How much do you spend on golf?

[inthehole]

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.

[slodsm]

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.

[0ldblu3]

$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.

[AmazingWhacker]

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

[JaxBomber17]

$99 a month is just plain awesome. Before I joined my club, I was dropping $10 per bucket at my university, and that was the student rate to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a bunch of guys spraying me with their divots and talking on their phones. I found a nice course with a great junior rate-$195 a month until age 41, and no initiation fee. Free range balls and no charge to walk, which I prefer to do anyway. I bought new irons this year, and may be buying wedges and a hybrid.

So about $200 a month on range and rounds at my club, maybe an extra $45 if I go play somewhere else. $14 on a glove about once a month, $30 on balls (I buy Pro V1 practice balls at $30 a dozen, saves me about $20 a box), and since my course is only about five minutes from home, I've saved on gas from when I had to drive to the school and courses all over town. Irons came in at $860 after tax, but that isn't a charge I'll need to see again for a few years now.

Once you buy a house, if you have no plans for the garage (or basement), a good friend of mine spent about $1500 and turned his garage into a practice facility. He has nets up for full shots, a putting green that even has a few swells in it, and a few different lengths of turf.

[Effington]

  JaxBomber17 said:

Originally Posted by JaxBomber17

$99 a month is just plain awesome. Before I joined my club, I was dropping $10 per bucket at my university, and that was the student rate to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with a bunch of guys spraying me with their divots and talking on their phones. I found a nice course with a great junior rate-$195 a month until age 41, and no initiation fee. Free range balls and no charge to walk, which I prefer to do anyway. I bought new irons this year, and may be buying wedges and a hybrid.

So about $200 a month on range and rounds at my club, maybe an extra $45 if I go play somewhere else. $14 on a glove about once a month, $30 on balls (I buy Pro V1 practice balls at $30 a dozen, saves me about $20 a box), and since my course is only about five minutes from home, I've saved on gas from when I had to drive to the school and courses all over town. Irons came in at $860 after tax, but that isn't a charge I'll need to see again for a few years now.

Once you buy a house, if you have no plans for the garage (or basement), a good friend of mine spent about $1500 and turned his garage into a practice facility. He has nets up for full shots, a putting green that even has a few swells in it, and a few different lengths of turf.

It's actually $99 for a year, not a month!  However, it's on turf mats.

At that rate, it's cheaper than a home-made facility for about 15 years...

[Audaxi]

I spent about $40 each week on greens fees, with them being at $10 per 18 (on a fairly nice course too ) and I don't spend money on the range, seeing's how I have a long 32 acres of grassy pasture to use as my own range with a psudo-green created by a small bowl of dirt from irrigation erosion. The pasture goes long enough that I can practice with up to a 6 iron, but after that I stop due to the fact that it's only about 20 yards wide, and I can get a little inconsistent when grooving a swing.

[jeramydavid]

My golf expenses have ballooned this year... My wife and two sons all have jumped in with both feet. I can't think of any better way to go broke. :) So between leagues, equipment, lessons, and greens fees... I've lost count. I will say, it only has to he as expensive as you want it to be... Quality practice can be free... I recommend some wiffle balls, or the foam balls. It's a great way to practice a full swing without a lot of space. I spent an hour working on shaping ball flight tonight, in less than half an acre. Wifflle balls will give you great feedback. Then hit the local clubs practice greens... Everyone would do well to practice putting at least as much as they practiced full swings.(imo) Get a shag bag of balls, hit a local park, chip into a bucket. Short game practice helped me so much this year, and I didn't have to pay for any of it. And don't get me started on equipment. I'm using great equipment, nicer than most, and every bit of it was found on craigslist... Golf equipment rarely goes bad, so spend a little time online. There are some great deals out there.

[Lihu]

  jeramydavid said:

My golf expenses have ballooned this year... My wife and two sons all have jumped in with both feet. I can't think of any better way to go broke. :) So between leagues, equipment, lessons, and greens fees... I've lost count. I will say, it only has to he as expensive as you want it to be... Quality practice can be free... I recommend some wiffle balls, or the foam balls. It's a great way to practice a full swing without a lot of space. I spent an hour working on shaping ball flight tonight, in less than half an acre. Wifflle balls will give you great feedback. Then hit the local clubs practice greens... Everyone would do well to practice putting at least as much as they practiced full swings.(imo) Get a shag bag of balls, hit a local park, chip into a bucket. Short game practice helped me so much this year, and I didn't have to pay for any of it. And don't get me started on equipment. I'm using great equipment, nicer than most, and every bit of it was found on craigslist... Golf equipment rarely goes bad, so spend a little time online. There are some great deals out there.

Same here, except I have a son and daughter. We also get deals on old model clubs at Dicks or Golfsmith. I got used clubs at Roger Dunn as well. The kids league is not too expensive with First Tee. This is great family time as well.

[Dave2512]

I spend roughly $100-125 a week on fees/range and around $50-60 every 45 days or so on balls, tees and gloves. Typically play 9 holes 3-4 times a week @ $21 w/cart and every other weekend I get in 18, time permitting. If I walked I'd spend a lot less that's for sure. Wish I had the time.

[plum]

i budget 150 per week for golf and it usually covers me to play, balls, clubs, lessons are extra of course

[robrey85]

I spend probably $122-200 every two weeks for golf, range time, a lesson and maybe some gatorade/clif bars if I run out on the course. Expensive, but I'd rather spend my money playing golf then gambling it away like I was doing before I got into golf, haha.

[Lefty-Golfer]

Based on my monthly statement i just recieved average month is 1500.00 includes dues (includes range), carts, 1 monthly member event, lunch most rounds, typically 2 or 3 beers.

Equipment and trips not included above but broken to a monthly average would be another 700.00 maybe 800.00 per month.

things i didn't realize till i totaled everything up is i have severe issues, cash is your friend / untrackable and thank god i have my bill sent to my office and not home!! sadly i am sure i am under on my equipment expenses... there are limited amounts of good shots in new golf equipment these days!!!!!

[sean_miller]

Golf can sure be expensive if you want it to be. My daughter and I got season's passes at the min-links (a tiny links course - longest hole is 90 yards) and a range pass for $300. Add that to my home course season pass / membership and the total is $1500. More than I wanted to spend, but I didn't play anywhere else this year (other than for business). Next year we might not play anywhere since she really wants to play baseball and tennis.

[Valleygolfer]

  Lefty-Golfer said:

Originally Posted by Lefty-Golfer

Based on my monthly statement i just recieved average month is 1500.00 includes dues (includes range), carts, 1 monthly member event, lunch most rounds, typically 2 or 3 beers.

Equipment and trips not included above but broken to a monthly average would be another 700.00 maybe 800.00 per month.

things i didn't realize till i totaled everything up is i have severe issues, cash is your friend / untrackable and thank god i have my bill sent to my office and not home!! sadly i am sure i am under on my equipment expenses... there are limited amounts of good shots in new golf equipment these days!!!!!

I see I am not the only one.....

[wolfsburg2]

I will not be answering this question because that means I'd have to think about it. I did buy new irons, a 3w a wedge and $2200 on a country club. Ugh.

[vo-man]

Lets see.....

new clubs every 20 years or so comes out to about 50 bucks a year ...

then there's course fees...twice a month at $37 per round...

add in some extras-hot dogs & beer at the turn around...

balls...I only bought 2 dozen balls in the past year.

call it $1000 bucks a year.

[BuckeyeNut]

For anyone to play a lot.............memberships of some kind are A MUST!!!

IE....finding an annual pass for unlimited balls at the range is a good start!!!   $99...wow, that's cheap!!  The same can be said for the golf course too......if you have the time to play a lot, you need to find a membership.  It doesn't have to be a private course either because most public courses offer a full suite of membership options.  Many begin with Patron passes......pay X, and you receive a discounted green fee every time you tee it up.  They graduate to the full blown unlimited play passes......I've seen annual passes as cheap as $700/yr!!  It just depends on where you live, and how much golf course you want.   Is a basic muni enough?....or a big high end challenge?

As much as I play, I couldn't imagine not owning a membership of some kind.  I pay $2000/yr for my annual membership.  I can play unlimited golf and the cart is included with no restrictions.   IMO....I couldn't imagine not having unlimited play privies.   I don't keep track of other expenses....ie clubs, clothes, accessories....   I'm not a serial golf club purchaser, so that's not an issue for me.  golf related clothing is just rub of the green...IMO.