There have been some weird prizes in golf down the years – but this might top the lot!

Many weird golf trophies and prizes have been handed out down the years.

The Charles Schwab Challenge champion will leave Colonial in a vintage Defender. Confused? So were we. Allow us to explain…

As bonkers prizes go, this is right up there.

The PGA Tour is in its regular stop at Colonial this week, and the winner of the Charles Schwab Challenge will take home a vintage Land Rover Defender.

You read that correctly.

It turns out the title sponsor teamed up with a company called Legacy Classic Trucks to fully restore the 1992 Defender in commemoration of it being 30 years since Charles Schwab did something innovative in the finance world that’s nothing to do with golf so we won’t bore you with the details.

And now they have decided to give it away – to a golfer who will almost certainly be hotfooting out of Texas on a private jet. (At least if Dallas resident Scottie Scheffler wins, he won’t have far to drive it home.)

By the way, Charles Schwab Challenge chiefs have been doing this for a few years now. Who knew? Other vehicles that have been awarded at the Colonial include a ’75 Stingray (won by Davis Riley in 2024), a ’73 Bronco (Emiliano Grillo in 2023), a ’79 Firebird (Sam Burns in 2022), a ’46 Power Wagon (Jason Kokrak in 2021), and a ’73 Challenger (Kevin Na in 2019).

Anyway, that got us thinking. What are the weirdest trophies and prizes handed out at golf tournaments? Let’s dive in…

Weird golf trophies

Let’s start with weird golf trophies, because there have been some genuinely baffling cups dished out down the years.

Shall we just get the Cristie Kerr pic out of the way so we can move on?

Alright. Grow up.

While we’re doing these silly jokes, here’s a picture of a cock. You can do your own punchline…

Scott Jamieson’s only European Tour title to date came at the 2012 Nelson Mandela Championship. And the trophy was, well, this…

More recently, Sepp Straka’s Truist Championship title came with a huge payday, an all-but guaranteed Ryder Cup spot, and a cricket bat…

The tournament was played at Philadelphia Cricket Club, you see – but it’s not the only PGA Tour event that does this. Another one Straka has taken home is the John Deere Classic at TPC Deere Run…

Get it?

The winner of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines gets a trophy depicting – oh, you guessed it – a Torrey Pine. (And, because it’s California, a surfboard…)

The RBC Heritage champion, meanwhile, takes home this little number that immortalizes Sir William Innes…

The 17th-century Scottish golfer, for whatever reason, has been chosen to represent the sport’s origins at the Harbour Town event. It’s even inspired a mascot, played by a local actor, who entertains the crowds during tournament weeks. As you do.

On the other side of the Atlantic – or Pacific, depending on which way you’re going – the Qatar Masters champion takes home this rather eye-catching number…

No, that’s not a golf ball in a hippo’s mouth. The tournament is played along the coast of the Persian Gulf, you see, a popular spot for oysters. So there we go.

Have you got time for one more?

It’s not just on tour, either. Multi-Grammy-Award-winning musician Darius Rucker – who you might know as the lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish – sponsors an intercollegiate golf tournament. So, of course, the members of the winning team all get small guitar trophies as well as a signed acoustic Epiphone for their school’s trophy cabinet…

Weird golf prizes

Right, that’s enough of that. What about some of the weirder hole-in-one prizes handed out to golfers?

This section won’t be as picture-heavy, unfortunately, so you’ll just have to take our word for it.

First of all, Asian Tour player Doyeob Mun will now have the perfect way to relax after a round…

Graeme Storm has had two holes-in-one on the European Tour. The first one, at the Trophee Hassan II, earned him a Moroccan lamp. The second saw him handed the keys to a $200,000 sports car. “There is a big difference between a lamp and a car like that,” he said, in what must have been the understatement of the year.

Cars are pretty common hole-in-one prizes. Who could forget TG columnist Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnston winning a BMW M4 Coupe at Wentworth in 2015?

The most infamous incident, though, was when Paul Casey had an ace at the WGC-Cadillac Championship back in 2012. His caddie, Craig Connelly, celebrated like he had just won the lottery. The reason being, he sort of had. Casey, you see, had promised his bagman the motor should he hole out.

But it wasn’t long until the pair were informed the car was actually the prize for anyone holing out on a different par-3 at Doral. Cue cackles from Casey as Connelly crumbled in dismay.

“I never enjoyed not winning a car so much,” the golfer said – as if you needed more insight into his character.

One player who did get his hole-in-one prize, though, was Elliot Saltman. The Scot made an ace at the DP World Tour’s Madrid Masters – and took was awarded with his body weight in Iberico ham. (He weighed 240 pounds at the time, if you’re interested.)

Elsewhere, the LPGA’s Japan Classic has been sponsored by the country’s leading toilet manufacturer, so the winner each year not only takes home a nice trophy, but is sent the brands all singing (literally) all dancing (not literally) model.

Gemma Dryburgh won the event in 2022 and, just three years later, her new bathroom gadget finally arrived – and she showed off in this brilliant Instagram post.

But the best prize – by some distance – was handed to Isao Aoki.

The Japanese sensation won 80 times in a Hall of Fame career, including once on each of the PGA and European Tours, but his finest hour came in what was then known as the Suntory World Match Play Championship.

Aoki was defending his title at Wentworth when he aced the West Course’s 155-yard 2nd.

His prize? A house.

Yes. A $100,000 house – almost half a million in today’s money – on the stunning Gleneagles estate in Scotland, of all places. Oh, and another 30-odd grand with which to furnish the place.

Imagine.

Anyway, have you ever received a weird golf trophy or prize? We’d love to hear about it. You can get hold of us on X, Instagram, Facebook, or by sending a postcard.