venue, so get local quotes before you set your budget.

Venue and course fees (typical range): $3,500–$8,000. This typically includes cart fees and can include a food & beverage minimum.

Food and beverage (typical range): $3,000–$7,000 depending on menu, open bar, and whether the venue catering is all-inclusive or a la carte.

Prizes (typical range): $500–$2,000. Gross and net winners, longest drive, closest to pin. You can reduce this significantly with donated prizes from sponsors.

Hole-in-one insurance (typical range): $200–$600 for a $10,000 prize on one hole. Price varies by hole distance, prize amount, and insurance provider.

Printing (typical range): $100–$400. Scorecards, player packets, hole sponsor signs, directional signage.

Tee gifts (typical range): $500–$2,000 depending on whether you include hats, balls, bag tags, or branded apparel.

Software: Depends on the pricing model. On Redswing, $0 from your revenue when golfers pay the $5 booking fee ($500 if you choose to cover it for 100 golfers), plus $5 per hand-added golfer up to $299. On a per-event tool, the tier price for each event (for example $0, $299 or $999 on EventCaddy). On an annual tool, the yearly fee regardless of event size. Card processing applies on top with any platform that takes card payments.

Miscellaneous (volunteer expenses, signage, photography; typical range): $300–$800.

Estimated total event cost: roughly $8,000–$21,000 for a 100-player event before software, adding up the typical ranges above. To break even, your registration revenue alone (100 × $175 = $17,500, before card processing) should cover most of this. Everything from the auction, sponsors, and donations is your fundraising margin.

How Does "Cover Card Fees" Work?

Many payment platforms offer some version of a "cover the fee" option — a checkbox at checkout that asks people if they'd like to add a small amount to their payment to cover processing costs. GolfStatus, for example, lets organizers choose whether registrants must cover the fee, may cover it, or the organizer absorbs it.

On Redswing, the booking fee and card processing are two separate things:

• The $5 booking fee is already shown inside the golfer's price (unless you choose to cover it). There's nothing extra to opt into.
• "Cover card fees" will be an optional, unticked box at checkout once card payments open. It lets golfers, sponsors and donors add the card processing cost to their payment. That amount goes to your organization, not to Redswing.

The cover card fees box is never pre-checked. People have to choose to tick it. We think that's the only fair way to do it: nobody should have to notice and uncheck a box to avoid paying extra.

The amount someone adds by ticking the box is not tax-deductible, and we never describe it that way.

Which Pricing Model Is Best for Charity Golf?

The right pricing model depends on three variables: how many events you run per year, how many golfers you expect, and whether you need the specific features of a particular platform.

Annual subscription is better if:

• You run many events per year on the same platform, such as a club running a full season
• You need competitive features like handicap management and multi-round formats
• Your club can get the basic tier free through a state golf association

Per-event pricing is better if:

• You run one event per year and aren't sure you'll use the same platform again
• You want to test a platform on one event before committing
• A free tier covers everything you need (for example, registration without mobile scoring or an auction)

A per-golfer booking fee is better if:

• You run one or two annual events and don't want any upfront cost
• You'd rather the software cost be paid by golfers, shown plainly in the price, than come out of your budget
• Sponsorships, donations and the auction are a big part of your event, since Redswing takes 0% of them

For most nonprofits running one charity golf tournament per year, the question is simple: do you want to pay a fixed software fee out of your budget, or have each golfer pay $5 as part of their registration? On Redswing, if golfers pay the booking fee, your out-of-pocket software cost is $0, plus $5 for each golfer you add by hand, never more than $299 per event. Card processing applies on any platform that takes cards.

Competitor prices checked October 2026 from public listings; confirm with each vendor.