A golf tournament hands out more awards per player than almost any other event. Overall champion, flight winners, longest drive, closest to the pin, low net, low gross, best-dressed foursome. Each one needs a trophy that fits the tone of the event, which ranges from a members-only club championship to a charity scramble where half the field is there for the beer cart. This guide covers the golf trophy formats that work for each award, how to tier them, what to engrave, and where to order so the awards are on the table before the last group finishes.
Golf trophy formats
Crystal golf awards
Crystal is the premium format and the one most club championships and corporate outings use for the top honors. Crystal golf balls, golf spires, and golfer silhouettes on crystal bases all read as serious recognition and photograph well at the awards dinner. Viking Awards carries the 10 3/4″ clear crystal golf ball on a facet column, the 10 1/4″ crystal 3D golf spire, the taller 11 1/2″ crystal 3D golf spire, and the 10″ silver golfer silhouette on a crystal golf ball base, with a 12″ silhouette version for the overall champion. The crystal engraving guide explains how these pieces are personalized.
Metal cup trophies
The traditional format for club championships and perpetual trophies. A cup on a tiered base with a plate for each year’s champion is the piece that hangs in the clubhouse. The 11 1/2″ gold completed metal cup and the 15″ silver and gold completed cup suit overall champion and perpetual use. The metal cup trophies buyer’s guide covers the families and perpetual bases.
Golf-specific awards
Sun ray awards, resin golfers, and sculpted pieces designed for golf give flight winners and specialty awards a sport-specific look at a moderate price. The 7″ golf sun ray award and the 5 1/2″ golf varsity resin are typical.
Golf medals
For scrambles, charity events, and any tournament with many placement awards, medals are the efficient choice. The 2″ antique bronze golf high relief medal, the 2 1/4″ bright gold golf laserable flame medal, and the 2″ antique bronze golf victory medal all engrave on the back and hang on a ribbon. The full range is in the golf awards and trophies category.
Tiering the awards
A club championship typically runs overall champion, runner-up, flight winners, and specialty awards. A charity scramble runs first, second, and third team, plus longest drive, closest to the pin, and a few fun categories.
Overall champion: crystal or a perpetual cup, 10 inches or larger.
Runner-up and flight winners: crystal at a smaller size, or golf-specific awards in the 6 to 8 inch range.
Team placement: matching cups or crystal in three sizes.
Specialty awards (longest drive, closest to the pin, low net, low gross): golf-specific awards or medals.
Fun awards (most lost balls, best-dressed foursome, worst score): medals with humor on the back.
The trophy size guide covers heights by tier.
What to engrave
Tournament name, award, recipient, and date. For a club championship: club name, “Club Champion,” the champion’s name, and the year. For a scramble: event name, “First Place Team,” the team or foursome name, and the date. For specialty awards, the hole number adds a nice detail: “Closest to the Pin, Hole 7.” Keep it to four lines. The trophy engraving guide covers layout by plate size.
For perpetual club trophies, the header carries the championship name and the founding year; annual plates carry the year and champion, one line each, identical format. See the perpetual trophies vs perpetual plaques guide.
Engraving winners after the round
Most golf tournaments need the trophies on the table before the winners are known. Two approaches. Engrave the award and event in advance and present the trophy with the winner’s name added afterward by the shop, or engrave a plate on site with a portable engraver if the tournament is large enough to justify it. A shop that engraves in-house can turn a winner’s plate around the next business day; see the same-day and rush engraving guide.
Where to order golf tournament trophies
1. Viking Awards
Viking Awards has produced golf awards since 1973 from its Westchester, Illinois shop, with crystal, cups, golf-specific awards, and medals all engraved in-house. The catalog covers every tier from a perpetual club championship cup to a bag of scramble medals, and the team can build a tiered order from an award list. Chicago-area clubs and charity events can pick up in Westchester. Browse the golf awards category or call (630) 833-1733.
2. Crown Awards
Crown Awards carries a deep golf trophy and medal catalog with fast shipping on stock items, suited to large scramble orders placed online. Website: crownawards.com. Phone: 1-800-227-1557.
3. Trophies2Go
Trophies2Go runs a quick-ship program on stocked crystal and acrylic pieces, which suits corporate golf outings that need premium awards on a short timeline. Website: trophies2go.com. Phone: 1-877-926-4700.
4. Awards.com
Awards.com manufactures crystal and metal awards directly and assigns account representatives, a fit for corporate tournaments with branded awards across multiple events. Website: awards.com. Phone: 1-800-429-2737.
Disclaimer: The companies listed above reflect editorial opinion only and are not ranked in any particular order of preference or quality beyond the first position. This list is independent and should not be taken as an official endorsement or paid ranking. Contact details are accurate at the time of publication but are subject to change.
Timeline
Crystal takes seven to fourteen business days. Cups and golf-specific awards take two to five. Medals take two to five. For a tournament with a fixed date, order crystal six weeks out and everything else three to four weeks out. The custom award turnaround guide has the full breakdown, and the bulk trophies guide covers structuring a large order.
Common mistakes
Ordering crystal two weeks before the event. It will not make it.
Using one format for every award. The overall champion should look different from closest to the pin.
Forgetting the sponsor. Charity tournaments often need a sponsor logo on the top awards, which means a vector file and a proof.
Engraving the winner’s name in advance on a perpetual trophy. Wait for the result.
Skipping the fun awards. They are what the field talks about at the dinner.
Perpetual club championship trophies
Most golf clubs maintain at least one perpetual trophy: the club championship, the member-guest, the senior championship, or a memorial tournament named for a member. These are the pieces that hang in the clubhouse case with decades of names. A cup on a tiered base with a plate for each year is the traditional format, and a crystal or glass piece with a perpetual base is the modern alternative.
Configure the base for the horizon. A club that has run its championship for thirty years should order a base with plates for the next thirty. Engrave prior champions retroactively when a trophy is replaced; the history is the point. The metal cup trophies buyer’s guide covers perpetual bases and the plate counts available.
Sponsor recognition on golf awards
Charity tournaments and corporate outings often carry a sponsor logo on the top awards. That means a vector logo file, a proof showing placement, and enough lead time for the artwork to be prepared. On crystal, the sponsor logo goes subsurface and the award text goes on the base. On cups, the logo goes on the base plate above the text. See the crystal engraving guide for how logos are handled on premium pieces.
Fun award ideas for scrambles
Most lost balls. Best-dressed foursome. Longest putt. Shortest drive. Most honest scorecard. Best mulligan. The Sandbagger Award. Highest score with the best attitude. Beverage cart MVP. These belong on medals or small resin pieces with the award name on the front and the tournament on the back. The funny awards guide is written for fantasy football, but the format and the approach translate directly to golf.
Frequently asked questions
What size trophy for a club champion? A 12 to 15 inch cup or a 10 to 12 inch crystal piece. See the trophy size guide.
Can the winner’s name be added after the tournament? Yes. Engrave the event and award in advance and add the name plate afterward, usually within a day at an in-house shop.
Crystal or cup for a corporate outing? Crystal. It fits an office and reads as premium.
What is the minimum order for scramble medals? One, but volume pricing starts around twenty-five.
How far ahead should a charity tournament order? Crystal six weeks out; everything else three to four.
Order the tournament’s awards as one job so volume pricing applies across crystal, cups, and medals together.
Ordering
Viking Awards handles golf tournament awards from a single crystal piece to a full scramble slate, engraved in-house with a proof on every order. Browse the golf awards category, see the how to order custom trophies guide, or call (630) 833-1733 with the award list and the tournament date.