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Post by sandgroper on Jan 24, 2023 8:07:24 GMT -5
We were second group off last Saturday in a par round and got around in 3:50.
Normal round would be just under 4.5 hours.
Monthly medal (stroke round) can get close to 5 hours but there will be plenty of b%&ing in the clubhouse about slow rounds.
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Post by williamwes626 on Jan 24, 2023 21:05:53 GMT -5
Compared to most sports, it's clearly elite. People complain here about spending $100 on a game that they'll have for the rest of their life. Meanwhile it's $100 for a single day of golf in real life - sometimes less on a crappy public course where you have to wait for people to find their balls.
According to this thread, a poor or middle classed kid goes out and has to throw the ball down the course. There's such a thing as buying 14 golf clubs and buying balls that get lost and re-buying balls and buying golf shoes.
Used clubs? Yeah they're still expensive compared to other sports when you need 14 of them and then if they're out of style, chances are other kids will make fun of the golfer who can't afford the best. $50 x 14 - $700 & $50 for a public course. Just going to a driving range cost money - just to practice you have to pay. Then these poorer kids can't compete cause their clubs aren't fitted and they can't afford to replace them if something is wrong with them cause they're used.
For a kid learning the game, baseball you buy one bat for $75, a glove for $75, a couple of baseballs and some cleets for $100. Basketball you just need $30. Football $30 - baseball fields are free, spaces to play football are free, basketball courts are free. You don't need 14 of anything.
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Then we have certain courses on the The Open rota that wouldn't allow women to play for 130 years until just a few years ago which is absolutely ridiculous. Many, many clubs around the world are still prejudice against different races, sexes, and economic classes.
Nobody's fooled by any of this - you need money to play this sport. It's why many people take up golf later in life when they have a job and can afford the equipment and the expensive rounds.
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Post by simonlunge on Jan 24, 2023 22:56:37 GMT -5
Well said. And price varies by region quite drastically. A few years back I looked at my finances closely when it came to golf. And playing 2-3 rounds a week for the season, golf balls, gas and food expenses, range balls..etc. In a season I easily dropped $5500 to $6000 on golf in the Midwest.And the season is only realistically 5 months of good weather. That is pretty darn expensive. And we didn’t even play at the top tier courses
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Post by fargo on Jan 24, 2023 23:14:22 GMT -5
Of course it's more expensive than many sports, but it can be less expensive than others. Approx USD $30 for a round at my local muni which is right across the road from Royal Melbourne and where all bunkers and greens are maintained by the Royal Melbourne ground staff, so that's pretty good value for half a day out.
A membership at a good course near me might be $2500 per year, including family / junior access, which is a bit of cash but it's not prohibitive. Some of the top courses like Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Huntingdale etc are harder to get on and are more expensive, but that a ballpark figure for a step down from that.
Is it a game where money allows greater access? Of course. But down here it's pretty accessible for most.
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Post by williamwes626 on Jan 25, 2023 19:27:04 GMT -5
Of course it's more expensive than many sports, but it can be less expensive than others. Approx USD $30 for a round at my local muni which is right across the road from Royal Melbourne and where all bunkers and greens are maintained by the Royal Melbourne ground staff, so that's pretty good value for half a day out. A membership at a good course near me might be $2500 per year, including family / junior access, which is a bit of cash but it's not prohibitive. Some of the top courses like Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Huntingdale etc are harder to get on and are more expensive, but that a ballpark figure for a step down from that. Is it a game where money allows greater access? Of course. But down here it's pretty accessible for most. That doesn't sound too bad but does that include free clubs for everyone, free drinks, free food? Though $2500 is very cheap compared to a lot of the big name country clubs and $30 at a muni sounds good but there's always extras to add on which what they hope for. Just like going to see a baseball game here in the US and it may be $50 at the cheapest but we're there for hours and somebody in the family may want a drink and eat and the concession stands rake in the dough. If you don't mind me asking, what sport is more expensive in Australia than golf? |
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Post by fargo on Jan 26, 2023 5:51:59 GMT -5
Of course it's more expensive than many sports, but it can be less expensive than others. Approx USD $30 for a round at my local muni which is right across the road from Royal Melbourne and where all bunkers and greens are maintained by the Royal Melbourne ground staff, so that's pretty good value for half a day out. A membership at a good course near me might be $2500 per year, including family / junior access, which is a bit of cash but it's not prohibitive. Some of the top courses like Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Huntingdale etc are harder to get on and are more expensive, but that a ballpark figure for a step down from that. Is it a game where money allows greater access? Of course. But down here it's pretty accessible for most. That doesn't sound too bad but does that include free clubs for everyone, free drinks, free food? Though $2500 is very cheap compared to a lot of the big name country clubs and $30 at a muni sounds good but there's always extras to add on which what they hope for. Just like going to see a baseball game here in the US and it may be $50 at the cheapest but we're there for hours and somebody in the family may want a drink and eat and the concession stands rake in the dough. If you don't mind me asking, what sport is more expensive in Australia than golf? Yes of course there are additional expenses. All I'm saying is that if you're an occasional / social golfer then it's fairly inexpensive, and if you're more serious and it's your primary hobby then it's not too bad, especially if you've got kids who are into golf and enjoy spending lots of time down at the course. Examples of more expensive sports are equestrian, sailing, motor sports, scuba diving, skiing, aviation. I'm not trying to draw a comparison with team sports like soccer or rugby etc - that's obviously a completely different ballpark. |
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Post by williamwes626 on Jan 26, 2023 6:42:38 GMT -5
That doesn't sound too bad but does that include free clubs for everyone, free drinks, free food? Though $2500 is very cheap compared to a lot of the big name country clubs and $30 at a muni sounds good but there's always extras to add on which what they hope for. Just like going to see a baseball game here in the US and it may be $50 at the cheapest but we're there for hours and somebody in the family may want a drink and eat and the concession stands rake in the dough. If you don't mind me asking, what sport is more expensive in Australia than golf? Yes of course there are additional expenses. All I'm saying is that if you're an occasional / social golfer then it's fairly inexpensive, and if you're more serious and it's your primary hobby then it's not too bad, especially if you've got kids who are into golf and enjoy spending lots of time down at the course. Examples of more expensive sports are equestrian, sailing, motor sports, scuba diving, skiing, aviation. I'm not trying to draw a comparison with team sports like soccer or rugby etc - that's obviously a completely different ballpark. Good examples. I wasn't thinking about those - a couple of those are not common but they're in the golf price range or more expensive. |
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