Frugal Golfers

[Fraser]

  Mr Eagle said:

Sod all that rummiging through the garbage,

The pro shop of the club where I used to be a member got ram raided...it was maybe 1500sq.ft. of which 1000 were brand new golf clubs. The only things that got stolen were the embroidered sweaters, shirts and vests with the name of the club on them!!

[JonnyGolf]

  DrivingRangeJunkie said:

Let's face it, Golf is an expensive game, and my own opinion is that nobody should ever have to pay too much for anything that they shouldn't really have to pay for at all. So recently I began wondering whether or not dumpster diving behind golf galaxy, sports authority, dicks sporting goods etc is worth the effort, after all I hear of stores throwing out perfectly good merchandise and I'm sure I would be able to find golf tees, golf balls, gloves, etc. all for free due to stores restocking or rollbacks or something. Does anybody else agree with me on this? Times are tough right now, if anybody should be pinching pennies right now, its golfers.

Hmmm, I don't think they're throwing away any merchandise. They would clearance table it and lower the price until it was sold.

[Mr Eagle]

  Fraser said:

Why the hell would the idiots do over a golf shop and only nick jumpers ?

The future of mankind is hanging in the balance

[st0wgolf08]

  Mr Eagle said:

Why the hell would the idiots do over a golf shop and only nick jumpers ?

Well that's sort of smart, say the theifs driver he stole breaks, he calls in TM with the serial and they see that that Serial was in the golf shop that got stolen. You could sort of trace them with serials. That's only if they called in, and if they're that dumb then your right.

[flopdarock]

yeah i doubt youre gonna get anything in a dumpster except a disease... the best deals ive seen are ebay... altho rich neighborhood estate sales and garage sales might get you something

[DrivingRangeJunkie]

Ok so dumpster diving isn't a good ideea, but freecycle* is a pretty good bet. I scored a free bag and two sets of old Ping and Pinseeker irons in it for free. Bunch of old golf balls in it too. I used to stop by the salvation army because they would sometimes have sandwich bags full of golf balls (some old and some recent) and enough old irons to melt down and build infrastructure with. I'm also on the lookout for garage sales, as flopdarock said, I missed out on a giant rich neighborhood garage sale and I'm positive there would have been golf gold in there.

*Freecycle: An online organization that allows you and others in your community to give and take anything that is no longer in use for FREE. Look it up on google.

[PiKapp23]

Sorta related (at least in terms of word 'frugal').

From Frank Thomas on TheGolfChannel.com today (and also on his website www.franklygolf.com):


Dear Frankly Friends,

During this downturn in the economy, we need to find ways to save money as cutting back on our golf is not an option -- except for those up north where the weather dictates the extent and the type of outdoor activity at this time of the year. No matter where we live in the States or elsewhere in the World, the winter months will pass and the economy will eventually return to a state of good health, we need to think positively about this.

In the meantime, here are five ways to stretch your dollar when selecting new equipment to enhance your game:

1. If we are in the double-digit handicap range, we don’t need to buy premium balls. There are some very good multi-layered balls produced by the premium manufacturers, which work as well if not better than the premium (expensive) product for our slower-than-tour swing speeds.

2. We need to keep the ball in-bounds and on the short grass more often, making the box of balls we bought last longer. Shorten up on your driver or choke down about an inch on your existing driver. This will remind you not to give a full blast of testosterone to your drive and keep your swing under control.

3. If you are going to buy a new driver -- and certainly if the one in your bag is more than five years old -- buy last year's model. Technology has not changed sufficiently in the last several years to warrant the major difference in the price between last year's model and a new one; both of which promise to hit the ball farther and more accurately. The new ones (many of them) make too much noise anyway.

4. Your irons should be no more than 10 years old, preferably even a little younger. This is where an old friend is hard to replace with a new one, which is not going to perform any better if you are comfortable with what you have. Iron technology is changing for the sake of change and marketing purposes. Changes in irons have made very little difference in performance the last five or more years.

5. Try some hybrids if your long irons persist in giving you the ‘shakes’ every time you need to fill that distance gap between your 5-iron and 5-wood. A hybrid or two will save you money as it will forestall the need to buy a new set because a few clubs in your bag are not behaving.

The best investment you can make is to become better informed about how to select your equipment, understand how it works and how it can help you reach your potential. I have provided this information in both of my books “Just Hit It” and my most recent release “Dear Frank...”. And you'll still have some change to spend on a lesson.

January 14th, 2009, between the hours of 12 noon and 4pm Eastern Time I will be available to answer your phone calls to help you get more distance out your dollar. Just call at 407.396.4004 for a free 5-minute golf equipment consultation.

Please have fun and enjoy your game but don’t spend too much money to do so. It doesn’t pay.

-Frank

[Big_M]

Just checked my local golf mega store dumpsters and this is what I found

-16 demo drivers with only mild wear (TM Burners, FT-i, Cleveland XLS, etc.) -about 12 dozen various premium brand logo overruns -tons and tons of headcovers -some decent shoes with only small scuff (none in my size though) -enough tees for a lifetime (the short ones though) -PBJ sandwhich (only half eaten) -3/4 of a bottle of coke

  ks8829 said:

Ebay, Craig's List for discounted clubs.

indeed... I'm all over that type stuff

  TitleistWI said:

Thats pretty much what I do too. I will play either early in the morning or after 3:00pm and get discounted greens fees.

I HATE playing a par 3... it just doesn't feel like I'm golfing.

exception... on vacation I would play an afternoon round at one of those really nice resort par 3's like Threetops or such.

[ForePutt]

If you're a bargain hunter (like I am), I've hit the Goodwill a few times in the last couple of months a picked up used sand wedge for $5, and even a second pair of FootJoys with minimal wear for $8. Goodwills will vary by location for selection (if you live in a elite part of town with $500,000 homes, the pickings are much better, and nicer!)...YMMV.

[I <3 Titleist]

I'm going to come right out and say it. No, diving in a dumpster for golf stuff is not being frugal. That's called being a bum.

Whether or not this is just a troll post, I'm not really sure.

[Par Fore]

  I <3 Titleist said:

I'm going to come right out and say it. No, diving in a dumpster for golf stuff is not being frugal. That's called being a bum.

X2, dumpster diving is for the homeless....

Many of us are feeling a pinch, but completely cutting back and eliminating previous activities only serves to put people out of a job.....there are tons of good people that work at golf stores, as well as other places we frequented in the past....you can still support those businesses, just be smart if money is a little tighter.....instead of a $40 box of balls, spend $25.....at dinner, cut out the appetizer or one drink.....I plan to walk more rounds this year, but I still want to support the courses I did in the past.... I am frugal, but there are good people out there that rely on our customer dollars to feed their family.....

[evanandpeaches]

I am very frugal (cheap) so I got a caddie job at a very nice course so free golf after 3 just about everyday. Plus I find more pro-v's and tour ix balls than I can keep.

[Spackler-esque]

  I <3 Titleist said:

I'm going to come right out and say it. No, diving in a dumpster for golf stuff is not being frugal. That's called being a bum.

  Big Perm said:

X2, dumpster diving is for the homeless....

Wow... Really?

First off, according to Merriam-Webster, "frugal" is defined as: characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of resources. Therefore, by definition, with time, money, labor, etc., being considered resources, dumpster diving is being frugal. Now, I'm sure some municipalities have laws on the books against it, but that's a whole other discussion. Maybe it's because I remember dumpster diving for electronics and such back in high school and even before that, and then helping friends do it for furniture in college, but if there's stuff there and it's in good shape, why not go and take it? What's the harm in checking? One man's trash and all that jazz. If I thought it might score something sweet, I would, and I'm far from a bum and am certainly not homeless. Frankly, those are both fairly bigoted statements.

[Par Fore]

  Spackler-esque said:

Wow... Really?

Bigoted.......really??? That is a little strong and assumes a lot....

I'm not a fan of something for nothing....to an extent, furniture is a necessity for sitting and sleep....I understand the college thing, which is close to being homeless ....on the other hand, instead of dumpster diving for free stuff behind businesses, why not support them by giving them a few of your dollars by getting a good deal on something for sale.....

[Spackler-esque]

  Big Perm said:

Bigoted.......really??? That is a little strong and assumes a lot....

Well, it assumes some, I'll admit. It assumes that the opinions stated will not be changed and that the individuals are intolerant of individuals who dumpster dive. That fits the definition and I don't think those assumptions are too much of a stretch.

  Big Perm said:

I'm not a fan of something for nothing....to an extent, furniture is a necessity for sitting and sleep....I understand the college thing, which is close to being homeless

Because I can get it for free, that's why. That and I don't like big chain retailers all that much anyway.

I don't know why anyone would not be a fan of getting something useful for nothing. In this case, it's not like you're being given anything. You're going out, spending your time and your energy to find something. Time, gas... Whether or not you want to admit it, those things are worth money, so technically this isn't something for nothing.

[Fat Slice]

How philosophically different from dumpster diving is the lost ball birddogging so many people do on the course? Are the ball hawkers bums, too?

[Chilidipper]

After talking to 3-4 people around the office I convinced a co worker to go diving with me at Dicks and Golf Galaxy. Listed below is what we found.

6 and 7 irons big bertha heads
callaway display plastic
to ping mats that had major wear and tear.
bag full of driver head covers


A bunch of trash and garbage and scrap from shafts etc.

It was fun to be honest.

[Par Fore]

Apparently this has gotten sideways and I am the bad guy here....so be it...

First, retailers that are throwing out valued goods that could otherwise be sold at huge discounts, or given to junior/outreach golf programs is just irresponsible....stuff like clubs, bags, mats, or whatever....I don't know how many times I've wanted to replace an old headcover that is worn with the actual original and been unable to find it.....

Second, no, I'm not a fan of dumpster diving.....I believe we should support retailers and courses with up-front purchases......if a store is gonna throw out stuff other than trash, it should be donated as stated above...

Third, regarding bird dogging, that is entirely up to the course and the law....I don't know specifics, but if the golf course doesn't care, then it's fine.....personally, as long as it doesn't impede the pace of play, it may actually help the course by keeping the balls from ruining their maintenance equipment....but, if the course claims lost balls as their own property, then I expect players to respect those rules......