Make Golf Affordable Again

Golf often comes with the stigma of being a wealthy, white collar sport. Reserved for those who belong to exclusive country clubs and deep pockets. While it is true golf has a history of this cliche, now outrageous there are way to make golf more affordable and fun for anyone.

-Buy used or direct to consumer. Arguably the most expensive part of golf is the equipment required to play. Today’s economic situation doesn’t help, making it even harder to get into the game. But there are ways around this, used clubs are a great route for those who want to get into the game and not break the bank. The used club market is huge, and available for just about everyone. Golf clubs don’t have to be brand new in order to be used, and there are older clubs that are just as good if not better than newer models. Now while placed like 2nd swing are a great option, Play It Again Sports, thrift shops, and yard sells are other great ways to save money on gear. One downside to used clubs are they are not customized to you, length, lie angle, swing weight ect. Direct to consumer brands such as Takomo, Haywood, and Sub 70 help solve the issues of club customization and affordability. I would recommend if you are just getting started to find a solid set of old Ping irons and TaylorMade woods from a used supplier. Then, once you have been playing for a while and your game is trending in a good direction, get some new, customized, clubs from one of these brands. I am willing to bet that the total cost of both sets are still cheaper than any brand new iron set from a major OEM.

-Play with less clubs. Since 1938, 14 golf clubs have been the limit for players, and many see that as the only option. Prior to that many players often played with 10 or even less clubs. So if you want to get into the sport but don’t want to drop a bunch of money on clubs, then play with partial sets. A fairway wood, hybrid, 5 irons, 2 wedges, and a putter will get the job done for most golfers. It can even make the game more fun because you now must get creative hitting certain shots. Whenever I fly with my clubs I will usually bring 10-12 clubs on my trip in a smaller stand bag. This helps make the bag lighter for travel costs, encourages me to walk the course, and forces me to get out of my comfort zone.

-Look for memberships and deals. In Phoenix, you can buy the city play card for all the public golf courses in the city. It allows you to get discounted greens fees and make tee times a few days earlier. Arcis Golf offers different membership cards that have different levels of savings and perks at a number of courses in the valley. These type of membership cards can help you save money on greens fees and gives you the opportunity to go out and try all the courses that are participating in the membership. Now these are different than county or golf club memberships that are exclusive to a course, require more upfront initiation costs, and limits to the number of courses available.

-Walk. This sounds simple, almost too simple. But it can help save money when it comes to golf. Usually a cart fee runs between $15-$30 per player. There are some courses where you can get 2-3 walking round for the cost of 1 round with a cart. Now some courses require a cart, for pace of play or the course isn’t designed for walking, but that doesn’t mean other courses are good for walking. You also get the added bonus of getting a good work out in, increasing your cardiovascular endurance. When you walk a course, you do tend to feel more connected to the course and notice little nuances that are often over looked when riding. My wife bought me a Kid Caddie attachment that goes onto the end of our baby stroller. I have taken that several times out to play and can honestly say I had more fun doing that then I have riding those same courses.

-Practice at home. If you have the room at home to set up a hitting net and mat you can help save a huge amount of money that would be used at the driving range. Today some courses are charging almost $20 for a large bucket of range balls, which is outrageous. If you were to do that 2-3 times a week, you are

If you are someone who wants to get into the game of golf but believe there is this reputation that golf is too expensive, these are some ways to help keep the cost down. Making golf more affordable helps those get into and grow the game of golf.