InTheRough
Course Botanist
Well here's the thing. You mentioned basketball.
How much does it cost to play basketball? Only one kid has to have a basketball - cost $25. Shoes $125. Shorts and tank top = $40. There are 4 basketball courts in my housing development. They're in use pretty constantly in nice weather. There are schools nearby with outdoor basketball courts. You can start playing basketball at a young age and it doesn't cost that much. You can practice and play for free. Or if your parents are members of a gym you probably have a membership too, so you get to play there in a league for $10. Then there's High School basket ball. If you're good you can play there in JV and Varsity. If not, there are intramural leagues. Rec leagues. So it's cheap to play basketball. Poor kids can learn how to play.
Golf? There's the cost of golf clubs. Your kid will probably go through three sets by the time they're 15. There's golf lessons with a professional - it's a good idea not to teach your own kid no matter how good you are - it can get pretty dysfunctional. There's driving range costs - buckets of balls add up. There's transportation to the chip and putt at first, then to the Par 3 course, then to the big course. There's the cost to play a round of golf. This means probably playing with you. This means $35 for you and $25 for your kid + food and beverages. Bottom line is that learning how to play golf is expensive and probably not done by your average middle class family that's juggling day care for one child, and struggling on two incomes these days.
Going to college costs more now than it used to cost. My college education cost $10,000 back in 1970 for four years and that includes living expenses. What is it today? $8200 per year + living expenses.
Golf is going to be way down on the list for average middle class families. Single people who want to take up the game will have to do so on their own. You'll have a game to maybe get your kids interested in, but beware the costs. You'll probably be lucky to have a hobby that gets you out of the house once in a while. And any new kids who take up the game will come from upper middle class or wealthy families with country club memberships.
How much does it cost to play basketball? Only one kid has to have a basketball - cost $25. Shoes $125. Shorts and tank top = $40. There are 4 basketball courts in my housing development. They're in use pretty constantly in nice weather. There are schools nearby with outdoor basketball courts. You can start playing basketball at a young age and it doesn't cost that much. You can practice and play for free. Or if your parents are members of a gym you probably have a membership too, so you get to play there in a league for $10. Then there's High School basket ball. If you're good you can play there in JV and Varsity. If not, there are intramural leagues. Rec leagues. So it's cheap to play basketball. Poor kids can learn how to play.
Golf? There's the cost of golf clubs. Your kid will probably go through three sets by the time they're 15. There's golf lessons with a professional - it's a good idea not to teach your own kid no matter how good you are - it can get pretty dysfunctional. There's driving range costs - buckets of balls add up. There's transportation to the chip and putt at first, then to the Par 3 course, then to the big course. There's the cost to play a round of golf. This means probably playing with you. This means $35 for you and $25 for your kid + food and beverages. Bottom line is that learning how to play golf is expensive and probably not done by your average middle class family that's juggling day care for one child, and struggling on two incomes these days.
Going to college costs more now than it used to cost. My college education cost $10,000 back in 1970 for four years and that includes living expenses. What is it today? $8200 per year + living expenses.
Golf is going to be way down on the list for average middle class families. Single people who want to take up the game will have to do so on their own. You'll have a game to maybe get your kids interested in, but beware the costs. You'll probably be lucky to have a hobby that gets you out of the house once in a while. And any new kids who take up the game will come from upper middle class or wealthy families with country club memberships.