Last Updated on May 24, 2024 by Britt Olizarowicz
Golf is expensive, and there is really no debate about that concept. However, some golfers are not professionals in the sport. Instead, they are professionals at making golf MORE expensive. As a former golf professional, I saw golfers spend a lot of money on many products they didn’t need. These are the 8 things not worth your cash.
Refurbished Golf Balls
Refurbished golf balls are cheaper than new ones but not good for your game. Their performance is inconsistent, and you never know what you are getting.
Tests have shown that sometimes even a refurnished Pro V1 is an old Pinnacle with Pro V1 painted on it.
You won’t know if these golf balls have sat at the bottom of a lake for a year or if they were hit just one time off the tee and collected.
The bottom line is that they are not much less expensive, yet they hurt your game. Find golf balls with fair pricing that match the specifics of what you need on the course.
A Golf Bag To Match The Clubs
Since when is it necessary to buy a Titleist bag because you have all Titleist clubs? Matching golf clubs and bags doesn’t matter. In fact, you may be making a mistake in being completely brand loyal throughout your entire set of clubs.
I have a Callaway driver, a Titleist hybrid, and a Cleveland wedge. The majority of golf professionals on the PGA Tour have several different golf club brands in their sets.
Don’t feel the need to buy a matching bag and all matching clubs; the game doesn’t work like that, and it’s not worth your cash.
Expensive Range Finders
This one needs a bit of an explanation. A high-end range finder can be very useful for getting golfers accurate data and distance information. The problem, of course, is that even if your rangefinder is accurate to within inches of the pin, can you pull a shot off that is within inches of a pin?
Chances are you probably can’t.
Golf rangefinders are useful and speed up play. However, most golfers can make do with a rangefinder for less than $200, as opposed to one for $500.
Custom Premium Golf Shafts
Some golfers will benefit from a premium golf shaft. However, I would be very careful about how much difference there is between the stock shaft and the premium shaft.
During a custom fitting, it’s very easy for a fitter to put a shaft with a $375 upcharge into the club and show you the results it has. I would never invest in this until you compare it directly to the stock shaft. Let’s face it: One or two more yards of carry or roll is NOT nearly enough to justify this upcharge.
You also can’t guarantee you’ll always swing well with it. Just be smart about the premium shaft upgrades; most shafts put in the stock model are very good.
Golf GPS Watches For Golfers On A Budget
In case nobody told you, I’m here to let you know that there are free golf GPS apps for your phone. You don’t need an individual GPS unit or a GPS watch if you just want to know the yardage to the front, middle, and back of the green.
Now, golf GPS watches sometimes have a smartphone’s features, such as exercise tracking. If you have the money and will use the benefits, go for it—if not, just download the free golf GPS.
Golf Ball Personalization
Do you love when your initials are on your golf ball?
Golf ball personalization became a big thing at one point. It makes a great gift, but otherwise, it’s kind of a waste of money. Instead, buy a Sharpie marker and mark your golf ball accordingly so you know which one is yours.
Also, if you play enough golf, you’ll realize that it is pretty rare for you to have the exact number, brand, and model golf ball of another player in your group and then hit the ball to the same exact location.
You do not often need an identifier on your golf ball in the form of your initials! Also, if you break a window and try to run from it, that golf ball personalization may be what gets you!
Subscription Golf Instruction Programs
Before you sign up for monthly or yearly subscriptions to online golf instruction platforms, see if you can commit to a free platform to start with. Find an instructor on YouTube who offers free advice, someone like Rick Shiels or Chris Ryan, and start watching their videos.
Take the information you learn and head to the range with it.
Can you sustain this type of learning over a few weeks or months? If you can, go ahead and invest in a golf instruction program. If not, you save hundreds of dollars and probably still drop a few strokes by practicing what you learned from the free content.
Golf Training Aids
As a former golf instructor, I love training aids. However, you have to be very specific about the aids you are buying. There are only two golf training aids that are worth purchasing, the rest are not worth your cash.
The first is any aid specifically designed to address the weakest part of your game. So if you have trouble with distance and you buy a speed training aid, it’s worth it.
The second training aid worth your money is versatile. Examples include a launch monitor, alignment sticks, and even something like the HackMotion wrist analyzer, which can be used on everything from tee shots to putts.
Training aids like swing jackets or contraptions claiming to give you the perfect swing are not worth it. If you aren’t smart about the aids you purchase, you’ll have a full garage of them. (And they have almost no resale value!)
Final Thoughts
What else do you think is not worth your cash? I’ve seen some golf stroke counters, iron covers, and leather golf bags that made me question people’s use of funds. The game is expensive; don’t make it harder on yourself. Spend money on quality instruction, great golf courses, good clubs, and golf balls that match your game.
