How much do you typically spend on golf?

I spend about 40-50 a week. I would label myself right between casual and avid golfer. It breaks down to 20-40 on greensfees and then 5-7 bucks on range sessions. I am lucky to have a nice range near by with really low rates and its rare I play a round of golf when theres no discount involved. I love twilight weekday rounds, its cheaper and you almost always have the course to your self.
 

I feel like kicking your ass or this post.... I had not looked at this aspect so I am a little taken a back with how much I have spent.

 

I spent roughly $1785.00 this year.....maybe more....

I spend about $50 a week: 1 18-hole round on the weekend, 1 9-hole round during the week and a bucket of balls at the range once a week.  Beyond that, Ive spent a fair amount of money this year tinkering with different clubs.  Thats a cost that you dont need to have but I like to tinker and try different clubs.  From now on Im going to resist that though because different clubs havent made me a better golfer.  Honestly, from now on Im probably going to just buy clone golf clubs simply because I feel that name brand clubs are so overpriced and overrated.  In the past I played clones (started out with a set of Knight clubs that I bought at Wal-Mart for $200 and after that played Pinemeadow clubs) and Im not convinced that they are so inferior to name brand.

Another cost is lessons.  IMO, if you want to be good at golf you need lessons.  Prices vary but most of the lessons around here go for anywhere from $40-$75 an hour.

Golf doesnt have to be a super-expensive sport.  You can play inexpensive golf clubs (theres plenty of very good sets that are $300 or less), play inexpensive balls and you can walk or play during the week and not spend a fortune on golf.

The best thing you can do to save money on golf is to not get into whats known as, "club hoing".  That means, constantly buying and selling different clubs thinking that a club change will help you play better.

I play year round and I generally play twice a week. $40-$50 on average per round including warm up range balls. Add in consumables such as balls, gloves, etc... and I figure I'm somewhere around $500 a month. That's exclusive of tournament fees, travel expense (gas adds up even locally), clubs, shoes, and other longer lived gear that gets replaced periodically.

Best guess, all in, probably +/- $8,000 annually.....

.....as long as my winnings at least offset my losses to the rat bastards I play with!

Too much, and to be clear, there is absolutely NO need to spend anywhere near that to enjoy the game!

If you don't mind me asking, where outside of Chicago exactly and what is the facility for $99?

$99 for unlimited practice?  That's absolutely insane.  I almost want to sign up and I live 8 hours from Chicago.  

 

My driving range is $10 for a large bucket.

I spend 100 a month of course membership and another 120-200 on cart fees and range fees or greens fees at another course. So probably 3000 a year average not including any lessons or equipment costs. 

There is absolutely no telling what I spend a year and I don't think I want to figure it out. I know I spend 3400 bucks between two clubs for unlimited play every year. Beyond that, I club ho like a maniac even though I know it does no good for my game (I just like clubs, I also tournament fish a lot and you should see what my fishing gear selection looks like). 

 

Oh well, I have a good income and almost no debt so what else am I going to do with it?

I spent about $55 this week, which included two rounds (one at $26 and the other at $18) and two trips to the range at 5 each. That's pretty typical.  

Some things to keep costs down:

- Set up a practice net in your backyard, you can hit into it every day for free and reduce the number of times you need to go to the range

- Play twilight rates as much as possible

- Use Golf 18 or other similar, they have good deals on greens fees

- Walk as much as possible; it's better for you, you'll play better, and you'll save money

- When I was in grad school and on a poverty-level income, I found a huge open field on campus and nobody minded if I hit balls there. I got a bunch of cheap balls and a shag bag and just walked back and forth across the field working on different shots. It was good practice, and free.   

Expensive this season. I replaced my driver and FWs and got a hybrid, so a cost there of about $900.

 

Paid $250 for a Mon-Fri senior membership, get to play 18 w/cart for $15. When playing at other courses, can be $11 for 9 holes walking, or $25-$40 for 18. So, $250 plus about $85 a month and $30 a month for range balls.

 

And, lessons this year = Four for $200.

 

So, counting incidentals, probably about $1,800 this year. Last year, with no new clubs and lesser play, probably about $700.

 

(Note: I bought first-year model woods, close to full price, and I'm not sure I like the hybrid! I guess I'm suggesting you let other players Beta test a new model for a year - if it's good, test it out and then buy it after first big price break). 

I was lucky enough to join my local country club which has unbelievable junior rates. The course is very well kept and with everything, I pay $170 a month without cart fees. Up to this year, carts were free but now charge $7 per 18, which is not bad at all. We have a great grass range with unlimited balls of course.

I'm a bottomfeeder by nature.     I've bought so many name brand almost new clubs of eBay for cheap its rediculous.     Never buy anything new - it's more fun to get a deal.     Thanks to Golfnow.com, I play every weekend for under $15.     I did join a club (thats my golf related splurge) & play there several times after work.     You don't have to spend alot of money to get yourself set up with late model nice clubs - just don't buy new.

Very true, I bought my TM Burner 2.0's new as well as all of my bags and wedges but my CB2's, drivers, FW's, etc I bought used in great shape either from Global Golf or my local pro shop where guys trade them in all the time and saved a substantial amount on them. Makes me feel better about buying and selling so many sets of clubs. 

$99 for a year of unlimited...nice. I paid $550 for unlimited range and twilight golf at $7 for a year. But it is an uncovered outdoor range...and short with 70% compression balls. The upside is that it is only 3 miles from the office so I get over their 3 or 4 times a week. At $10 bucket a week I would have been at $520, and with the unlimited I'm doing 3 to 6 a week. I've played 9 holes ($7 per) 21 times.

 

Along with a couple of full 18 rounds and some outings at my favorite par3, and 2 lessons, I'll fork out $1500 for 12 months starting in March.

 

You have the right idea on equipment, I haven't changed anything in my bag however much the temptation.

If you really want to get better as cheaply as possible - I would recommend getting a mat, a net and making extensive use of video.  I use the SwingReader ($2.99 I think) app for iphone but, if you already have a video camera or care to move videos from your phone to pc, then there is a free version of V1 software.  I spend about an hour a day practicing with the mat and net - so for me, it has been very well worth it.

 

You can probably put something together for around $500.  Then take lessons sparingly - practice a lot with video - and go to range every so often. 

 

Here's what I spent to become a bogey golfer  - starting from when I got the net and took the first lesson, which is when I started making improvement

 

This was spent over about a year and a half:

1.  Net and Mat and swingreader app ($1000 - I went with a high end mat and net - but it could be done for far less)

2.  Golf clinic put on by local school district - essentially 4 hour long group lessons - $150

3.  2 private lessons - spaced about 3 months apart - $160

 

And I am now definitely a bogey golfer if not a little better.  I tried other stuff before this - going to the range (a lot), dvds, books, etc . .but what really helped was a few lessons and video.  I can't say enough good things about incorporating video into your practice.

 

As for spending on rounds, equipment, etc:

I live in a paradise of cheap golf - San Antonio, TX.  I pay around $10 a round for twilight 9 holes about 1-2 x per week.  Every once in a while I will play a weekday 18 for around $30-40.  I bought used clubs for around $600 (including new TM burner driver) and I got a new stand bag - which I think was around 80-100. 

 

So - a typical month might be spending $100:

6 9-hole rounds - $60

2 trips to range - $20

misc (balls mostly - I buy refurb balls on-line, I don't use a glove) - $20