What's the worst cost/value in golf?

[betarhoalphadelta]

11 minutes ago, Dannys1208 said:

If we're not just talking about clubs. Expensive golf memberships. 

I was going to say public golf courses with actually maintained fairways here in SoCal. 

 

If I want to play a "nice" course in Orange County on the weekend, I can expect to pay $150 in greens fees. 

 

My golf game isn't worth $150 greens fees at this point lol... Although I guess I'll get my money's worth in strokes carded. 

[MtlJeff]

I guess balls could definitely be an interesting side-discussion.

 

You'd have to factor in how long you typically use them for i guess. Someone at a course with a lot of OB and water, i could see that argument. If you play at a course where you rarely lose balls, and feel that the performance of the ball merits a bigger investment--maybe you would not agree. 

 

I don't lose a lot of balls, so for me i never considered balls. If a ball lasts me on average 18 holes, than the cost of balls is equal to 75 rounds of balls versus a hybrid

[Dannys1208]

7 minutes ago, betarhoalphadelta said:

I was going to say public golf courses with actually maintained fairways here in SoCal. 

 

If I want to play a "nice" course in Orange County on the weekend, I can expect to pay $150 in greens fees. 

 

My golf game isn't worth $150 greens fees at this point lol... Although I guess I'll get my money's worth in strokes carded. 

Here in MN/ND I pay $775 for two pretty decent courses (season pass). When I hear initiation fees of 50k+ I am mindblown. Can't argue hybrid though, or 3 wood if we're talking golf clubs only.

Edited March 30, 2021 by Dannys1208

[sailfishchris]

23 minutes ago, Dannys1208 said:

If we're not just talking about clubs. Expensive golf memberships. 

Bingo! Bango! Some of the privates around me equate to $500-$750 a round.

[TwistedSister]

Just bout anything PXG?

[Dannys1208]

3 minutes ago, dhacker56 said:

Just bout anything PXG?

They have some pretty good prices now if you don't need the new new stuff. I got the Proto for $325, I'm a sucker and paid $200 for an evo iv, but $325 is a steal for a new driver. Now someone's gonna say PXG Shipping lmao

Edited March 30, 2021 by Dannys1208

[Davidv]

How about all the so called premium golf clothing, pants for $125.00+ , and shirts, etc. priced based on the manufacturers name. 

[chasethebirdie]

$50/dozen on new balls. 

[MtlJeff]

31 minutes ago, Davidv said:

How about all the so called premium golf clothing, pants for $125.00+ , and shirts, etc. priced based on the manufacturers name. 

 

It's hard to evaluate stuff like this, because much cheaper clothing exists , even new clothes

 

So, my counter would just be that it's hard to get a new hybrid for a reasonable price...but it's easy enough to get clothes for a reasonable price

Edited March 30, 2021 by MtlJeff

[mogc60]

I gotta go with the 3 wood. It’s far and away the least used club for me and my current one was $300. But being an idiot I still bought it. 

[Duffer222]

Hybrids suck.

[bogeyk]

I think hybrids are just fine value wise. I think for a lot of people they are not clubs that get replaced very frequently since finding a good one that fits your eye and game is tough.  Hybrids may not be used often, but most of the shots they are used for are important whether it’s a tight driving hole, long par three or going for a par five in two.  For what it’s worth I’m still using the ugly G15 hybrids that just work for me. I’ve tried a couple others, but they just didn’t work for me.  

[GolfTurkey]

I would go with $20,000 for a day's lesson with Dave Pelz. Can get top instruction for a fraction of the price.

 

Re. hybrids being bad value compared to irons, I get the argument but for me my expensive hybrids (G410 4, 5 and 6 hybrids with Ventus) are earning their return. They are making me more proficient in the "red zone" of 185-225 yards where it's easy to blow up a round with bad shots.

[BigMack]

I completely agree with balls. I have some ProV1's in my golf simulator room, just because they hold up the best. But I don't play them on the course. Can get great balls that are 2 years old for $25/dozen. I also can't believe no one has mentioned exotic shaft upgrades! I just was fitted for a new HZRDOUS Smoke Blue and he charged me basically cost - $90. And he added a Callaway tip to it too. My Rogue is now a bomber. Dropping $300-$400 on a shaft is nuts!

[mcounci2]

The worst value in golf is anything bought from the beer cart, and any excessive tips paid to the driver of said cart

[JAM01]

Additional thoughts on a intriguing topic:

1) the exotic shaft rabbit hole moves to the top of my list.

2) I’ll pay $80 for a high quality polo that looks good, keeps its shape, feels comfortable and washes up well. 
3) wide open course that I know well with few hazards TP5s are fine, otherwise plenty of good performers at $25/dozen. 
4) have a buddy who paid a chunk of change in a membership only to find that certain days had leagues, qualifiers, other various tournaments that kept him from a tee time. They often left the rough penalizingly long in between all the other events. 

 

[b.mattay]

Sound logic @MtlJeff! 

 

I would say 3 wood for me is the worst cost/value. It's rare to find a tee shot that I need 30 yards less than what driver will give me distance wise but more than what a 2 or 4 iron will give me.

Edited March 31, 2021 by b.mattay

[Quasimoto]

As far as cost/value goes, some of us don’t really evaluate a club purchase that way. It costs what is costs, and value is derived from the pleasure of the strike, and usefulness for the shot.

I use my hybrids probably 6 times per 18 depending on the nines configuration, several times off the tee and on all par 5’s and they make me happy 80% of the time.

[Nard_S]

I've seen kids at the range with $20K plus Trackman setups. Seen Dad's "train" junior with them also. Beyond insane.

[jackdanger]

Kkkkkk. Contrarian take here because I'm seeing a lot of hybrid/3 wood talk - which may be pretty spot on but from a tech standpoint I'd say irons. Believe me, this is coming from a guy that way overpaid for his irons based on the cost/value perspective. An iron set is probably your most expensive thing(s) in your bag, with a lot of nice sets costing anywhere from $600-2000 but can you get by with a 10ish year old $100 set? Absolutely. Can and have. Do new irons have tech? Sure, but is it really REALLY helping you that much over other irons? Probably not as much as you think (and I am talking mainly about anything forged here), especially not worth an extra $1K. Personally, a 10 year old hybrid or 3 wood is way harder to hit than 10 year old irons.

 

Alright, rant over. I mainly wanted to flesh out this probably poor take because I shot my best round of my life the second time playing with a $150 set of VR blades and that made me question every new iron set I ever bought. That is all. Rip away.

[craz-e]

Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

[WarEagleGolf]

Worst cost/value...this site.  Costs me nothing to come on here and then go spend thousands on new clubs...

 

Add a custom hand made shaft to the hybrid discussion and you just lost... especially since I still can't hit it, and I stopped using it.  I'll keep the shaft if I ever decide to piss that money away again.  

 

Also putters.  I suck at putting, so I should probably just continue sucking with a cheaper putter.  

[dubbelbogey]

If not limited to equipment, I'll say courses. Too many "high end" courses are rarely worth it over those at significantly less. Sure, there are the legendary "must do" courses, but too many give not enough in return compared to what can be had for significantly less.

 

In equipment, boutique putters. And I use one because it was a gift.

 

For full swing clubs, I'm going to say the OP's sentiment does not apply to me at all. My hybrids were not expensive, and they are super versatile. Fairway, tee, many types of rough, fairway bunkers and even greenside chipping is done with my hybrids. I'd say my 22* hybrid and my 56* SW are my two most versatile clubs, and after the driver and putter, the next most used clubs.

 

For a single club to pick that is least valuable to spend money on - I gotta go with the 3w. I never use it off the tee. Never. It's useless out of most rough, and therefore is relegated to par 5s where I have a chance at reaching in 2. Sure, fun when it works, but easily the club I could give up if I had a better option to put in its place.

 

I also think overthinking and overspending on irons can also fit the low-value category. I'm pretty firmly in the camp of irons being basically hunks of metal on a stick. I've used a good variety of them and once fit for length, lie and loft, they become tools to depend on, but not worry about.

 

 

[ChipNRun]

5 hours ago, MtlJeff said:

I have thought about this a lot....And mathematically, i feel like there is no dispute that the Hybrid has become the worst cost/value item in golf. I thought about this the other day because i never want to actually buy hybrids and i think i know why...They just cost too much for what they do

 

Uh, do for who?

 

Some players carry two or three hybrids and NO fairway woods. They structure a successful long game around hybrids.

 

I was leery of hybrids until about 2011. My first hybrid was a brand X that I got from a scramble coupon my brother passed on to me. It was weird. I could hit it OK out of the rough (looking for a 5W replacement), but could not hit if off fairway or off the tee.

 

Then, I found the second-gen TM Raylor, and it worked pretty well. I later moved to FlyZ hybrids, which worked find until I couldn't flex the shafts properly.

 

As for slam on fairway woods, most better golfers find one or two that work and keep them. A pro or a competition amateur may only hit a fairway off the deck once a round. They find one that works and keep it for years. A local pro I walked with in a regional tourney bombs a Calla X2Hot Deep 3W he picked up 10 years ago.

 

 But, many of the rest of use hit a fairway five to seven times a round. This is a world to which a 0.1 HDCPer would be oblivious.

 

And, if you secretly think you might use a hybrid on occasion...

5 hours ago, princelyryno said:

Buy used. I can’t hit a 4 iron so who cares if I save $100 when the club is basically worthless compared to a hybrid which is much easier to hit/elevate.

 

Edited March 31, 2021 by ChipNRun

[No_Catchy_Nickname]

Interesting question. For me the answer isn't hybrids but driving irons. I have one hybrid (23*) and use it on average 4-5 times a round. I have a driving iron (24*) that I may not use at all. I don't think I've ever hit it more than twice in a round. 

 

I don't carry a 3w, but have a 4w and 7w. I used to hit the 4w a heck of a lot, because I'd hit it off the tee and deck. Now, I only hit it off the tee, but even then I am using it  5-6 times a round (lots of tight, shortish par 4s around here). 7w I hit off the deck mostly, and use it maybe 2-3 times a round, if that. 

 

So driving iron it is.

 

Also, for some reason, I tend to buy the bloody things brand new, find I don't like them, and sell them on, whereas my 4w, 7w, and hybrid were all second-hand purchases that have stayed in the bag. The 4w has been in my bag for over 10 years.

 

10 minutes ago, WarEagleGolf said:

Also putters.  I suck at putting, so I should probably just continue sucking with a cheaper putter.  

That is pretty much my take on it. 

[Jmccas]

Disagreed. My 23* hybrid is a utility club. Great of the tees, off the deck, knock down shots, workable, it’s so good I might try putting with it. It’s the best value for performance in my bag. 

[PEI_Golfer]

I'll disagree with the high priced golf/country clubs as being worst value, as many are used purely for business and the ability to 'rub shoulders' with some people that can help you further what ever you are doing.  And they usually have far superior conditioning and very good food as well as a host of other events and amenities.

 

Balls are over rated if you lose them often, tough to swallow that $5 pill if you lose a new ball off the tee.  

 

I would vote for the DI phenomenon that captures people.  A very shot specific club that can generally be out done by a hybrid in all facets.

 

 

Edited March 31, 2021 by PEI_Golfer

[Aviador Naval]

The problem with the basic premise of the OP is that it equates activity or usage per dollar spent as value as opposed to outcome per dollar spent.  Given the wide disparity between individual skills, needs, desires activity/usage may be the only metric that can be tracked.  However, in reality, it's pretty useless.

 

For those looking to maximize their potential in the game - as opposed to targeting 'intrinsic' value - the true measure of value is the relative change in outcome per dollar spent.  Using the balls as an example, there is a reason top tier folks use Pro V1/V1X (or Z-Star/XV, or equivalent TM/Callaway/Bridgestone ball) - even those not paid to do so or that get them for free.  However, how many folks that play them truly extract the difference in performance from a less expensive ball?

 

From an outcome point of view, nothing is likely to ever approach the boutique putter as the lowest value in golf.  I'm currently putting the best I ever have in my life with a 54 year old Ping putter that cost me $45 on Ebay.  Scotty's closest rip-off - the limited edition Laguna Fax Day - will cost you well north of $600 in semi-decent shape and it's potential to change the outcome of my putting game is basically zero.

Edited March 31, 2021 by Aviador Naval

[RSinSG]

Don’t buy new. Or if you’re lucky like me get one on WRX to evaluate and then keep it. 
 

I use the 4h several time a round because as I got older the 4i was harder for me to hit. 
 

I also use my 3w a lot. One of the courses I play has narrow fairways and other fairways that require a tee shot in the <220 range. I have much better success with less than driver. 
 

I think $50+ for a dozen balls has the worst ROI for us amateurs. Especially when there are balls like Kirkland that perform almost as good. 

[farmer]

4 hours ago, Bogeygolf2 said:

regarding scotties, etc. I believe that the more you spend on a putter directly correlates to how you think it will perform, which means it will likely do as you think it will! So spend up!

Again, speaking as an OldGuy, putters, by their nature, are treacherous little bastards that will turn on you in an instant.  Be careful, be very, very careful.