Spending the Green
From the tee to the ball to the club to the golfer to the spectacular golf resort, the price of entry and the complexity of the sport have soared like a wellstruck drive from an elevated tee.
Golfers spend $30.5 billion per year on equipment and greens fees, according to foundation studies. Of that amount, $3.6 billion is spent on golf clubs. Average spending depends on frequency of play, with avid golfers (25 or more rounds per year) spending about $3,084 each year, moderate golfers (8 to 24 rounds) about $884, and the occasional golfer (less than 8 rounds per year) about $359.
You can pay $200 or more for a round of golf at a fancy resort, with $50 gloves holding a $500 custom-fitted titanium wood, and wear a monogrammed $300 golfing ensemble that makes you look just like Tiger or the Shark or the Golden Bear or some other pro star with a colorful nickname.
Or you can pay $15 for 18 holes at a well-maintained municipal course, wear a pair of slacks from the closet and a tee shirt from Kmart and tee off with an off-the-shelf club purchased from a discount store.
Either way, you're swinging a stick at a ball on a peg. And the ball costs a buck or two, no matter how pricey the rest of your golfing setup.
From the tee to the ball to the club to the golfer to the spectacular golf resort, the price of entry and the complexity of the sport have soared like a wellstruck drive from an elevated tee.
Golfers spend $30.5 billion per year on equipment and greens fees, according to foundation studies. Of that amount, $3.6 billion is spent on golf clubs. Average spending depends on frequency of play, with avid golfers (25 or more rounds per year) spending about $3,084 each year, moderate golfers (8 to 24 rounds) about $884, and the occasional golfer (less than 8 rounds per year) about $359.
You can pay $200 or more for a round of golf at a fancy resort, with $50 gloves holding a $500 custom-fitted titanium wood, and wear a monogrammed $300 golfing ensemble that makes you look just like Tiger or the Shark or the Golden Bear or some other pro star with a colorful nickname.
Or you can pay $15 for 18 holes at a well-maintained municipal course, wear a pair of slacks from the closet and a tee shirt from Kmart and tee off with an off-the-shelf club purchased from a discount store.
Either way, you're swinging a stick at a ball on a peg. And the ball costs a buck or two, no matter how pricey the rest of your golfing setup.
