$20 for 18 holes is insanely affordable.
Even in my Medium / Low Cost of Living in a small Midwest city, 18 holes at most public courses will run a minimum of $60-70, nicer courses on the weekend are $100+.
If you only walk, only play twilight, and only play the cheapest courses, it’s probably not horrible. But in higher cost of living areas, it can get fast quickly
Edit: looks like most city courses are just over $50 per round. So I was slightly off. Still a far cry from the $20-30 rounds of 10 years ago
$20 for a bucket?? Where do you live? There are multiple course around me that have a monthly membership that gets you free buckets, discounted rounds and food and more for $50-$80 depending on the course
My old home course in SoCal 5-10 years ago steadily was increasing prices from $8->$10->$12 pre covid. Since covid unless you’re in their members club it’s $20 and if you are in the club it’s still $14. Almost all the ranges around the area are similarly priced. And the ranges are still consistently packed so I can’t even blame them for doing it. It’s almost never worth it to go to a range unless you pay for the prepaid range card or membership.
I have a summer home over in Spring Lake, golf is pretty expensive outside of maybe three courses. Local CC is on a wait list and then it is 800 a month x 12, same as in the area of my main home and you can play year round. American Dunes nearby is $200 in the summer but they do have twilight rates for 9 or 18 after 3 and the course is spectacular. I might just join a league, or get back into sailing.
Troon Golf sells a discount card and I think one of the other major management companies does as well. depending on your location it might work.
What's great about people on Reddit is they lead with an insult and then can be proven wrong with just 3 seconds of work.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic\_history\_of\_Detroit#Table](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic_history_of_Detroit#Table)
The city of Detroit is 1/3 THE POPULATION IT USED TO BE.
And, it's generally regarded as a burned out shithole shell of a vibrant city that used to be.
Hope it comes back but you AFBU, are wrong.
Yikes.
Milwaukee here. For 18, $26 +-$2 at all our regulation Munis (apart from Brown Deer), evening rates (~3 hours to sunset, USUALLY can finish 18) are $21 with a sleeve of noodles and a beverage.
And while they’re still munis, they’re kept in pretty good shape and there’s a good spread of different course lengths, types, and feels. And Brown Deer is actually a good course - but that’s $45/$25 sunset.
>If you only walk, only play twilight, and only play the cheapest courses, it’s probably not horrible.
Sure, but the reason they offer those cheap rates is because there is very low demand during those times. That might work for a single person in their 20s who has no responsibilities after work or weekend nights. It's not going to work for your average middle aged dad who has family dinner during the week and kids sports or other activities on the weekends.
Exactly correct. Which is why I was using weekend prices with a cart as my benchmark. Not everyone has the availability to walk twilight rounds during the week
>Even in my Medium / Low Cost of Living in a small Midwest city, 18 holes at most public courses will run a minimum of $60-70, nicer courses on the weekend are $100+.
Well, I guess you don't live in a low cost of living Midwest city then lmfao. My actual low cost of living Midwest city has like 15 courses and none of them cost more than $50 with cart on the weekend. I can walk 18 any day of the week and never spend over $30.
Cost of living index for my city (84.6) is 7.8% more affordable than the national average 🤷♂️ if that’s not medium CoL, then I don’t know what is.
Just looked up a couple public courses, and the city courses look to be just over $50 for a weekend round with a cart. So I was a little off with my estimate, but not terribly so
I live in NYC and a really nice, busy muni here is $60 to walk during peak hours on the weekend.
People on Reddit over exaggerate everything for karma.
The nice muni back home in Pittsburgh is $20 to walk on a holiday weekend at 11 am.
It's NYC. Everyone here has somewhere to be.
Once again, the lengths of rounds is over exaggerated for karma on reddit.
I can get in and out in 4.5 usually.
That’s bullshit. I lived in NYC for a decade and 6 hours was the norm for a weekend muni round. 5 hours was flying and 7 hours wasn’t off the table either.
Depends where you live. There’s not a single course near me that offers 9 hole rounds, and 18 is minimum $60 (closer to $100 before noon) no matter the time of day during the season.
I can play 9 for $15- $30 on basically every course near me at any time.
And my favorite course does a weekday lunch special that gets you 18, a cart plus lunch (good food too!) for $50.
Where the hell do you guys live??
Dc metro so HCOL area. There is one real short (2400yds?) 9hole only walking course, think that’s $30-40 on weekends. But I don’t think it’s worth it for weekend. You only get to use driver on maybe one hole.
Yeah it’s super affordable to start.
But you are sick of shanking shots so you start becoming dedicated to the range and you start improving and consistently hitting shots.
After that you decide it’s time to upgrade your clubs to increase performance
However, you can’t be looking like a bum out there with that swing and those clubs and so it’s time to dress in some nicer clothes and update the wardrobe
Then you realize I don’t wanna be dressed this nice and have these nice clubs playing at this little cow pasture course. So you start playing nicer courses
That’s how golf becomes expensive.
Price per stroke is a real thing! Shooting a 140, you’ll get a way better price per stroked than someone shooting 70. That’s twice as much golf for the same price!
Twilight golf makes things a lot more affordable, but not every course offers that and not every player can be available at that time. That's pretty much the only time I played my first few years and the costs weren't bad.
It starts to get annoying when you move to places that charge a lot just for a bucket at a driving range or you get old enough when you need to cart around the whole time.
Plus, it depends how OCD you get about having fancier, brand new clubs vs a solid used one to learn with.
Yes and no. It's really easy to make it very very expensive no matter where you live.
I live in San Diego and a majority of the public courses on a weekend will charge $90+ for morning and afternoon tee times. But despite that, there are a ton of options for people to make it cheaper. Like I can play Torrey Pines South at twilight for $42 if I decide to go after work during the week with my city card. The only issue is I'm not guaranteed a time doing it that way and have to get a little lucky with an open tee time.
A good chunk of people though only want to play the nicest and best courses in their area, play with the best and newest golf clubs, and only during the most popular/best time of day. If that is the way you want to play then more power to you but that is going to be the most expensive way to play.
But I also realize a good chunk of people really can only play during those most popular times on the weekend so their only option is to pay a premium in order to play at all. So it's not as easy as it used to be to play inexpensively but also it's not impossible like some make it seem.
That's how it started for me. Inherited my dad's clubs, playing local municipal/public course at 20-25 for 18 holes, thought the whole thing was really affordable.
* Then you start taking lessons.
* Then you discover Callaway Pre-Owned and get a hybrid, a heavenwood, and a new driver. Oh, and a full set for the wife, because now she wants to play.
* Then you get tired of playing 5-6 hour rounds on public courses and find a private club in your area that's accepting new members, and you join and start playing a TON of golf.
* Then you start going on golf trips.
* Then you figure the 16 year old clubs that were fitted for your dad, who is a very different golfer for you, are probably due for replacement (getting fitted today).
It's...actually wild how quickly this all ramped up. I started playing a year ago.
I pay $35 for 18 (walking weekend rate) plus $50 yearly for a county card. Will probably spend $1k every decade on clubs and if you play enough you’ll find more balls than you lose.
Somewhat similar for myself. I pay $35 to walk 18 on Saturday for a twilight/sunset round. Except my county card is $120. Comes with a free round when you buy it, and a free round on your birthday, so it pays for itself.
I pay $59 to walk Sunday morning, and replay again Sunday afternoon. For a short period over the summer I can finish a weekday round with a 5 PM start after work for $28.
There's a short and narrow 9 hole par 34 course about the same distance from me that charges $15 to play weekday afternoons. Great spot for practice, I can usually hang out around holes 2,3, & 4 doing a loop, and hit a lot of golf balls until the sun goes down. Nice spot to meet other golfers working on their games too.
It’s like 28 bucks to walk 9 at my muni. Closer to 50 and 60 for 18 holes (walk/ride). If I play 18 and use a cart that’s a 100 a week. I would not say it’s a cheap sport.
I played a lot of basketball before I got into golf. I can play that for free at any park as long as the weather is good.
Ice Hockey and golf are both pretty expensive to play compared to most spots in my experience (I never played ice hockey but a cousin did and it was expensive).
It costs me about $50 to play 18 holes. That's 18 holes at my local public course with a cart and 6 beers/seltzers in a cooler bag.
It's worth it for me to spend it once or twice a week.
Golf can be played for cheap but after you become a good golfer you’re not going to want to play cheap courses because they let any asshole on in jeans and 5somes; with terrible greens.
Also a lot of this depends on where you live obviously. In Central Florida I could play nice(r) courses for 50-70.
In Vermont I can play decent courses for 30-50. Nicer ones are 100+. I’ve played some munis in Cincy, Pittsburgh that were 50 and really nice. Blue Ash in Cincy, for example. Or Lindenwood in Pittsburgh.
Yeah, it can get expensive. I’ve had a lot of hobbies, and the secret is that they all get expensive. Golf is probably more expensive than a reasonable video game hobby. For me, it’s less expensive than salt water fishing was. I know shooting enthusiasts who probably spend more than I do on golf. Just like any hobby, the sky is the limit, but there are also more economical paths. Just depends on how deep you want to go.
A lot of that is going to depend on where you live. In my area, even a crap course is about $50 on the weekends. Less during the week, but not much. The average is probably around $75 a round, so playing every weekend is at least $300 a month for just green fees. That’s not including buying balls, food while you play, and anything else. The course I usually play is 25 miles from me, so add in another $15 round trip in gas on my truck and it’s easily over 100 every time I pay.
My 9-hole course is $20. All of the 18-hole courses are $40+ depending on when you play. $10-$18 for a bucket of balls at the driving ranges. I've never rented a cart, but I think they are also $20. It can add up quickly if you play multiple times a week.
It mostly depends on location.
I used to live in the Pittsburgh area. A short drive into more rural areas of western PA and eastern OH and you could play some really first-rate courses for $35, and often less.
Where I live now, it's quite expensive. But I've got a great deal at my course, an excellent Rees Jones layout. $50/month for what they call "practice and play." You can use the range anytime. You can play at 2:00 for $20, 3:00 for $15, 4:00 for $10. I usually head over after work anywhere from 5:00 to 6:00. By that time, the pro shop is closed (usually around 4:30). I just grab a cart and play as much as I want, usually 18 holes, but sometimes I keep playing after that until dark and the only cost is a tip to the cart guy. It's a great deal.
The problem with golf as a hobby is that you have continual costs. Other hobbies do, too, but can lots of times enjoy them after the initial outlay of costs. If you want to play golf, you pay every single time. If you want to get better, then you’re paying the fee way more often. If you to play on very nice courses, then those fees are even more.
In metropolitan Canada I can play 18 for $45., it's.just difficult grabbing Tee times. Basically $10 an hour for Sportb and leisure, which is very cheap.
To answer your question, once.you buy equipment, the sport is not expensive.
North Jersey. Cheapest round at my local crap shoot course is $30 for 18 with a cart after 5pm. $60-$70 on weekends prime time. Nicer courses in the area are $70-$100. I’m fortunate that my father in law lives on and belongs to a private course. Guests still pay $125 for 18 with a cart but he gets 15 guest passes a year ( we are also walking 9 holes today at 3).My good friend also belongs to a private course that I play often and it’s also $125 for guests. I get to play for free so often I don’t mind the 1 or 2 rounds a month that cost $125. If the course reflects the price I’m good with it.
NNJ as well, What courses are you playing at? I don’t play twilight anymore bc it’s always hella packed and rarely can you get in 18, which is ok, but too often it was 11holes (5.5hr pace or so).
Was playing Sunset twilight a lot first couple years playing… skip ahead a couple years and it’s near impossible.
Play Preakness Valley Friday early afternoons a fair amount, that’s a decent spot for cheap, and decent pacing.
I play Hawk Point a lot. Father in law is a member and lives on the course. Supposed to play today but plans changed. Rock Ridge (formally MineBrooke) is usually wide open but not the nicest course. Flanders valley is decent but always packed. Buddy is a member at Basking Ridge so I play often (very nice course). Black Bear in Stroudsburg PA is decent but pricey. Jack Frost in PA is nice but pricey as well. Architects, crystal springs, wild turkey, all beautiful courses but expensive and hit or miss on length of round
I refuse to pay over $45 a round and usually averaging playing at $35. I buys used golf balls 4A quality. Used clubs. play about 3 times a month (sat or sunday usually)I eventually upgraded to new irons but went with direct to consumer brand Takomo 4-p for $389. Golf can be cheap if you want it to be. I don’t see a reason to play at these $100/round courses, at least for me
If you want to play a lot, like 3-4 times a week, you need to pick a course and get a membership. That's really the only solid way to save on green fees. If you end up too busy to play, injured etc then that can also backfire. The other thing is, some areas offer savings books etc. Ask at your local golf store if they know of any deals.
It really depends on how you play it. In my area I have to pay over 100 bucks for 18 holes.
But yeh its probably more expensive than most other sports out there.
I’d say it’s on par with other Adult/Family hobbies like cycling, travel baseball/soccer, fishing, hunting, etc. It depends how into it people are.
I pay $7k a year for a family golf membership at a nice club but I know people who pay more for a fishing boat/storage/maint. or a hunting lease.
This is gonna sound weird, but if you like golfing a lot, it can be worth weighing the option of a club/membership at a course. Some can be pretty dirt cheap, and if you play like 5 times a month, you'll more than break even. Especially if you walk.
You have the right idea. Golf can be affordable. Nobody is making you buy clubs from the last 5 years, and nobody is making you play at membership courses. In my city, there’s a wide variety of courses offering $25 tee times for 18 holes. Even less at twilight. They’re not all par 72 championship courses, but they’re perfectly playable par 54-62’s. I’m playing 18 holes in about 3 hours, I paid $17.50. It’s a 4300 yard par 62 and I’m walking. This is how I keep golf affordable.
$72 for a round at the course in town. Granted it’s a spa/resort type deal it’s still a pain too pay. But I love the course and the atmosphere so I will keep paying that lol.
Just yes. Not even to just play but to kit out.
I can recommend as my go to place, Druids. Decent golf wear and affordable, always doing deals. I sometimes wear the stuff to work cos it's so smart
Lucky if you can play for that price. Aside from expensive green fees, golf will only become expensive if you go down the equipment rabbit hole. While it can be fun to test and buy various clubs and do fittings etc, it’s not needed to play good golf. As someone who’s been there and finally learned a few years ago, I don’t recommend it. Just enjoy the game and not the equipment.
It’s expensive to me. The cheapest course in my city is a crappy muni that barely plays 6,000 from the tips and a few mushroom greens. It’s $45 with a cart.
I live in the Boise, Idaho area. When I moved out here in 2008 most courses were $30-$40 (plus cart fee if you ride which I don't) with a couple in the $20-$30 range.
With the increase in golf's popularity, the cost of doing business going up, and the population boom we've had most courses are $40-$60 range now with some in the $30-$40.
I spent $750 and got a 1/2 price pass that gives me 1/2 price rates for my home course and the one right next door (both run by the city of Nampa). I also got a range pass that gets me up to two large buckets a day for another $300. I think they just increased the price for that one to $500 so I'm not so sure I'll get it again next year.
Well I'm in the UK so costs don't seem to compare very well.
But two courses I enjoy both are championship courses one designed by former Ryder cup captain and has hosted a few televised tournaments and it only costs £45 to play or £30 if you're playing their old course.
The cheap courses designed for the working man costs £15 for 9 holes or £20 for 18.
Walking is standard but cart hire seems universally set to £25 for 18 holes.
Golf isn't considered expensive because of the equipment cost or tee time/membership costs (although, they can be on the steep side). It's considered expensive because of the time investment. Not everyone can afford to go out for 6 hours and play golf on a week day, and you have to be in a very priviledged position in order to be able to do that.
You can golf for very cheap... You can get your clubs for $300, and play 20 rounds per year at your local muni for $20/round. That is as cheap as any other sport out there.
You can play shit holes with clubs not fit to your swing but, technically, yes, you can play cheap.
What local muni has $20 rates???? And is that for 9 holes or 18 holes? Walking or riding?
Shit, my driver alone was $500 and that was five years ago.
My average spend on a round for 18 holes with cart is $50-70 to play anywhere desirable (and I'm in Myrtle Beach, I've got options).
If I spent under $400 a year to play golf, I'd just give up the game. My annual spend adds another zero.
I'd just like to add that for many there are also other costs aside from green fees and equipment. Like I'd imagine if you don't have a car that is a pretty big barrier. Even if you're using a car-share that's going to add to the cost of the round. Obviously 99% of people aren't going to get a car for the exclusive use of golf, but it's still a major cost that if you can't swing it golfing becomes a lot harder.
I live in a national capital city and there's maybe 3 (public) courses I can think of that I could reach by using transit, but even the closest is going to take me 45min - 1hr, and that assumes the busses arrive on time and don't get snarled in traffic which kind of detracts from their utility. I'm sure there are places that are better served by their transit, but I'd wager they're more the exception than the rule.
Playing hand me down clubs, bought new putter and driver ~$350 total. I play local public courses for $35-55 a round once or so a week in spring and summer. For 4 hours of “fun” you can’t beat that price imo. For reference I also mountain bike, trail access is free but I ride a $5,000 bike, and rock climb and a monthly membership to the climbing gym is like $70 and I buy new climbing shoes twice a year for nearly $200.
Club membership. The annual dues put my per-round costs at around 12€ at a club with two very interesting courses. It would be ridiculously expensive to pay green fees week in and week out.
That's a great price. We pay double that at our local city courses, and it goes up if you add a cart. And now, with the variable pricing, the greens fees can fluctuate. What we do to save money is buy the Greens Saver book. We live in Colorado and it's a coupon book that's actually worth the price (about $50). It has BOGO for our city courses x 4 visits. Just one visit alone covers the price of the booklet. Check to see if you have one in your area, we can get one online or in print. There's restrictions for a lot of the courses but it's easy to work within that. Other idea is to bring your own food & drinks & not pay the cart person or clubhouse for over priced stuff. Also we buy our golfballs off eBay - i look for "mint" or "near mint" quality. Much cheaper than buying a whole new sleeve of balls. Look on ebay for clubs, or a site called secondswing . Glad you're in the game!
Short answer: yes.
I'm a local in a tourist town. I get special rates that the tourists don't. My green fee rarely exceeds $60 and when it does go beyond that, it's a TPC quality course.
I played last Wednesday for $45. The going rate on weekend mornings at the place I played is $160.
I'm east of Pittsburgh. My membership including range pass and GHIN 1500 for the year I know that sounds expensive, but for the public it's 48/18 in weekdays and S/S/H is 60. I walk mostly so it pays for itself. Some of the other clubs close to me are easily 4-6k and up
It can be as much as a gym monthly membership. The problem is with some. The addiction of it and buying the equipment. My problem is I like to collect so I’m buying gloves, clubs, bag, balls. I love trying new things. That’s most of the fun for me.
It depends on you . It’s possible to get cheap or used clubs , play muni courses or off season , like summer in Arizona . Or …you can go to the poor house
If I walk as a senior I have a so-so muni that’s $17 M-Th and Friday morning. The nicer muni is $14.50 M-F. I got 1-2 rounds a week penciled in when I retire in 243 days
Club golf expensive, muni golf all over the board, but can be done cheapish. Just don’t join a club, if money is an issue. $3k a month for a club when you factor in food, drinks and tourneys
It starts out playing the cheap par 3 in town. Then you start going to the better courses. Now you need some new clubs, maybe a fitting. Then you take your first trip to play out of town. Now the clubs come with you on vacation. Then you’re planning golf vacations to Bandon. Renovating the garage to put in a sim…
Worth every penny.
Not OP but here in the Chicago area we've got well maintained county owned courses that are $25-40. Lower end public courses run $50-75 usually, $100 and up for premium courses.
I'm out towards that direction but that's still a hike. My friends group usually likes to play north side courses that are a little pricier. I'm 10 minutes from a very well maintained forest preserve course that's $27 walking before any discounts, that's my go to.
That’s as cheap as you’ll find it and when you get a taste of what expensive courses offer, going back to the dog track will be difficult to stomach. To properly improve you need a near limitless amount of balls to hit on the range and the time to do it, with each bucket being between $10-15. New clubs are $1000+, a new driver is $700, wedges are $250ea. The answers not only yes but that there’s no other sport in comparison. Before Tigers final dismantling of old norms, golf was exclusively for the higher class. The game has done its best to accommodate others but the game is still very much (supposed to be) a higher class game.
>Before Tigers final dismantling of old norms, golf was exclusively for the higher class.
There's been cheap dog tracks since forever, and cheap used clubs for just as long. Tiger broke the idea that golf was only for the higher class. It was just that though, an idea that wasn't really true perpetuated by people who didn't regularly play it.
Not complaining, just wondering why everyone says golf is expensive. I’m realizing now though that there’s levels to it, I’m definitely glad that I have cheaper courses around me while I’m trying to figure out how to golf.
$20 for 18 holes is insanely affordable. Even in my Medium / Low Cost of Living in a small Midwest city, 18 holes at most public courses will run a minimum of $60-70, nicer courses on the weekend are $100+. If you only walk, only play twilight, and only play the cheapest courses, it’s probably not horrible. But in higher cost of living areas, it can get fast quickly Edit: looks like most city courses are just over $50 per round. So I was slightly off. Still a far cry from the $20-30 rounds of 10 years ago
I pay $20 for a bucket of balls, I couldn't imagine getting to play the course for that price
$20 for a bucket?? Where do you live? There are multiple course around me that have a monthly membership that gets you free buckets, discounted rounds and food and more for $50-$80 depending on the course
My old home course in SoCal 5-10 years ago steadily was increasing prices from $8->$10->$12 pre covid. Since covid unless you’re in their members club it’s $20 and if you are in the club it’s still $14. Almost all the ranges around the area are similarly priced. And the ranges are still consistently packed so I can’t even blame them for doing it. It’s almost never worth it to go to a range unless you pay for the prepaid range card or membership.
I'm in the DC area
I am in CA and have seen $20/bucket to hit off grass. I agree it’s crazy.
There is a range near me that charges 10$ for all you can hit.
I’m in metro Detroit and can walk 9 on a weekday after work for $13. Can play 18 with cart for $38
Lucky. No course will let you on in Grand Rapids on weekday evenings. They're all booked solid with leagues.
Is it a municipal course?
I have a summer home over in Spring Lake, golf is pretty expensive outside of maybe three courses. Local CC is on a wait list and then it is 800 a month x 12, same as in the area of my main home and you can play year round. American Dunes nearby is $200 in the summer but they do have twilight rates for 9 or 18 after 3 and the course is spectacular. I might just join a league, or get back into sailing. Troon Golf sells a discount card and I think one of the other major management companies does as well. depending on your location it might work.
Like the person said who you responded to...in nicer areas it's more expensive. Muni's in Detroit are not premier golf destinations.
I think that may be the outlier, I don’t play on a premier course. I guess it’s nice I still get to golf for relatively cheap then.
You’re dumb bro Detroit is one of the largest metros in the US. Just like any other city
What's great about people on Reddit is they lead with an insult and then can be proven wrong with just 3 seconds of work. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic\_history\_of\_Detroit#Table](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographic_history_of_Detroit#Table) The city of Detroit is 1/3 THE POPULATION IT USED TO BE. And, it's generally regarded as a burned out shithole shell of a vibrant city that used to be. Hope it comes back but you AFBU, are wrong.
Lol the only people that think this have never been to Detroit (or haven't been since the early 2000s)
I’m shocked that someone with the username TexasistheFuture is close minded about Detroit. SHOCKED
Good point why do I even bother
When someone says Detroit, they mean the suburbs. You are right. Detroit is a fucking shit hole. I grew up here.
You can’t read either cause i was talking about metros
You can't read either cause I was talking about muni's in Detroit.
I don’t think you realize there’s a difference between metro Detroit and Detroit Metro Detroit has 7x the population of the city Detroit
Don’t reason with Texas. It’s Trumps way or the highway there. Love their guns and police who sit around and do nothing while children are murdered
Nah you’re just mad cause you don’t know about anything outside your little bubble
Is it recess time yet? They have snacks too.
You’re wrong dude. Michigan is known as one of the best states for golf. Maybe venture outside of Texas every once in a while….actually please don’t
MICHIGAN. Not a Detroit muni. The schools must suck tho. Y'all can't read.
“Y’all” are the laughing stock of this country. Total embarrassment to the actual good people that live in the US.
Yikes. Milwaukee here. For 18, $26 +-$2 at all our regulation Munis (apart from Brown Deer), evening rates (~3 hours to sunset, USUALLY can finish 18) are $21 with a sleeve of noodles and a beverage. And while they’re still munis, they’re kept in pretty good shape and there’s a good spread of different course lengths, types, and feels. And Brown Deer is actually a good course - but that’s $45/$25 sunset.
Milwaukee has pretty much the best municipal deal in the country. St. Louis has like 3 muni’s in the metro area and are all 9 holes.
"Brown Deer is actually a good course" is being overly modest, they used to host a PGA Tour event there for many years!
>If you only walk, only play twilight, and only play the cheapest courses, it’s probably not horrible. Sure, but the reason they offer those cheap rates is because there is very low demand during those times. That might work for a single person in their 20s who has no responsibilities after work or weekend nights. It's not going to work for your average middle aged dad who has family dinner during the week and kids sports or other activities on the weekends.
Exactly correct. Which is why I was using weekend prices with a cart as my benchmark. Not everyone has the availability to walk twilight rounds during the week
>Even in my Medium / Low Cost of Living in a small Midwest city, 18 holes at most public courses will run a minimum of $60-70, nicer courses on the weekend are $100+. Well, I guess you don't live in a low cost of living Midwest city then lmfao. My actual low cost of living Midwest city has like 15 courses and none of them cost more than $50 with cart on the weekend. I can walk 18 any day of the week and never spend over $30.
Cost of living index for my city (84.6) is 7.8% more affordable than the national average 🤷♂️ if that’s not medium CoL, then I don’t know what is. Just looked up a couple public courses, and the city courses look to be just over $50 for a weekend round with a cart. So I was a little off with my estimate, but not terribly so
Here in Rochester our public courses are very beautiful and cost 9 bucks per 9 holes. Very affordable. Just wish the season was longer.
I understand that they have a shorter open season but that is insane! Down in GA we range from 40-60 truly great courses on the weekend
I live in NYC and a really nice, busy muni here is $60 to walk during peak hours on the weekend. People on Reddit over exaggerate everything for karma. The nice muni back home in Pittsburgh is $20 to walk on a holiday weekend at 11 am.
“Nice, busy”. These two descriptors aren’t synonyms in golf. I have no interest is paying $60 for a 6.5 hour round
It's NYC. Everyone here has somewhere to be. Once again, the lengths of rounds is over exaggerated for karma on reddit. I can get in and out in 4.5 usually.
That’s bullshit. I lived in NYC for a decade and 6 hours was the norm for a weekend muni round. 5 hours was flying and 7 hours wasn’t off the table either.
The perhaps you need to look in the mirror?
My twilight rounds are 20-30$
Depends where you live. There’s not a single course near me that offers 9 hole rounds, and 18 is minimum $60 (closer to $100 before noon) no matter the time of day during the season.
I’m legit blown away no course near you offers 9. I can play 9 on every course near me. And the prices also aren’t close to that much.
I live in an area that has similar prices($70-100), but they offer 9. The caveat is 9s are only available after peak times, an cost around $50-70.
I can play 9 for $15- $30 on basically every course near me at any time. And my favorite course does a weekday lunch special that gets you 18, a cart plus lunch (good food too!) for $50. Where the hell do you guys live??
Dc metro so HCOL area. There is one real short (2400yds?) 9hole only walking course, think that’s $30-40 on weekends. But I don’t think it’s worth it for weekend. You only get to use driver on maybe one hole.
Yeah it’s super affordable to start. But you are sick of shanking shots so you start becoming dedicated to the range and you start improving and consistently hitting shots. After that you decide it’s time to upgrade your clubs to increase performance However, you can’t be looking like a bum out there with that swing and those clubs and so it’s time to dress in some nicer clothes and update the wardrobe Then you realize I don’t wanna be dressed this nice and have these nice clubs playing at this little cow pasture course. So you start playing nicer courses That’s how golf becomes expensive.
Haha that makes a lot of sense.
Wtf. Just finished the update the wardrobe part. Am I that basic..? Rather uncomfortable after reading this
The problem is the more expensive courses really are worth it, so that makes it very easy to spend a lot if you’re not careful
I routinely play 9 for $12-$20 and 18 for $20-35 That isn’t including cart fees but I prefer to walk anyway
There's one course near me with prices like that. I played a lot there my first year seeing if I liked the game without breaking the bank.
It’s like everything else. It’s as expensive as you make it
Better you get, the more it costs!
Price per stroke is a real thing! Shooting a 140, you’ll get a way better price per stroked than someone shooting 70. That’s twice as much golf for the same price!
Oh you sweet naive summer child
Twilight golf makes things a lot more affordable, but not every course offers that and not every player can be available at that time. That's pretty much the only time I played my first few years and the costs weren't bad. It starts to get annoying when you move to places that charge a lot just for a bucket at a driving range or you get old enough when you need to cart around the whole time. Plus, it depends how OCD you get about having fancier, brand new clubs vs a solid used one to learn with.
Yes and no. It's really easy to make it very very expensive no matter where you live. I live in San Diego and a majority of the public courses on a weekend will charge $90+ for morning and afternoon tee times. But despite that, there are a ton of options for people to make it cheaper. Like I can play Torrey Pines South at twilight for $42 if I decide to go after work during the week with my city card. The only issue is I'm not guaranteed a time doing it that way and have to get a little lucky with an open tee time. A good chunk of people though only want to play the nicest and best courses in their area, play with the best and newest golf clubs, and only during the most popular/best time of day. If that is the way you want to play then more power to you but that is going to be the most expensive way to play. But I also realize a good chunk of people really can only play during those most popular times on the weekend so their only option is to pay a premium in order to play at all. So it's not as easy as it used to be to play inexpensively but also it's not impossible like some make it seem.
My home course has $20 twilight rounds and $10 large buckets at the range. On weekends it’s $65 with a cart
That's how it started for me. Inherited my dad's clubs, playing local municipal/public course at 20-25 for 18 holes, thought the whole thing was really affordable. * Then you start taking lessons. * Then you discover Callaway Pre-Owned and get a hybrid, a heavenwood, and a new driver. Oh, and a full set for the wife, because now she wants to play. * Then you get tired of playing 5-6 hour rounds on public courses and find a private club in your area that's accepting new members, and you join and start playing a TON of golf. * Then you start going on golf trips. * Then you figure the 16 year old clubs that were fitted for your dad, who is a very different golfer for you, are probably due for replacement (getting fitted today). It's...actually wild how quickly this all ramped up. I started playing a year ago.
I pay $35 for 18 (walking weekend rate) plus $50 yearly for a county card. Will probably spend $1k every decade on clubs and if you play enough you’ll find more balls than you lose.
Somewhat similar for myself. I pay $35 to walk 18 on Saturday for a twilight/sunset round. Except my county card is $120. Comes with a free round when you buy it, and a free round on your birthday, so it pays for itself. I pay $59 to walk Sunday morning, and replay again Sunday afternoon. For a short period over the summer I can finish a weekday round with a 5 PM start after work for $28. There's a short and narrow 9 hole par 34 course about the same distance from me that charges $15 to play weekday afternoons. Great spot for practice, I can usually hang out around holes 2,3, & 4 doing a loop, and hit a lot of golf balls until the sun goes down. Nice spot to meet other golfers working on their games too.
How many courses does your county offer?
Only 1 course is included, we have just the one municipal.
Yes. Compared to most other sports, it is expensive.
It’s like 28 bucks to walk 9 at my muni. Closer to 50 and 60 for 18 holes (walk/ride). If I play 18 and use a cart that’s a 100 a week. I would not say it’s a cheap sport. I played a lot of basketball before I got into golf. I can play that for free at any park as long as the weather is good. Ice Hockey and golf are both pretty expensive to play compared to most spots in my experience (I never played ice hockey but a cousin did and it was expensive).
I tell friends who are thinking of taking up golf to consider taking up heroin as a hobby. It will be cheaper, less addicting and more enjoyable.
It costs me about $50 to play 18 holes. That's 18 holes at my local public course with a cart and 6 beers/seltzers in a cooler bag. It's worth it for me to spend it once or twice a week.
Golf can be played for cheap but after you become a good golfer you’re not going to want to play cheap courses because they let any asshole on in jeans and 5somes; with terrible greens. Also a lot of this depends on where you live obviously. In Central Florida I could play nice(r) courses for 50-70. In Vermont I can play decent courses for 30-50. Nicer ones are 100+. I’ve played some munis in Cincy, Pittsburgh that were 50 and really nice. Blue Ash in Cincy, for example. Or Lindenwood in Pittsburgh.
What courses do you like to play in northern vt?
Vermont National, Spruce Peak, BCC. I live in the Rutland area and a member at Rutland CC so that is where I play most of the time.
Yeah, it can get expensive. I’ve had a lot of hobbies, and the secret is that they all get expensive. Golf is probably more expensive than a reasonable video game hobby. For me, it’s less expensive than salt water fishing was. I know shooting enthusiasts who probably spend more than I do on golf. Just like any hobby, the sky is the limit, but there are also more economical paths. Just depends on how deep you want to go.
A lot of that is going to depend on where you live. In my area, even a crap course is about $50 on the weekends. Less during the week, but not much. The average is probably around $75 a round, so playing every weekend is at least $300 a month for just green fees. That’s not including buying balls, food while you play, and anything else. The course I usually play is 25 miles from me, so add in another $15 round trip in gas on my truck and it’s easily over 100 every time I pay.
Cheapest 9 holes in my area is $36 for walking
My 9-hole course is $20. All of the 18-hole courses are $40+ depending on when you play. $10-$18 for a bucket of balls at the driving ranges. I've never rented a cart, but I think they are also $20. It can add up quickly if you play multiple times a week.
It mostly depends on location. I used to live in the Pittsburgh area. A short drive into more rural areas of western PA and eastern OH and you could play some really first-rate courses for $35, and often less. Where I live now, it's quite expensive. But I've got a great deal at my course, an excellent Rees Jones layout. $50/month for what they call "practice and play." You can use the range anytime. You can play at 2:00 for $20, 3:00 for $15, 4:00 for $10. I usually head over after work anywhere from 5:00 to 6:00. By that time, the pro shop is closed (usually around 4:30). I just grab a cart and play as much as I want, usually 18 holes, but sometimes I keep playing after that until dark and the only cost is a tip to the cart guy. It's a great deal.
Have you ever heard of golf now.com or tee off. It’s a prepay rate but many times planning ahead you’ll get a decent $60 round for $35
Yes
The problem with golf as a hobby is that you have continual costs. Other hobbies do, too, but can lots of times enjoy them after the initial outlay of costs. If you want to play golf, you pay every single time. If you want to get better, then you’re paying the fee way more often. If you to play on very nice courses, then those fees are even more.
In metropolitan Canada I can play 18 for $45., it's.just difficult grabbing Tee times. Basically $10 an hour for Sportb and leisure, which is very cheap. To answer your question, once.you buy equipment, the sport is not expensive.
It costs about $100 to leave my house in 2024. $200 if i want to get something or do something.
North Jersey. Cheapest round at my local crap shoot course is $30 for 18 with a cart after 5pm. $60-$70 on weekends prime time. Nicer courses in the area are $70-$100. I’m fortunate that my father in law lives on and belongs to a private course. Guests still pay $125 for 18 with a cart but he gets 15 guest passes a year ( we are also walking 9 holes today at 3).My good friend also belongs to a private course that I play often and it’s also $125 for guests. I get to play for free so often I don’t mind the 1 or 2 rounds a month that cost $125. If the course reflects the price I’m good with it.
NNJ as well, What courses are you playing at? I don’t play twilight anymore bc it’s always hella packed and rarely can you get in 18, which is ok, but too often it was 11holes (5.5hr pace or so). Was playing Sunset twilight a lot first couple years playing… skip ahead a couple years and it’s near impossible. Play Preakness Valley Friday early afternoons a fair amount, that’s a decent spot for cheap, and decent pacing.
I play Hawk Point a lot. Father in law is a member and lives on the course. Supposed to play today but plans changed. Rock Ridge (formally MineBrooke) is usually wide open but not the nicest course. Flanders valley is decent but always packed. Buddy is a member at Basking Ridge so I play often (very nice course). Black Bear in Stroudsburg PA is decent but pricey. Jack Frost in PA is nice but pricey as well. Architects, crystal springs, wild turkey, all beautiful courses but expensive and hit or miss on length of round
I refuse to pay over $45 a round and usually averaging playing at $35. I buys used golf balls 4A quality. Used clubs. play about 3 times a month (sat or sunday usually)I eventually upgraded to new irons but went with direct to consumer brand Takomo 4-p for $389. Golf can be cheap if you want it to be. I don’t see a reason to play at these $100/round courses, at least for me
If you want to play a lot, like 3-4 times a week, you need to pick a course and get a membership. That's really the only solid way to save on green fees. If you end up too busy to play, injured etc then that can also backfire. The other thing is, some areas offer savings books etc. Ask at your local golf store if they know of any deals.
It really depends on how you play it. In my area I have to pay over 100 bucks for 18 holes. But yeh its probably more expensive than most other sports out there.
I’d say it’s on par with other Adult/Family hobbies like cycling, travel baseball/soccer, fishing, hunting, etc. It depends how into it people are. I pay $7k a year for a family golf membership at a nice club but I know people who pay more for a fishing boat/storage/maint. or a hunting lease.
This is gonna sound weird, but if you like golfing a lot, it can be worth weighing the option of a club/membership at a course. Some can be pretty dirt cheap, and if you play like 5 times a month, you'll more than break even. Especially if you walk.
Don’t drink or eat the food at the course.
You have the right idea. Golf can be affordable. Nobody is making you buy clubs from the last 5 years, and nobody is making you play at membership courses. In my city, there’s a wide variety of courses offering $25 tee times for 18 holes. Even less at twilight. They’re not all par 72 championship courses, but they’re perfectly playable par 54-62’s. I’m playing 18 holes in about 3 hours, I paid $17.50. It’s a 4300 yard par 62 and I’m walking. This is how I keep golf affordable.
Lmao, this doesn’t exist in Texas. Minimum $100 on the weekends, twilight $30-$40
$20 for twilight isn’t paying for 18 holes. It’s paying to race the clock Still a good price though
$72 for a round at the course in town. Granted it’s a spa/resort type deal it’s still a pain too pay. But I love the course and the atmosphere so I will keep paying that lol.
Just yes. Not even to just play but to kit out. I can recommend as my go to place, Druids. Decent golf wear and affordable, always doing deals. I sometimes wear the stuff to work cos it's so smart
Also, invest in a good ball retriever and you can fish out a ton of balls at your local course 😂
Lucky if you can play for that price. Aside from expensive green fees, golf will only become expensive if you go down the equipment rabbit hole. While it can be fun to test and buy various clubs and do fittings etc, it’s not needed to play good golf. As someone who’s been there and finally learned a few years ago, I don’t recommend it. Just enjoy the game and not the equipment.
It’s expensive to me. The cheapest course in my city is a crappy muni that barely plays 6,000 from the tips and a few mushroom greens. It’s $45 with a cart.
I live in the Boise, Idaho area. When I moved out here in 2008 most courses were $30-$40 (plus cart fee if you ride which I don't) with a couple in the $20-$30 range. With the increase in golf's popularity, the cost of doing business going up, and the population boom we've had most courses are $40-$60 range now with some in the $30-$40. I spent $750 and got a 1/2 price pass that gives me 1/2 price rates for my home course and the one right next door (both run by the city of Nampa). I also got a range pass that gets me up to two large buckets a day for another $300. I think they just increased the price for that one to $500 so I'm not so sure I'll get it again next year.
Well I'm in the UK so costs don't seem to compare very well. But two courses I enjoy both are championship courses one designed by former Ryder cup captain and has hosted a few televised tournaments and it only costs £45 to play or £30 if you're playing their old course. The cheap courses designed for the working man costs £15 for 9 holes or £20 for 18. Walking is standard but cart hire seems universally set to £25 for 18 holes.
I pay $4500 per year for the membership and another $1200 for the restaurant in advance. Still cheaper than skiing.
Golf isn't considered expensive because of the equipment cost or tee time/membership costs (although, they can be on the steep side). It's considered expensive because of the time investment. Not everyone can afford to go out for 6 hours and play golf on a week day, and you have to be in a very priviledged position in order to be able to do that.
That's just...false. The expense is real and it ain't cheap.
You can golf for very cheap... You can get your clubs for $300, and play 20 rounds per year at your local muni for $20/round. That is as cheap as any other sport out there.
you can play basketball and soccer for free after the initial equipment cost. Golf you have to pay per round.
You can play shit holes with clubs not fit to your swing but, technically, yes, you can play cheap. What local muni has $20 rates???? And is that for 9 holes or 18 holes? Walking or riding? Shit, my driver alone was $500 and that was five years ago. My average spend on a round for 18 holes with cart is $50-70 to play anywhere desirable (and I'm in Myrtle Beach, I've got options). If I spent under $400 a year to play golf, I'd just give up the game. My annual spend adds another zero.
I'd just like to add that for many there are also other costs aside from green fees and equipment. Like I'd imagine if you don't have a car that is a pretty big barrier. Even if you're using a car-share that's going to add to the cost of the round. Obviously 99% of people aren't going to get a car for the exclusive use of golf, but it's still a major cost that if you can't swing it golfing becomes a lot harder. I live in a national capital city and there's maybe 3 (public) courses I can think of that I could reach by using transit, but even the closest is going to take me 45min - 1hr, and that assumes the busses arrive on time and don't get snarled in traffic which kind of detracts from their utility. I'm sure there are places that are better served by their transit, but I'd wager they're more the exception than the rule.
Playing hand me down clubs, bought new putter and driver ~$350 total. I play local public courses for $35-55 a round once or so a week in spring and summer. For 4 hours of “fun” you can’t beat that price imo. For reference I also mountain bike, trail access is free but I ride a $5,000 bike, and rock climb and a monthly membership to the climbing gym is like $70 and I buy new climbing shoes twice a year for nearly $200.
In Phoenix everything is closer to $100 everywhere. It sucks
Club membership. The annual dues put my per-round costs at around 12€ at a club with two very interesting courses. It would be ridiculously expensive to pay green fees week in and week out.
My local muni course lets city employees walk for free.
That's a great price. We pay double that at our local city courses, and it goes up if you add a cart. And now, with the variable pricing, the greens fees can fluctuate. What we do to save money is buy the Greens Saver book. We live in Colorado and it's a coupon book that's actually worth the price (about $50). It has BOGO for our city courses x 4 visits. Just one visit alone covers the price of the booklet. Check to see if you have one in your area, we can get one online or in print. There's restrictions for a lot of the courses but it's easy to work within that. Other idea is to bring your own food & drinks & not pay the cart person or clubhouse for over priced stuff. Also we buy our golfballs off eBay - i look for "mint" or "near mint" quality. Much cheaper than buying a whole new sleeve of balls. Look on ebay for clubs, or a site called secondswing . Glad you're in the game!
Short answer: yes. I'm a local in a tourist town. I get special rates that the tourists don't. My green fee rarely exceeds $60 and when it does go beyond that, it's a TPC quality course. I played last Wednesday for $45. The going rate on weekend mornings at the place I played is $160.
Denver here- average greens fees for walking 18 are around 40-50 to play muni courses. Can find some avg courses for cheaper
How are you getting 18 holes in at twilight?
Twilight starts at 430
Ah gotcha. Starts at 6 where I live and usually has very slow groups playing (families and such). Most I can typically get in is 11 or 12.
Stays bright out till 830
I'm east of Pittsburgh. My membership including range pass and GHIN 1500 for the year I know that sounds expensive, but for the public it's 48/18 in weekdays and S/S/H is 60. I walk mostly so it pays for itself. Some of the other clubs close to me are easily 4-6k and up
Depends what you are comparing it to and where you play. Try Boating
It can be as much as a gym monthly membership. The problem is with some. The addiction of it and buying the equipment. My problem is I like to collect so I’m buying gloves, clubs, bag, balls. I love trying new things. That’s most of the fun for me.
It depends on you . It’s possible to get cheap or used clubs , play muni courses or off season , like summer in Arizona . Or …you can go to the poor house
If I walk as a senior I have a so-so muni that’s $17 M-Th and Friday morning. The nicer muni is $14.50 M-F. I got 1-2 rounds a week penciled in when I retire in 243 days
Club golf expensive, muni golf all over the board, but can be done cheapish. Just don’t join a club, if money is an issue. $3k a month for a club when you factor in food, drinks and tourneys
Only if you want it to be, and also, what you consider expensive
It starts out playing the cheap par 3 in town. Then you start going to the better courses. Now you need some new clubs, maybe a fitting. Then you take your first trip to play out of town. Now the clubs come with you on vacation. Then you’re planning golf vacations to Bandon. Renovating the garage to put in a sim… Worth every penny.
Haha I’ve already been looking at some simulator for the garage.
Yes
I Just paid 150 for 18 so, yeah it can be expensive
[удалено]
Washington state
What course do you play? Jackson Park is the closest to me and that’s $60 per round
Not OP but here in the Chicago area we've got well maintained county owned courses that are $25-40. Lower end public courses run $50-75 usually, $100 and up for premium courses.
Travel west, my friend. Get out towards Winnebago county and you'll have a ton of cheap golf.
I'm out towards that direction but that's still a hike. My friends group usually likes to play north side courses that are a little pricier. I'm 10 minutes from a very well maintained forest preserve course that's $27 walking before any discounts, that's my go to.
That’s as cheap as you’ll find it and when you get a taste of what expensive courses offer, going back to the dog track will be difficult to stomach. To properly improve you need a near limitless amount of balls to hit on the range and the time to do it, with each bucket being between $10-15. New clubs are $1000+, a new driver is $700, wedges are $250ea. The answers not only yes but that there’s no other sport in comparison. Before Tigers final dismantling of old norms, golf was exclusively for the higher class. The game has done its best to accommodate others but the game is still very much (supposed to be) a higher class game.
>Before Tigers final dismantling of old norms, golf was exclusively for the higher class. There's been cheap dog tracks since forever, and cheap used clubs for just as long. Tiger broke the idea that golf was only for the higher class. It was just that though, an idea that wasn't really true perpetuated by people who didn't regularly play it.
There's not a single course near me that isn't $80+
$15 a round and you’re complaining?
Not complaining, just wondering why everyone says golf is expensive. I’m realizing now though that there’s levels to it, I’m definitely glad that I have cheaper courses around me while I’m trying to figure out how to golf.
Can’t imagine the course conditions with $15 for 18 holes
I thought they were nice but now realizing the tee boxes suck and there are divots all over the fairways, greens are pretty nice though.