Benefit tournaments provide an alternative to riskier fundraising methods such as trusting donations to carrier pigeons or canvassing affluent wolf packs. Give to a noble cause with today's Groupon: for $87, you get one donation-based registration, which includes 18 holes of golf, a power cart, a steak dinner, entry into prize giveaways, and a $90 tax receipt, for Carmichael Outreach's 11th-annual Tournament of Hope on Friday, August 5 at Tor Hill Golf Course (a $175 value).

Carmichael Outreach's Tournament of Hope gathers funds for Regina inhabitants affected by poverty and aids the nonprofit's dedicated staff in executing its year-round public works. Up to 144 golfers cross irons in a texas scramble skirmish across Tor Hill's historic, rambling fairways. Following a shot start at 1 p.m., participants set out to play 18 holes and mould double-eagle-shaped topiaries amid bunkered, hourglass fairways surrounded by low trees and persistent water hazards. Along the way, golfers vie for hole prizes ranging from cash to cars, determined by on-course competitions such as hitting the longest drive, acing a hole-in-one, and wrestling Greg Norman's driver out of its mythical granite slab.

Retire post-tournament to the clubhouse's banquet room for dinner, commencing with a salad overture before winding through taste harmonies of steak accompanied by potatoes and vegetables. During dinnertime ceremonies, players wait for announcements of random draws and prizes for those who have collected the most donations. Outreach staff doles out sponsored winnings, such as an aerial city tour from Regina Flying Club or the exact 9-iron Mozart used to conduct his orchestra.