Interesting discussion about the financial hit of golf....

This is a good piece. Something I've thought about for a LONG time. I do well financially, I can afford to play a LOT. I can also afford to travel and play, but I'm in an upper income tier and often wonder how younger players with less financial stability or earnings, especially those with young families are supposed to play this game. If we truly want to grow the game and attract new golfers, which we need....than this needs to be addressed.

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/am-i-too-poor-to-play-golf?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&mbid=social_facebook&utm_social-type=owned&utm_brand=gd&fbclid=IwAR2gnmdbPwi-fo9g6ojA0sfZGEVL0M7bOczZd7JgV4T2Vh4T9IwV7xSTgkM

I started playing regularly right after the 1997 masters at the age of 20. I learned the game at the range because it was cheaper than playing and in the putting green because it was free. I did play my fair share but I was always hunting the cheapest rates and played a lot of twilight golf. To this day I still follow this same pattern even though my wife and I have great jobs and income. I pay $29 a month for a discount card which gets me a round at 5 local courses for a max price of $27 including cart even in prime time hours. I really have a hard time paying more than that at other courses because it’s such a good value. Golf doesn’t need to be expensive but a lot of the time you have to settle for less course or just practicing. I suspect if you love the game you will make it work. People complaining about the cost of golf while paying $80 a round just aren’t trying to play affordable golf.

My story is similar, although I didn’t start at the range. About the same time, In college, during an internship, the company had a golf league and I was the sub. I bought a used set of clubs for $50 and played for free for a couple weeks. I didn’t play much during school. I should have because my school had two 18s and a nine hole course and the 9 was $5 to walk. After school, I played sparingly because in northern New Jersey, golf has never been cheap. Over the last 15 years, I’ve played more often but I still look for a good deal before I play. There used to be a lot of deals for $20 or less, but that is getting more rare. I used to use LastMinuteGolfer.com, but the site was bought by GolfNow and the deals aren’t anywhere as good on GolfNow. I still don’t pay more than $30 for around, although I can afford it. To me, more than $50 a round is way too much unless I’m on vacation and playing a top course. For those who think they can’t afford to play, there are always deals and less expensive courses like munis, college courses and executive courses. I’ve actually found three in my area that I’m able to play for $20 or less for 18. I played for $20 yesterday. They aren’t the greatest or most challenging but you can always imagine that you’re playing Augusta National or Pine Valley. One thing I’ve noticed lately in NJ is that even a bucket of balls at the range has gotten more expensive, starting at $8 for a small bucket.

I think I’ll start a thread for golf discount sites and discount passes.

As someone that is currently going through graduate school and working full time I can say that it is difficult to justify spending my money on golf. If it were not for a half price membership deal I was able to get this year I likely would have been reduced to playing once a week as I have in past years when I did not have this option. I think it is definitely something that hurts this game and detracts from more people wanting to go and play. When it comes down to it the price of a round of golf may not be worth it for someone that has limited disposable income, but I am not sure that we will ever really see the cost change.

If it weren’t for the fact that my local club cut membership rates by 30%, I probably wouldn’t play much. I sure wouldn’t pay the weekend rate.

Golf will never be a cheap sport but there are ways to help the wallet. Best way is to buy clubs a few years old and to play twilight golf. I bought my irons for $300 total and my driver for $180...fairway I think was $60.

Funny, I've thought about this recently. Most sports with a very minimal investment( soccer ball, basketball, glove/bat, etc) you can also find free practice and space. Furthermore, at least spaces local to me, they exclude golf activities in those spaces. I think there are a lot of options, but just as many obstacles to addressing them. Only so many hours and most people have many more options nowadays. Stating the obvious here, but both time and cost need to be addressed.

I don't think golf takes any more time or commitment than other sports to "get good", it just seems like the time and commitment includes a fee with golf in most cases. That being said, I would assume other "specialized" sports like fencing or shooting have similar recurring costs. It is a luxury at the end of the day, that is reality, just like the gym or your monthly wine club. If you have the time and money and desire........it is a choice.

This may be the reason 2 very nice golf courses within a 20-minute drive from my house are for sale .. both nice courses that have been in business since the 60's and 70's and say business is down big time

You can be frugal easily in golf once you get your bag setup . Or you can buy new toys every season. Just the way you want to go or can go with this game. Actually being frugal is pretty fun with all the sales and cash back offers that are around.

I wonder if they have articles like that in horseback riding magazines, car racing magazines, yachting or polo magazines? I could write an article saying my family wasn't rich enough for me to drive Formula 1 cars when i was 15 but i'm not sure why this would surprise anyone. Golf seems to be the only more-expensive sport that indulges in the delusion that everyone should be playing it

Has it just become newsworthy that golf costs more than going down to the gym to play basketball? Yes it's an expensive sport and not everyone can play it, especially those with young families who do not make high incomes. Golf isn't as bad as some of the above things i mentioned and there's definitely ways to work on cost (ebay for clubs, buy golf clothes at discount stores etc) but its never going to be as cheap as joining a men's flag football league.....so ...ok it's pretty much always been that way

Seems a bit of a misguided article. Golf's NEVER been particularly cheap. And excluding some equipment, I don't really feel like it's gotten more expensive outside of inflation than it was when I was a kid getting started in the late 80s and playing regularly all through the 90s.

If anything, it's everything else that's gotten expensive, leaving less disposable income for many middle class folks. I probably make as much if not more than my dad did at this age. As a divorced guy with no kids with a solid career as a software engineer, I have plenty of disposable income to play all the golf I want, wherever I want (hell, at this time next week - I'll be going to bed about 100 yards from St. Andrews, super stoked to wake up next Tuesday morning for my tee time at the New Course) ... but there's no way I could manage all dad afforded for me, my brother and my mom. Not a chance.

I live in one of the most expensive areas in the USA, and I can find a good many courses that charge $40 or less on the weekend. Weekdays and twilight are much cheaper too. Not exactly cheap, but doable for most people. Of course this does not include a cart which drives up the price a good bit. I've got friends that are perfectly healthy but they get a cart every time they play for reasons I don't understand. At any rate, golf doesn't need to be crazy expensive unless you want it to be so.

My annual dues are about 8 grand CDN (includes ClubCorp access in USA). Now I get solid usage out of my club. 80 rounds min, 3 x a week in a 7 month season. The gents that play once a week are not getting their "value" but they likely don't care

Many hobbies and sports can be very expensive by nature. There are worse things to spend your $$$$ on

Huh? Maybe it's an American thing. In the UK you can buy a cheap set of clubs, trolley, gloves, balls, shoes for £250 on Amazon. If you want to become a member of a club it's more expensive (around £1k a year) but that's entirely optional. £30 and reasonable attire will let you play 18 holes at almost any course that takes your fancy.

Golf isn't that expensive at all when you factor in the $$/hr rate and the insanely cheap equipment & clothing options you've got out there.

Right now, golf is a very middle class game and tee sheets are slam packed during peak hours.

If you're buying $95 polos and paying $2k for your irons and making tee times at places that charge $500 then yeah, it's expensive, I guess. That said, the game never forced me to do any of those things, LOL.

Saying golf is expensive, is like going into a Ferrari dealership and saying cars are expensive.

> @BrianMcG said:

> Saying golf is expensive, is like going into a Ferrari dealership and saying cars are expensive.

I can relate to this..I'm a car guy and have spent FAR more money on cars than I've even thought about it with golf. The reason I posted this is we are seeing courses close, mostly an economic correction, but still, I think I saw 205 courses closed last year, and only 15 were built? Partly, the course I belong to just went up for sale, so there's some angst about that. Just made me think about the costs associated with golf, and if that limits participation.

There's one near me that seems to have finally closed. It's a real shame because I like the design. When I first started playing golf over a decade ago it was a 3x9 hole course and they changed which pair of 9 holes were in use. Quite a nice idea as it gave several combinations to play. But by the time I'd got good enough play a proper course they'd closed one set of 9 because it often got too wet.

Still, it was a great design and even the nasty biting insects in summer didn't totally put me off. But it was never maintained particularly well. We used to joke that a lot of the time there wasn't much difference between the first cut and the fairway.

Then - and this makes little sense to me - someone bought the farmhouse that the course surrounded (presumably it was the original farmer who built the course) _and didn't realise that the golf course was there_. After that I get the impression that the new home owners were just 'a bit awkward' and caused the golf course owners grief. Last year they closed down the club aspect and said they were going public only, apparently not realising that the club owned all the flags and everything else. They did open for a while three days a week with 'a box to put your money into' but then they said they'd be fully opened this year. Now the only thing they advertise is a bicycle cafe/shop and apparently they have stopped mowing the course.

Damn :(

https://goo.gl/maps/49c7ygDXMyJD5cZr9

But we still have a dozen or more courses within an hour of where me and my mate live and the closure of that course (whatever the real reason was) has probably reduced their financial woes somewhat. But I know my own course always loses money (as much as £40k a year) yet still invests. I can only assume that the owner taking the long view and seeing land prices rise fast enough to offset annual running costs. Either that or he just likes golf and has enough money not to care about the losses.

My membership costs me about £13 per week, and I play two or three times every week all year, rain or shine, snow or fog. That’s a weekday, I’m lucky that I’m self-employed and my business is mornings and evenings so I can get out in the middle of the day on weekdays, rarely play at weekends as work is too busy and kids etc.

Golf courses are really expensive to own and operate. Every person you talk to will tell you they're working a ton of hours. And the money involved in upkeep is big. It's a wonder golf remains as affordable as it is. Where I'm at it's incredibly popular amongst all ages.

You can have 2 of the following 3: a nice course, an affordable green fee or a decent pace of play.

I think a lot of us golfers have it as good as we could ask for right now.

The best way to have a profitable golf course is to have a restaurant and banquet hall onsite to host weddings. Pretty much guarantees the funds for the course straight up.

> @physasst said:

> This is a good piece. Something I've thought about for a LONG time. I do well financially, I can afford to play a LOT. I can also afford to travel and play, but I'm in an upper income tier and often wonder how younger players with less financial stability or earnings, especially those with young families are supposed to play this game. If we truly want to grow the game and attract new golfers, which we need....than this needs to be addressed.

>

> https://www.golfdigest.com/story/am-i-too-poor-to-play-golf?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&mbid=social_facebook&utm_social-type=owned&utm_brand=gd&fbclid=IwAR2gnmdbPwi-fo9g6ojA0sfZGEVL0M7bOczZd7JgV4T2Vh4T9IwV7xSTgkM

>

The article is silly and disingenuous. A guy who can clearly afford to play golf, whose company is involved in spending money to be named at PGA Tour event and participate year after year and whose company pays to participate and be seen at PGA trade shows whines about his personal cost of golf? Just a silly hook to get an “article” published. Embarrasssing.

OP made it clear three times he’s “bucks up” - but offers no solutions. Do something about it.

Not too hard to find ways to donate time and damn easy to donate money for all sorts of youth golf endeavors. Many do.

As a Millennial, my financial outlook is already worse than prior generations. That's not a matter of opinion, it's pretty firmly established. Millennials are saddled with more debt, less property/investments, and less secure and definite career paths. So you've gotta start from there when discussing golf's finances, at least going forward.

I don't think the equipment costs are what keep people from playing. Personally, it's the greens fees that are the real killer. First of all, membership in a club is a mostly laughable proposition. Even the country clubs near me are far, FAR beyond my reach - I'd be a complete idiot to drop $5 or $10k on an entry fee. If I had $10k to spare, it'd be going to a down payment on a house, or my student loans. The public/private-ish courses that offer memberships are not much cheaper.

So, I pay by the round. As a young person with a young family, I'm not getting in rounds on weeknights. That leaves me with weekend rounds on crowded courses at $50 a pop, most likely. Oh, that's including a cart, of course. I'd love the exercise of walking, and I bet a lot of people my age would as well, but the courses around me were built with carts in mind. That half mile trudge between the 3rd green and the 4th tee box isn't so nice, so a cart it is.

Just how many $50 rounds can I justify per year when you factor in my already-not-positive financial situation?

Theres ways for golf to be affordable even for those who arent well-off. For many years, I only made about 30K a year and still afford to play a lot of golf. The reason was because I bought no-name clubs, cheap balls and played munis.

You dont NEED the latest Taylormade driver or Titleist irons, you can play very good and enjoyable golf with no-name clubs. Infact, I recently went back to a bag with a mixture of Bombtech, Pinemeadow and Wilson Harmonized and am playing some of the best golf of my life.

What do you guys think is a reasonable monthly budget for golf? For argument's sake, let's say it should include green fees, gloves and balls. It may or may not include cart, but do mention if your budget includes it or not.

If you played once a week in my area I think £50 a week would cover green fees and incidentals. For 18 holes at the weekend most courses are charging £35, some are charging £40 and a couple that are part of a hotel complex are only £25. Cost of balls..depends how often you lose them, but I reckon £50 a week would cover it all and gloves should last many months.

Then there's petrol. Within an hour's drive of me there are a dozen courses but an hour's drive is ~50 miles so potentially another £10 a week.

So I think **£60 a week** would comfortably cover it. When I've gone on vacation around the UK I've not noticed much variation in green fees. Most courses will let visitors play for around £35.

Membership fees just aren't an issue. Only serious golfers who want to maintain a handicap and play in competitions need to pay them. And even then a lot of courses offer a points system. As well being a 'traditional' member at Cherwell Edge (£915 this year) I'm also a [points member at Rye Hill](https://www.ryehill.co.uk/points-membership/ "points member at Rye Hill") which gives me most of the benefits of membership and slightly reduced fees.

Oh those are weekend green fees. Week fees and afternoon fees will be lower.

http://www.cherwelledgegolfclub.co.uk/visitorsgreenfees.html

_"In Scotland, the home of golf, it really is the people’s game. Residents can access some of the best courses in the world for $200 a year, and there are no cart fees, because only the disabled ride. Players aren’t passed on the unnecessary maintenance costs: Scottish links depend on nature, not sprinkler systems, for water, and if there’s not much rain in a summer, well, the fairways will be rolling. Last I checked, things are still going strong over there. Some of the tenets are being applied in the United States, but nowhere near the scale it needs to be successful."_

This paragraph says a lot. In the US, we pay a lot of excess money toward golf to cover "unnecessary maintenance costs!" Then again, most regular golfers in the US won't play golf in brown conditions.

> @Sixcat said:

> _"In Scotland, the home of golf, it really is the people’s game. Residents can access some of the best courses in the world for $200 a year, and there are no cart fees, because only the disabled ride. Players aren’t passed on the unnecessary maintenance costs: Scottish links depend on nature, not sprinkler systems, for water, and if there’s not much rain in a summer, well, the fairways will be rolling. Last I checked, things are still going strong over there. Some of the tenets are being applied in the United States, but nowhere near the scale it needs to be successful."_

>

> This paragraph says a lot. In the US, we pay a lot of excess money toward golf to cover "unnecessary maintenance costs!" Then again, most regular golfers in the US won't play golf in brown conditions.

Not apples to apples though. Scotland is small and has a fraction of the golf courses compared to the U.S. plus they don't get excessive heat. They also rely on tourism due to it being the home of golf. Plus, most wealthy people (Lots in the U.S. compared to Scotland) do not want to grow the game. They would prefer to have small private clubs and keep the peasants outside the gates or serving them drinks.

Golf courses cost a lot to maintain so IMO the easiest way to lower the cost and amount of time needed to play is to have a limited flight golf ball and smaller golf courses.

Lets say a 40% across the board reduction, meaning ball is reduced by 40%, and the course is reduced by 40%

6700yd course is now 4020yds

280yd drive is now 168yds

4.5 hr round is now 2.7hr round.

$50 green fee now $30 (plus probably even cheaper as not as much of a need for a cart)

Skill needed to play small ball is still the same and less yelling from the wife.

> @J13 said:

> > @Sixcat said:

> > _"In Scotland, the home of golf, it really is the people’s game. Residents can access some of the best courses in the world for $200 a year, and there are no cart fees, because only the disabled ride. Players aren’t passed on the unnecessary maintenance costs: Scottish links depend on nature, not sprinkler systems, for water, and if there’s not much rain in a summer, well, the fairways will be rolling. Last I checked, things are still going strong over there. Some of the tenets are being applied in the United States, but nowhere near the scale it needs to be successful."_

> >

> > This paragraph says a lot. In the US, we pay a lot of excess money toward golf to cover "unnecessary maintenance costs!" Then again, most regular golfers in the US won't play golf in brown conditions.

>

> Not apples to apples though. Scotland is small and has a fraction of the golf courses compared to the U.S. plus they don't get excessive heat. They also rely on tourism due to it being the home of golf. Plus, most wealthy people (Lots in the U.S. compared to Scotland) do not want to grow the game. They would prefer to have small private clubs and keep the peasants outside the gates or serving them drinks.

>

> Golf courses cost a lot to maintain so IMO the easiest way to lower the cost and amount of time needed to play is to have a limited flight golf ball and smaller golf courses.

>

> Lets say a 40% across the board reduction, meaning ball is reduced by 40%, and the course is reduced by 40%

>

> 6700yd course is now 4020yds

> 280yd drive is now 168yds

> 4.5 hr round is now 2.7hr round.

> $50 green fee now $30 (plus probably even cheaper as not as much of a need for a cart)

> Skill needed to play small ball is still the same and less yelling from the wife.

Using your comparison, given Scotland relies on tourism to offset the cost of golf for their citizens, why doesn't Pebble Beach offer a discounted rate to Americans? If the US is really so invested in "growing the game", wouldn't it make sense to give access to the best golf experiences the US has to offer to as many of it's citizens as possible?

To go a step further, I am a member of a stock owned, member owned club. Stock owner yearly dues are $610 per year! Students under the age of 22 can become "junior members" for $210 per year without owning stock. The course is in excellent condition with the best greens you will find within a 100 mile radius. A very famous resort located 20 miles away that charges $235 per round has requested our assistance in getting their greens to the quality of ours. Geoff Ogilvy once described the best golf experience as a club that doesn't go overboard to be "green." It has an "elegantly disheveled" look to it. Our club is brownish at certain times of year. We have a lot of "native areas" with whispy fescue and other native vegetation without being overgrown or unkept. It's not perfect but it's not intended to be. Perfect is expensive! The garbage a lot of clubs offer like dining, fitness, aquatics, etc. also cost more than I am willing to pay. I want golf and don't need my golf club to offer anything else. Another thing the Scot's get right!

Golf can be affordable in the US if most avid golfers change their perception of what golf should be. Ask Pinehurst how their restorations in recent years have been beneficial. Just my experience and my opinion. To each their own!

Courses could save a lot of money by not overwatering the sh*t out of them. 'Nothing wrong with a little brown and some rollout. We've become accustom to having courses look like Augusta National.

Chicagoland is home to over 200 public courses. There are tons of courses that I can walk on the weekends for less than $60. They're not going to win any awards, but they're all very playable. Four rounds a month is less than $250. I work with many people that have cable TV and/or mobile phone bills higher than that.