Price conversation: equipment or course price worst?

[dsw1519]

I am in the cost to play camp. I'm a member of a private club, so my cost is even higher but i'm willing to pay more to have the open tee times and can play as much as I want. In going to other public courses in the area I do think the cost for a round is pretty high, especially when you add in the cart fee.

 

[rollin]

Maybe we should add range balls to the list. That's crazy, I mean, unless you're getting a huge number of balls for that. I pay $3.50/30 balls. How many do you get for $13?

100 balls for the 13. So thats about equivalent to your 3.50 for 30.
I believe its 10 bucks for 70 balls as well.

But practice on any egular basis and it certainly is part the expense to avid participation in the game.

 

[mikeg_74]

The conversation about the price of equipment got me thinking about how much it costs to play the game in general. Do you think the price of equipment creeping up is tougher to deal with, or is the price for an actual round of golf tougher to swallow?

Finding a reasonable membership can be tough in some areas and it always amazes me how how much it costs to play some of the nicer courses in the country. Heck sometimes even average courses can be pretty expensive. What do you have a tougher time spending money on or what do you think is the part of the game that seems to be too expensive?

I 100% think the price to play golf is too expensive. I have a tougher time spending money on overpriced courses that are not well maintained. On THP we get to here about guys playing some decent courses for way less than I would have to pay on average. I am not sure if around me it's lack of players so they have to make up for it, or if course maintenance has gotten more expensive and that cost has trickled down to the green fee.

Either way anything decent around me is at least $60 to $70 (cheaper for twilight) and if I want a good to great course it's $80-$100 a round. That is a lot of $$ for the average player. I try to play twilight rounds to offset the cost.

 

[OGputtnfool]

100 balls for the 13. So thats about equivalent to your 3.50 for 30.
I believe its 10 bucks for 70 balls as well.

But practice on any egular basis and it certainly is part the expense to avid participation in the game.

That's a little better than I had imagined. I prefer the $3.50/30 or even $4/30 over $13/100 simply because I don't want/need to hit 100 balls most of the time. I usually get 60 and call it a day.

 

[NullNomad]

I go back and forth on this, because I think if you approach it with a critical eye and patience with pace of play, you can keep both the cost of the round as well as gear pretty low. Starter/used sets for 200-300 and a weekly golf now hot deal round for 20-30, thats not TOO terrible. Going past that is where I personally have a struggle with it and constantly have to remind myself that I'm fortunate to be able to afford newer gear when I want and have a membership at a resort course. So for me, which is more expensive is relative. But I will say that I do think the cost of a round has been getting a bit silly with some courses. On the gear side I'm not as upset with the cost of it, but I am with how fast/frequent companies release stuff.

 

[OGputtnfool]

I try to play twilight rounds to offset the cost.

THIS. I can get 9 holes in with a cart for $15 if I leave at 1800. Hard to get much more than that in now that the sun is dropping out of the sky early. I actually got 18 in one night right after the "sunset fee" time dropped from 1830 to 1800.

 

[rollin]

Because it’s about 4 hours of entertainment?

nah, still imo not relevant. It doesnt matter because it doesnt affect golf nor have anything to do with golf. Golf is what it is and so is attending a football (or whatever game). The only thing we can say is that in general many the things we do today are or have become expensive. But the cost of going to a nfl game or doing anything else is simply not relevant to golf. Just because something else can be expensive doesnt make golf to be viewed as being cheap. I mean one can pay 12 bucks to go to the beach which vs golf is cheap but that still doesnt make the 12 bucks to get on a beach feel cheap nor feel it any more justified. And besides,...as i been saying, one has nothing to do with the other anyway.

 

[2BFAST]

Let me ask this question for the ones saying the price for a round is getting out of hand........do we think the cost of course maintenance and agronomy is rising? And that's not counting equipment and materials that's counting staff also. I think we need to consider that also. A course is only as good as its staff that can take care of it and/or prepare it daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly and to have a good reliable staff you have to pay them and possibly benefits too. We all know how expensive health insurance is.

Equipment.....one doesn't have to upgrade every year or multiple times a year. Yes equipment isn't cheap, but we all know upgrading a set of 2 year old irons isn't THAT beneficial for the cost.

 

[JB]

nah, still imo not relevant. It doesnt matter because it doesnt affect golf nor have anything to do with golf. Golf is what it is and so is attending a football (or whatever game). The only thing we can say is that in general many the things we do today are or have become expensive. But the cost of going to a nfl game or doing anything else is simply not relevant to golf. Just because something else can be expensive doesnt make golf to be viewed as being cheap. I mean one can pay 12 bucks to go to the beach which vs golf is cheap but that still doesnt make the 12 bucks to get on a beach feel cheap nor feel it any more justified. And besides,...as i been saying, one has nothing to do with the other anyway.

Of course it is. Every person making a decision on spending, has a limited pool (regardless of the size of that pool) to spend. They also do not have limitless amounts of time. Therefore, choosing one's hobbies and accessories has to be weighed into where those two previously mentioned resources of time and dollars go.

 

[joebute]

I always felt like golf was pretty reasonable in terms of cost, vs. other activities. If you're playing a mid range course in my part of the country, you might spend $200-400 a month on greens fees during the season. That's playing 6-8 times a month. It's not like biking, hunting, fishing, etc. are much cheaper than that.

Considering the expense that goes into running a golf course, I'm honestly surprised that $30-50 greens fees makes it a viable business. I think outings and special events are keeping some places afloat more than the individual customer.

 

[2BFAST]

Considering the expense that goes into running a golf course, I'm honestly surprised that $30-50 greens fees makes it a viable business. I think outings and special events are keeping some places afloat more than the individual customer.

Totally agree with this....

 

[blugold]

I very rarely play 18 holes. Often 9 holes. Gets the kids involved because it doesn't take all of their day. I get on the course and off in a short period of time. Lets me enjoy them. Plus, it costs less money.

I paid $111x2 for my wife and I to play a round of golf this summer and while the course was beautiful and it was a course I will probably not be able to play ever again (it was a private club near my house). But for that much money, I could have golfed, gone out to dinner afterwards and saved money.

 

[ArmyGolf]

To me the price of equipment doesn't even register on the scales here.
The barrier to entry is the cost of a round, and the time it takes. It's so hard to find the time and the money to play golf regularly, without making it an absolute priority and focus and sacrificing in other areas.

Further to that, I'd say the 2nd barrier is a lack of flexible/practical membership options. This prevents new golfers who have the itch from becoming lifetime diehard golfers and bringing their children into it, rather than their children bringing them out of it. Speaking locally of course.

 

[JediFredi]

Finding decent courses with affordable rates is getting harder to do. But the growth of apps like GolfNow certainly is helping find bargains. New equipment prices and constant marketing and releases is crazy, but I shop the used market and can find great deals on slightly used great clubs and AAAA/AAAAA balls to help control my costs. I probably should be spending more on lessons ;-)

 

[rollin]

Of course it is. Every person making a decision on spending, has a limited pool (regardless of the size of that pool) to spend. They also do not have limitless amounts of time. Therefore, choosing one's hobbies and accessories has to be weighed into where those two previously mentioned resources of time and dollars go.

limited pool of time and money ...true....but that still doesnt make relevance because our choices of recreation are not based on just money and time but simply whether or not we like them or have enough interest to get involved avidly anyway. Im not a deep seas fisherman nor do i rally want to do that avidly cause its not any great interest of mine so it dosnt matter what that costs vs golf.
I like to ski, but the money and time involved (which includes many things like travel time and gas among a number of other things) Makes it impossible for me to do regularly unless i lived much closer where that travel practicality, expense, and season pass would make it all so much more affordable as for both time and money on much more a regular basis. So my skkiing (for me) per session (or per day) is much more expensive than my golf is. But that doesnt make my golf cheap. It has nothing to do with my golf. My skiing is what it is and my golf is what it is. They are exclusive of each other and imo one is not relevant to the other.

sports events as mentioned... and Im actually a season tix holder to NFL team (unfortunately the jest..lol I know , i know) and doing this for 35 years. Its not cheap at all and its time consuming those 8 times per season vs 8 rounds of golf. And so can be a couple or few rangers games I might attend each winter. But thats still not relative imo to my golf. Those things are what they are imo and golf is what it is. They have nothing to do with my golf nor how I feel about its expense. which fwiw is an ongoing one.

i feel when talking about golf being expensive or not we can only talk about the golf itself without specific comparison. The price of apples has nothing to do with the price of chicken. We like to participate in golf on a regular basis and we have an expense related to it. Regardless what anything else may cost imo doesnt really relate to whether or not one feels that golf is too expensive or not. But thats just my opinion.
i could not afford (where i am at) to maintain my golf 2-3 times per week and do that all year round including also pratcie and or everything else associated with the expense. . That to me makes golf expensive. Glad we have an of season in that sense cause i have little choice but to give it up in winter (for majority worth anyway). My county golf has gotten a bit too expensive even in my bit better financial standing than i was years past. Is that really too expensive? i think so but the whole thing is subjective. My other hobbies/recreations are also too expensive and per event are more expensive but that doesnt make my golf inexpensive.

 

[gsc56]

We have 8 courses in my 55+. 5 regulation and 3 Executive.
We have a pass for $1550 for unlimited golf. Cart is $6 or $12 depending on time of year.
We have a surcharge pass for $800. The surcharge and cart is $9 to $19 each time you play. You have to play a lot of golf for the $3 to $7 surcharge to equal $750.
Range balls are $5 for 70.
I think that is reasonable and leaves GolfNow and other options still affordable for when you want to play somewhere else. We have 185 courses in the Phoenix Metro. So I would say equipment is the bigger problem for the regular golfer, green fees for the casual golfer.

 

[KEV]

Let me ask this question for the ones saying the price for a round is getting out of hand........do we think the cost of course maintenance and agronomy is rising? And that's not counting equipment and materials that's counting staff also. I think we need to consider that also. A course is only as good as its staff that can take care of it and/or prepare it daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly and to have a good reliable staff you have to pay them and possibly benefits too. We all know how expensive health insurance is.

Equipment.....one doesn't have to upgrade every year or multiple times a year. Yes equipment isn't cheap, but we all know upgrading a set of 2 year old irons isn't THAT beneficial for the cost.

That's a great point. The problem is then finding ways to make it more affordable. With equipment you at least have to option to buy used clubs or even some nice direct to consumer options. With courses there aren't alternatives in some cases. Do we make courses shorter? More nature areas so there's less cost of maintenance? Maybe somehow create shared greens for two different holes? It's a tough challenge to figure out.

 

[JB]

limited pool of time and money ...true....but that still doesnt make relevance because our choices of recreation are not based on just money and time but simply whether or not we like them or have enough interest to get involved avidly anyway. Im not a deep seas fisherman nor do i rally want to do that avidly cause its not any great interest of mine so it dosnt matter what that costs vs golf.
I like to ski, but the money and time involved (which includes many things like travel time and gas among a number of other things) Makes it impossible for me to do regularly unless i lived much closer where that travel practicality, expense, and season pass would make it all so much more affordable as for both time and money on much more a regular basis. So my skkiing (for me) per session (or per day) is much more expensive than my golf is. But that doesnt make my golf cheap. It has nothing to do with my golf. My skiing is what it is and my golf is what it is. They are exclusive of each other and imo one is not relevant to the other.

sports events as mentioned... and Im actually a season tix holder to NFL team (unfortunately the jest..lol I know , i know) and doing this for 35 years. Its not cheap at all and its time consuming those 8 times per season vs 8 rounds of golf. And so can be a couple or few rangers games I might attend each winter. But thats still not relative imo to my golf. Those things are what they are imo and golf is what it is. They have nothing to do with my golf nor how I feel about its expense. which fwiw is an ongoing one.

i feel when talking about golf being expensive or not we can only talk about the golf itself without specific comparison. The price of apples has nothing to do with the price of chicken. We like to participate in golf on a regular basis and we have an expense related to it. Regardless what anything else may cost imo doesnt really relate to whether or not one feels that golf is too expensive or not. But thats just my opinion.
i could not afford (where i am at) to maintain my golf 2-3 times per week and do that all year round including also pratcie and or everything else associated with the expense. . That to me makes golf expensive. Glad we have an of season in that sense cause i have little choice but to give it up in winter (for majority worth anyway). My county golf has gotten a bit too expensive even in my bit better financial standing than i was years past. Is that really too expensive? i think so but the whole thing is subjective. My other hobbies/recreations are also too expensive and per event are more expensive but that doesnt make my golf inexpensive.

You just said the same thing I said. You like to ski but choose not to because the money and time it takes is too much.
Just as golf, NFL or anything else people are talking about.
Saying your skiing has nothing to do with your golf is very odd. Yes they are two different activities, but they are both hobbies that one person must decide to do, based on the amount of time and money they think its worth and that they have available.

 

[Canadan]

tough double question.

I pay good money for a membership at a club that guarantees a quality experience, no crazy long rounds, and good course conditions. I'm not at the most expensive course in the city but I'm sure it's within the top 10 in the area in both quality ranking and price. (Quality for sure, price I don't genuinely know).

That said, it's my choice and there are much more reasonable offerings for golfers who may have a lower budget. There is no obligation to go big, although the quality of the experience is absolutely going to be reflected in what you put into it. I just don't do the big crazy family trips that some families budget for, and there's my course budget.

For equipment, yeah, I think buying brand new every year is a brutal price to pay, but again, we're all on a budget and pay what we want. It's not like the more-than-half-off price of last years equipment isn't good enough to accomplish mostly the same things.

If price is a concern, I definitely think that course pricing is going to be the bigger burden because the price is what it is, unless you're the type of person to skip a prime season to play for half rates in the spring or fall (in Ohio). At least with equipment, we get to decide what we want to pay.

 

[2BFAST]

That's a great point. The problem is then finding ways to make it more affordable. With equipment you at least have to option to buy used clubs or even some nice direct to consumer options. With courses there aren't alternatives in some cases. Do we make courses shorter? More nature areas so there's less cost of maintenance? Maybe somehow create shared greens for two different holes? It's a tough challenge to figure out.

If someone is a penny pincher or has to be a penny pincher, one will find ways to do anything on the cheap. For example, my good friend and someone I play with most of the time. He cant afford to play at most places I play out of town. When he goes to Arizona he plays some expensive places for fractions of what they normally cost. But they book tee times at the time where its the hottest so the sacrifice is they play for a fraction of the cost but its going to be the hottest point of the day. And they are totally cool with it because they get to play some killer places for very cheap. When he first started telling me about this AZ trip he takes every year and im like man what does that cost? Thinking to myself how do you afford that? When he told me I was like.....the fu?! Then he explained and I was like well.....hey if that's what it takes that's great. He goes yeah man you know im a cheapskate lol I cant afford to play those places at normal rate. I was like touche' brother

 

[joebute]

i feel when talking about golf being expensive or not we can only talk about the golf itself without specific comparison. The price of apples has nothing to do with the price of chicken.

If you're a consumer that buys both apples and chicken, and you have a limited food budget, you may have to choose between the two at the grocery store. Same thing with hobbies/entertainment, where time and money are limited - people are making choices among activities. The analogy is absolutely relevant.

 

[Annhl8rX]

For me the cost of a round of golf is the tougher pill to swallow. Equipment comes in al price ranges and can be (though it isn’t for most) a one time expense. Generally speaking I don’t get any more enjoyment out of playing a nicer course than I do a more affordable one. Heck, playing somewhere more expensive can work against me as those courses are usually more difficult. When you factor in the increased frustration that comes with sucking it up when you paid $100 or more for the round compared to paying $35 it’s that much worse.

 

[vdubtx]

The only way I have been able to play every week is due to a membership to Players Club. Locally near me are 2 courses that are part of this along with quite a few in California etc. The 2 near me are within 5 miles of my house and the Weekday anytime rates and weekend rates after 1pm are only $20 at one and $15 at another. Makes it a lot easier to play at these courses for me as I get better.

I will certainly be expanding a bit more to some other courses near me, but for now, I am content paying $20 per round which includes cart, range balls and a beverage.

 

[-CRW-]

The cost per round for sure. Especially overpriced public courses that are very subpar when it comes to quality/conditions.

That being said, if you have access to a private club it can seem like a steal. My son and I both play so I ended up with an under 40 ClubCorp membership that is $350 a month all inclusive (range/carts/green fees). We play 9 holes or hit the range just about every week day and sometimes play 18 on weekends when he's not playing junior tournaments. It would cost upwards of $1,000 or more per month to do the same at a public course and it wouldn't be near the quality of course. We also have 4 courses at my club (on the same property) so we never feel bored. We rotate the 9's and it's like having 8 courses to choose from.

 

[MaconDawg]

Golf is expensive for sure. But at about $3 million to build a average course + whatever the ~200 acres and clubhouse costs, it's understandable. I'm lucky I suppose. My club is pretty dang nice. $250/month for my family of 3. We walk so no cart fees. Range balls are free. Together we play about 36 rounds/month so it works out to about $7/round. There are plenty of places in the country where I couldn't justify the cost. Helps that I can play year round here too