FORE! Four Golf Considerations in Estate Planning
By Claire Crowley and Ben Palkowski, Old Colony Law
Published in Northampton Living May 2025
EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR
Your name doesn’t have to be Jack, Annika or Tiger for golf to impact your estate plan. Whether you’re an avid player, industry professional or dedicated patron, you know that golf is more than just a game – it’s an indispensable part of life. Therefore, it’s important for you to consider how golf can – and should – play a role in your estate plan and asset protection strategy.
1. What’s in the Bag
Your Scotty Cameron putter, autographed pin flag collection and great-grandfather’s golf bag are items of tangible personal property that you may wish to leave to family members or friends upon your death. Giving clear instructions in your estate plan as to who gets what can prevent bickering and ensure that your golf equipment and memorabilia doesn’t end up in the hands of a distant relative or someone who plays on the rival tour.
2. Asset Protection Means Avoiding Bogeys
It’s important to consider protecting your loved one’s inheritance from potential bogeys. Asset protection trusts help ensure that your child doesn’t squander their entire inheritance on extravagant golf vacations to the Old Course – or whittle it away due to financial immaturity or substance abuse. Trusts can also protect your son- or daughter-in-law from laying claim to a portion of your child’s inheritance in future divorce proceedings – meaning that your money stays in your family.
In addition to keeping your loved one’s inheritance in the fairway, asset protection during life is critical for golf industry professionals. Course architects, landscapers, videographers, coaches, playing professionals, and equipment and catering vendors should read the greens of their business structures and contractual agreements to ensure protection of their personal assets from the hazards of potential lawsuits and creditors.
3. Giving Back to the Game
Do you want to build a legacy that aims to grow the game you love, protects golf history and traditions, or furthers course-related environmental sustainability projects? Perhaps you’d like to give back to your golf club – the club where you spent time perfecting your game, building friendships and making memories.
Fortunately, there are a number of charities and nonprofits in the golf world, and a golf-related charitable gifting strategy can serve the dual purpose of maximizing your philanthropic impact and minimizing extra greens fees to the IRS.
4. Club Memberships
Comprehensive estate planning includes reviewing the terms of contracts such as club membership agreements to determine what happens to your membership when you die. Some clubs enable individuals to putt their membership to a surviving spouse or name a successor member, while others may provide your family with a full or partial dues refund. Read these contracts carefully because it can be difficult to win in match play against your club. Courts generally permit private clubs broad discretion in adopting and administering rules related to memberships.
Estate planning might seem as intimidating as navigating a round of golf at Augusta National, but you’ll feel like you’re playing way under par once you have a proper plan in place.
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