Last Updated on July 15, 2024 by Britt Olizarowicz
The Annual Cost of Golf: Are You Spending More or Less Than Average?
Golf is not cheap; we know this. However, some golfers make a profession out of spending more than necessary. I’ve always been more of a quality over quantity type of golfer, but I’m not sure I would want to know the total I’ve spent on golf equipment, gear, and playing in my lifetime. In the end, I’m sure I’ll say it was worth it, but here are some things to consider about the annual cost of golf and where you stand.
Average Golfer Spending Habits
The average golfer spends around $3000 a year on golf, with $1000 to $3000 being the most popular range. Outside of this range, there is a small percentage—less than 20 percent—who can keep it under $1000 a year, and then there are the outliers, about 5%, who spend more than $10,000 a year.
What are these golfers spending all this money on? Let’s find out.
Greens Fees
It’s fairly easy to calculate your greens fees in a year. The average public course green fee is $37. If you place twice a week for 8 months of the year, that would be over $2300 a year.
If you add in cart fees, these numbers go up considerably.
Club members spend at least this much on dues, but if they play a lot of golf, they can often reach a point where it makes more financial sense to join a country club or golf club than to play public golf.
Golf Equipment
A new set of custom-fit golf clubs can easily cost you $3500 or more. However, most golfers don’t update their entire bag every year. In fact, many go a few years without any upgrades and then maybe get a new wedge or a putter to throw in the bag.
A few hundred dollars a year is a good budget for upgrading or fixing equipment as needed.
Don’t forget used equipment here if you are on a budget. I’ll gladly accept all those hand-me-downs from the 5% that spend more than $10,000 a year.
Apparel and Accessories
If you wear the latest threads on the course, you’ll spend a lot of money in a year. A golf shirt can easily cost $80; if you put a club logo on it, you’ll probably spend closer to $125.
Even golf shorts tend to be about $50 on average, with options much cheaper depending on where you shop.
Most golfers spend between $100 and $500 a year on their clothing and attire.
If you convince yourself that you’ll wear the clothing to work and out to dinner, you may get away with not including this in your golf budget!
Golf Balls
Golf balls cost about $30 a dozen for a decent three-piece ball. Premium balls are $50 or more a dozen. A dozen golf balls can get you through DOZENS of rounds if you don’t lose them.
Golf balls are not made for just one round of golf. I like to get about 5 or 6 rounds out of one before I make a change. Usually, I’ll see a scuff mark or scratch that makes it worth putting in the practice bag.
Depending on how much golf you play, you can expect to spend anywhere from $100 to $300 a year on balls.
Golf Lessons and Practice
Golf lessons and practice are completely optional. However, with a bucket of balls at a driving range sometimes costing as much as $15, you must put a little money into the budget here.
If you are trying to improve your golf game without spending a lot of time, spend some time looking for educational golf content online. Some of it is quite helpful. Look for actionable drills you can take with you to the range.
Golf Technology
Golf technology deserves a category of its own at this point. Whether it’s your GPS subscription for the year, a launch monitor, a fitting session, or anything else that may cost you, there are plenty of ways to spend money on golf technology.
I would budget at least $100 for golf technology each year so you don’t miss out. For the big spenders, you can budget several thousand and stay current with the latest launch monitor technology.
What Impacts How Much You Spend?
A few key factors influence how much money you spend in a year on golf. However, the most significant of these is the frequency of play. The more you play, the more you spend! How did you stack up against the average spend? Do you fit in the $1000 to $5000 window, or have you crossed that line?
