We've launched the new forums! Read more here

Anyone ever considered giving up the game for financial reasons?

Schweitzer_07

Schweitzer_07

Active member
Joined
Apr 17, 2010
Messages
1,295
Reaction score
5
Location
Tennessee
Just a quick question for you guys/gals. Has anyone here ever considered giving up the game for financial reasons? I had never really stopped to think about how extremely expensive golf is until I looked over the thread posted a couple days ago about how much everyone paid for all of their clubs/gear.

I have probably spent much less on my clubs and gear than some (about $1700 over the past couple years after adding up clubs, balls, GPS, shoes, hats, towels, bag, etc..) but that still just seems like an outrageous amount of money, especially when you consider that the fees for playing the actual rounds of golf are not included in that number. My love for the game is obvious to all that know me (my office/house is decorated with golf pictures, memorabilia, etc..) but at what point does it become too much money? I know that everyone will have a different opinion, and that I am at fault for spending all the money that I have. In no way am I trying to deny that. I know I can play with cheaper clubs, without a GPS, with a bag that is not as nice, etc.., but do taking away things like the nicer clubs and GPS and all of the modern technologies we are used to make the game any less enjoyable? You have to think that the newer technologies are made to help us score better, and I can't imagine having the urge to play like I do now if I knew that I wasn't giving myself every opportunity to be the best I can possibly be.

Thanks for everyone that has made it this far. I know it's not likely that I'll ever walk away from the game (though I will definitely curb my spending on unneccessary items); it just bothered me because I consider myself a pretty financially savvy person and never realized how much of an issue my spending on golf had become (at least in my eyes).
 
its a sickness and we all have it
 
The financial aspect of it does not bug me at all. I have spent thousands, but to me it is all worth it.
 
Dent said:
The financial aspect of it does not bug me at all. I have spent thousands, but to me it is all worth it.
Click to expand...

When I was your age I would've said that, too. I spent $8,000 my freshman year of college alone on rent, fraternity dues, food, basically anything I could find to spend money on. About the middle of my sophomore year the idea of financially responsibility hit me like a ton of bricks. I was lucky enough to have my college education completely paid for by scholarships, so I didn't come out with any debt at all. However, I have gotten a lot smarter about my finances since then and never expected I would spend nearly $2,000 on a hobby...
 
ok look at it this way then, its a helluva lot better then spending it on booze, drugs, booby bars, gambling etc etc. right? plus you didnt spend $2k at once did you? it was over time right?
 
Sunday_Hacker said:
ok look at it this way then, its a helluva lot better then spending it on booze, drugs, booby bars, gambling etc etc. right? plus you didnt spend $2k at once did you? it was over time right?
Click to expand...

It was over time, yes, but you're not really going to impact me with that first sentence as I don't drink or smoke, nor do I go to bars or anything to that effect.. I could have saved the money and had it for a down payment on a house, for a car payment, etc.. Man I feel like I'm getting old having this discussion as I would've been on the other side arguing not long ago.
 
well I'm 40y and already have all those things. house, kids, cars, bills... etc. but it sounds to me like your mind is made up and your almost looking for a reason to quit?
 
Sunday_Hacker said:
well I'm 40y and already have all those things. house, kids, cars, bills... etc. but it sounds to me like your mind is made up and your almost looking for a reason to quit?
Click to expand...

No, not at all. Like I said earlier, I doubt I will ever give it up because I have a deep love for the game. My dad played college golf and I have been playing since I can remember. I can't think of anywhere else that I would rather be than out on the golf course on a cool Saturday morning. I just needed a mini rant I suppose because it just hit me all at once how expensive this game can be. I'll definitely make smarter decisions in the future regarding buying clubs I don't need or things of that nature.
 
ok gotcha now, nothing wrong with that and I commend you for wanting to save money to improve your life. its important to have your priorities set at a young age.
 
hobbies are expensive. But golf just isn't about The money spent. how many friends have you made, people have you met, great feelings have you had all just because of golf? I'd take spending 1500 on clubs any day to create all those memories/ and friends from golf that you gained anyday. might seem stupid to say but that 1500 bucks on clubs helped create alot more memories than it wud just sitting in the bank. sure it's nice to have there but those friends are even nicer.

also why buy something your ok playing with just becauses it's cheaper by 200 bucks why not spend the extra and get those clubs that u know u will truly enjoy and have confiedence in than something our just ok with? that's the way I look at it when buying clubs. u can always make the money back.. just my 2 cents
 
Schweitzer_07 said:
It was over time, yes, but you're not really going to impact me with that first sentence as I don't drink or smoke, nor do I go to bars or anything to that effect.. I could have saved the money and had it for a down payment on a house, for a car payment, etc.. Man I feel like I'm getting old having this discussion as I would've been on the other side arguing not long ago.
Click to expand...

I dunno.. :confused2: On the one hand you lament spending $2000 over the course of several years on an activity that I would assume brings happiness to your life and provides a positive escape... on the other hand, there was a point in time where a custom orange and white Scotty was something you felt that you needed. You seem awfully beleaguered over this.

As a college graduate, 2K worth of golf equipment shouldn't be something that causes you to have to forego a down payment on a home or automobile.
twocents.gif
 
I look at it like any other amenity we spend money on. If you start thinking about all the stuff we buy for our enjoyment and actually add it up, everything looks too expensive. I shudder when I think of the $200 cable bill I pay every month for the last several years, or the giant cell phone bill with data packages and a whole bunch of stuff I could probably live without. Sure I could have saved a few grand on not playing golf, or not having some sweet electronics...but would I really of saved it for something responsible? I doubt it. :)
 
it doesn't have to be that expensive

plenty of courses in my area have greens fees for $20 or under at twilight times, and practicing your short game is free

when times get tough, just play at different times and/or practice short game instead of beating balls at the range

I find that when I don't play, I actually end up feeling worse because I'm all stressed out, $20 for a twilight round is about the cheapest therapy you can buy. Putting and chipping for free is pretty nice too
 
This thread confuses me lol
 
Golf is is a luxury, if you can't afford it take a break, it will always be there down the road!
 
It can be expensive, but its easy to dial back the costs. If you already have clubs, then you are set since they don't really 'go bad'. It's the rotation and upgrades that add up. But even if you don't have clubs, using ebay or going with a generic brand you can get all set up with the basics for a few hundred bucks. I played with a guy that used a 'Northwestern' set for years. He bought the set at a yard sale for 50 bucks, and he had fun with them.

Courses can be the same thing. Its fun to play the 100.00 a round courses, but you can still have a great time on the 25.00 a round places too without going broke.

Since you ask about quitting because of costs, lets assume you have clubs and a bag and so on. So your costs are to play and the balls. Seems to me that someone could play a couple times a month for no more than 60.00. There are people with very little income that spend more than that on cigarettes. You would have to be in pretty desperate straights before that 60.00 would be too much.

Its about priorities I guess. Golf is a luxury for sure, but so is cable TV, beer, sports pools, magazines, CD's, computer games etc etc. If I had to start cutting back I guess there are lots of things I would start with first before I 'quit' golf.
 
Also you may have options to make golf cheaper. I normaly pay $20 or so to play 9 holes. Last year I started playing alot more later in the summer and noticed the impact when I paid bills because I was spending 60+ a week that I hadn't been prior to that.

This year I said screw it and spent 1,000 on a full membership. It's a public course, so I really just get to play for free now. I thought I'd break even. Well based on my stats I've already recovered about 75 of my cost in 8 weeks. I'll be playing free rounds by mid summer. Of course I have been playing alot more then normal since I just walk on and play.

But like everyone else said, it's worth it for me. It's how I unwind.
 
I've had other hobbies/past times and they have drained my wallet as well. What's the point in working if you can't enjoy yourself? That was Erica's reasoning to convince me I had to go to the Sept FL Outing. Smart girl ;)
 
I would say the comparables can easily match the cost of golf once a person is satisfied with what's in their bag. You can easily get around the course using 10-15 dollar per dozen balls, and most ranges (which end up using up 1-3 hours of your day) are less than 10 bucks.

I'd challenge that while golf is expensive, it's hardly outrageous beyond any other sport. I have friends who spend thousands on Bengals season tickets, or take a cruise to bufu island spending thousands of dollars. It's a matter of deciding what is worth your extra money, and to me, I'd much rather spend my extra cash on golf over a cruise or season tickets.
 
Yeah, I'm with Hawk. My wife and I play as much as we can (about 35 rounds last summer). We play mostly on the weekends because of work and like to play a variety of courses so we don't get a membership to any place. Instead we play after 11am or after 12pm when a number of courses lower their prices. For some places we play after 2pm. I signed us up for Player's pass (http://www.playerspass.com/) which gets me a lot of 2 for 1 deals at area courses.

In the end we average about $35/round avg. X 2 players we spent $2450 or so on greens fees plus the usual equipment splurges. So, say we spend $3500 a year playing golf; big deal. People spend that and a lot more on boating which we don't do. They spend it and more on skiing which we don't do. They spend it on all kinds of hobbies. This is our only real hobby and $3500 a year is nothing really.

You gotta live a little; otherwise what's the point :confused2:
 
I'm a glutton for punishment, I particiapte in what seems like the most expensive sports out there. I scuba dive, ski, and golf. These sports are a complete drain on the wallet so I was forced to cut back on one of the three. I ended up cutting back on diving and a little bit on skiing. Golf season is far longer and a better investment of my time and money. I now only dive once a year and I've cut skiing back to a handful of times a year.
 
I wouldn't ever give it up, but I have cut way back. I just can't pay the $40-50 for a round too often anymore. Most of my clubs are old, and the ones that aren't, I didn't pay much for and did it over time. Which is fine, because I love all the stuff I have right now and it works great for me. I love trying new clubs and going to demo days, but I know I can't buy anything new so I try not to get too excited. The 'everyday' items like balls and gloves I have a connection through work so I can get them for nothing. My only real expense for golf right now is just paying to play.
 
A weekday walking round at the two local muni's is 14.00 here. Can't beat that. I just wish my golfing partners wanted to walk.
 
I think the marketing of today makes us all want the latest and greatest clubs. I play every Saturday morning in skins with a guy that is 60 yrs old. He plays twenty five year old Wilson irons along with a driver and woods at least ten years old and a really old brass putter and he kicks everyone's rear week in and week out. He is nearly scratch and just has the game to get it done. We often banter him about his old clubs but the bottom line is he knows he will not play better with new clubs. It is aways the indian and never the arrow.
I think before I would give it up, if you truely love the game, I would just play with what you have. For all the money I have spent the last five to ten years, I really have not gotten that much better. I can think of clubs I have owned in the past that I played much better with, and at times I have searched for those older clubs to try and return back to a time that things were better. I for one don't think you need expensive clubs or a gps to have fun at this game.
 
Appreciate all the input guys. After sleeping on it and looking over it all today, I realize I'd never quit the game. There is no way that my family would let me (my fiance made sure she reassured me that she enjoys the time I go to the golf course as it gives her time to lay by the pool, go shop, clean, etc..) and no way that I could go without that feeling of a cool Saturday morning in the fall (my favorite time to play). I just have to be smarter when it comes to purchases that aren't necessary. I have good clubs and gear as it is now, so I need to make sure and lay off of the impulse purchases of things that really wouldn't help my game anyway. Like everyone said though, the chances that I would've saved that $2,000 is actually not very high, so at least I got something out of it that I enjoy and will continue to enjoy!

Man I love this place!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top