is the cost of golf becoming prohibitive?

[RussUK]

Hi All, New to the site and wanted to ask your opinions on the cost of our sport, is the “man in the street” being priced out of the game?

With Taylormade etc.  releasing a new club seemingly every 6 months promising game changing features and the magazines stating these shiny new toys are “must have” clubs are we under too much pressure by the latest equipment?

In my opinion it doesn’t have to be expensive, my current set was put together for around £300 and is all branded (Wilson Staff, Ping, Yes!) and all fairly new and I get around the course ok with them and most importantly have fun.

Where do you all stand on cost, new vs used etc.

Thanks for reading my post

Russ

[jshots]

Yes.

Solution. Make golf free in all of America for 2-3 months as well as nice rental clubs. Everyone gets addicted to golf who hasn't tried it. Profit off of everyone's new addiction.

[RussUK]

Nice idea, not sure they would go for it over here in Britain, the government would lose out on too much TAX revenue. We have a habit of looking at the short term!

[dbuck]

It doesn't have to be, at least in my neck of the woods.

I have recently put together a playble set for my son (who plays like twice a year) for less than $100. PING Eye2's, a couple of Callaway woods, an almost unused Nike carry bag.  Between Craiglist, Goodwill, Ebay, Play-it-again, you can come up with really good stuff for not much money.

If you are a casual golfer, you don't need ProV1's. Titilist DT Solos(my preference) and similar balls by other name brands are available new for about half the cost (or less) of the ProV. If you are over a 9 handicap, it won't make a stroke of difference.

I am fortunate in that I have a few public courses within 30 minutes that I can walk 9 for $20 or less.

[Patch]

The game can be too expensive for some. Just depends on what they want out of the game. One's ego can have a poor effect on their pocket book, and an even worse effect on their golf game. .

Some folks get by nicely on those $99 sets from Wal-Mart and similar stores. Other's will pay several $100s more for a set, and not play any better that the person with the $99 set. (vice versa)

Once the initial start up costs are paid, affordable green fees can be found. I golf at a very nice, well maintained course for under $35 a round most of the time. If I go later in the day I can play the same course for $20. Other times I will pay a lot more just to be pampered. I don't play any better, but getting waited on hand and foot with my golf buddies is a nice thing .

Walking will save on the extra cost of riding. I had a golf counter guy tell they preferred riders over walkers because of the extra revenue.

[saevel25]

I think were cost hit the most is the upkeep in golf courses. I think golf rates = course condition has changed a lot over the past 15 years.

Now as for golf clubs, not so much.

If you had a $400 driver back in 1999, that should equal a $570 dollar drive today. Right now the top shelf drivers are $450 dollars. They are still $120 dollars behind inflation. That is with way more technology in the drivers today. I would say the market has done very well to produce high quality clubs at a good price compared to what you could get 15 years ago.

[DrvFrShow]

I think my Cobra BioCells will work for me for the next several years.

Unfortunately I probably won't play as often this year unless I ride due to yet another #@!!%! injury. This time the knee is acting up. I started flaring my feet more. Maybe I shouldn't.

[rkim291968]

Hi All, New to the site and wanted to ask your opinions on the cost of our sport, is the “man in the street” being priced out of the game?

Here in northern CA/USA where the cost of McDonald meal can feed a family of 4 in Bhutan for a week, it is still doable.   But one has to work really, really hard at it to make it affordable.  Buy 20 year old clubs from brother-in-law, use balls found in course, get the lowest deal via Golfnow.com for the cheapest muni course, eavesdrop on a golf lesson being given at a range stall next to you, ....    It can be affordable.

[Spitfisher]

I think were cost hit the most is the upkeep in golf courses. I think golf rates = course condition has changed a lot over the past 15 years.

Now as for golf clubs, not so much.

If you had a $400 driver back in 1999, that should equal a $570 dollar drive today. Right now the top shelf drivers are $450 dollars. They are still $120 dollars behind inflation. That is with way more technology in the drivers today. I would say the market has done very well to produce high quality clubs at a good price compared to what you could get 15 years ago.

off topic, but thanks to Taylormade we are not spending 6-700 on a Callaway driver today....

we now return to our regular schedule programming, shown in its entirety

[Patch]

If they both did the same thing for the golfer, what would be the difference between a $500 driver, and a $200 driver?

[rkim291968]

If they both did the same thing for the golfer, what would be the difference between a $500 driver, and a $200 driver?

$300?

The most expensive club I bought cost me $160 (used, from Ebay) and it took me a month to decide.

[ay33660]

Golf is really no more expensive than some other sports.

Snowboarding - (mid level) snowboard $500; binding $250; boots $300; jacket and pants $600

Skiing - (mid level) ski $700; binding $300; boots $400; jacket and pants $600

Cost of daily ticket at Whistler BC - $120 per person

Water ski or wake boarding - (mid level) ski and binding $400; wake board and binding $500; surf boards $450; competition ski or wake board boat $60,000 to $120,000

Cost of gas, maintenance, insurance for the ski boat $5,000 annually

[onkey]

Hi All, New to the site and wanted to ask your opinions on the cost of our sport, is the “man in the street” being priced out of the game?

With Taylormade etc.  releasing a new club seemingly every 6 months promising game changing features and the magazines stating these shiny new toys are “must have” clubs are we under too much pressure by the latest equipment?

In my opinion it doesn’t have to be expensive, my current set was put together for around £300 and is all branded (Wilson Staff, Ping, Yes!) and all fairly new and I get around the course ok with them and most importantly have fun.

Where do you all stand on cost, new vs used etc.

Thanks for reading my post

Russs

Russ,

I'll weigh in again as the guy who has lived in the UK, but has an American bias.  The answer to your question is "yes"--but it's not about the equipment.  I've known a few golfers who can and routinely do beat my ass with clubs worth <$200.

There are some places where the green fees can be cost prohibitive towards growing the game.  I found that to be the case especially when I lived in England.  Even junky 9-hole courses will charge 25GBP/$40 to play a round.  According to the Daily Mirror, the average UK income is 26,500 GBP/year.  Even playing a "cheap" round takes a significant bite out of your yearly income.

[Hammer 4]

Living in a Highly populated golf city, where it's almost impossible to play 18 by yourself. And with not all tha many golf stores/ shops around. The green fee's can be very reasonable. The City of Los Angeles owns a bunch of courses, granted, most are flat, and not as well kept as some of the private courses near by, but the cost is way less. In my case being 66, I get a nice discount even for prime time fees, and a cart if I choose is also less than normal, so people here have a few options.

As for clubs, most of mine are used, my irons are used, driver, 4H, 1 wedge, and my putter, so I bought 2 new clubs since last year, oh, and my bag was used. Would it have been more fun the go to a pro shop and buy new, yep, would be worth the higher price? no. so there's money to be saved IF you use your head, and not your ego. In my case, the over crowding is what makes me upset.

So, I think you can golf for a reasonable cost, what that cost is, and how much you can, or will spend depends. But there's sure no shortage of golfers around here. Just as a note, I live about 2 miles from Trump golf course in Palos Verdes, Ca. where a 7:00 am tee time will cost you $300.00 USD, and guess what, there's no shortage of players..So I'd have to answer no to your question, at least for where I live.

[RussUK]

Does seem that its the cost if a round that causes most issue. I'm lucky in that I have a few local courses that charge £18 for 18 holes, however to play the "member" courses they often charge over £40. I just can't justify that on a round

[David in FL]

Golf can be expensive if you choose to make it so. Although there may be a few geographic exceptions, for the VAST majority in the U.S. it need not be.

[tqcishark]

$25 to walk 18, thats roughly $7/hr to be entertained.  You pay that much to sit in the dark and watch a movie

[trickyputt]

I do not think it is particularly expensive. What it really is, is wasteful. Unless you are networking for business, the lack of practical use is astounding. Even if you are a bad fisherman you bring home a guppy now and then. Golf is an exercise in a nonproductive arena. Its only usefulness is found in the same venue as the paintbrush of the driven artist. It is a self expression of interest and perfection, not to be calculated as a cost so much as to be balanced against by stress and horrible instances of life. Perhaps if you pay a lot for the pleasure a golf course brings, you may consider why you pay that much for what you want.