Hole sponsors needed for Rancho Bernardo mini-golf fundraiser

Hole sponsors are needed for the next Mini Golf for Good, to be held during the Spirit of the Fourth Community Fair in Rancho Bernardo.

Chairman Rob Weinberg said Rancho Bernardo’s July 4 celebration will also be the miniature golf event’s beneficiary. Up to 3,000 people are expected to attend the 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. fair in Webb Park, held prior to the annual parade on nearby streets.

Through May 1, hole sponsors can receive a discount on prices, which start at $300 for a basic mini golf hole. The discount takes the price down to $250. The sponsors — typically businesses or organizations — are encouraged to decorate their hole (a 6-foot by 12-foot space) to reflect themselves. For example, a plumber could have the ball land in a toilet, a real estate agent could have golfers puttering around a doll house and a magician could have golf balls land in a top hat.

“It’s family friendly, inexpensive entertainment that is a good opportunity for businesses and sponsors to have one-on-one face time (with potential clients),” Weinberg said. “They really have a chance to strut their stuff in a fun way.”

In addition to sponsoring one of the 36 golf holes, Weinberg said some spots allow for additional promotion because there is space for 10-foot square presentation booths. Other options include having a company’s name or logo imprinted on the golf balls; and sponsoring trash and recycling cans, the refreshments area, directional signs or the information booth. They can also donate to the silent auction, get course or score card naming rights, sponsor the SWAG bags and even have event banner naming rights.

“There is something for every budget,” Weinberg said.

The course will start at the Rotary Clock on Bernardo Center Drive and follow the sidewalk that winds through Webb Park up through the park’s garden entrance, concluding near the fair’s wine garden. Weinberg said playing on real grass versus the artificial turf used when Mini Golf for Good was held at Temple Adat Shalom provides a different type of challenge for golfers of all ages.

Three Mini Golf for Good events have been held in the area. The first two were in 2012 and 2013 at the Poway temple, with different beneficiary groups each time. Last year the Rancho Bernardo Business Association also held one in conjunction with the Spirit of the Fourth festivities.

“Between the three events ... Mini Golf for Good has generated in the neighborhood of $31,000,” Weinberg said.

While Mini Golf for Good has only been held once a year, Weinberg said it is possible to do it more frequently in the area if there are other groups that would like to use it as their fundraiser.

To reserve a mini golf hole, become a sponsor or get more information, go to www.minigolfforgood.org or call 858-673-9960.