“The Price to Play!”

Sooooo……we are often asked, “What would we pay to play a round of golf?” Our answer, more times than not, is: “It Depends!”

• It depends on where we are going to play a round.
• It depends on how far we are going to have to drive to play a round.
• It depends on who we are going to play the round with.
• It depends on how “cheap” I am feeling when we book the tee time.

And the question that routinely follows how much we pay is: “What is the most we have paid for a round of golf?” (The answer for that is one I will address later.)

According to a Golf Channel survey, the median cost for an 18-hole round at a public golf course is $36.00 – including cart. Private clubs are costlier with annual membership dues and additional fees range anywhere from moderately-priced to six-figure initiation fees.

I am what you would call a “Cheap Golfer”. (Heck I am just cheap all around – but that’s something I will share in another post!)

I start to hyperventilate whenever I call a course and they tell me the green fees are $80.00 or higher. I just can’t understand why green fees have to be so costly. Don’t get me wrong, I know there are expenses that must be paid when operating a course, but seriously – the fees can get crazy!

And don’t even get me started on the high cost of green fees when we are in the sunbelt competing with all the snowbirds trying to get a tee time. I am positive the rates double and sometimes even triple during the peak season.

So yes, the short answer is golf can be a pretty expensive hobby. From clubs and gear, to clubhouse membership fees and green fees, the expenses can add up pretty quickly.

It can be expensive, but….I’m massively entertained for 4 plus hours. So, 15 bucks an hour isn’t bad for that. I routinely don’t play courses that cost much more than that. If I do pay more, it is for a very “special” occasion.

We are currently in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, which is the location of the Coeur d’Alene Golf resort – home to the world’s only floating green.

When we first started planning our travels to the Pacific Northwest and the Idaho area, all our golfing friends told us about this course and the floating green. They said we just had to play it. When we arrived in Coeur d’Alene, the very first thing we did was call the course to look into a tee time. About 3 minutes into the phone call, our plans to play the course dropped. The sole reason? The Green Fees! Due to the novelty of the floating green – the green fees are a tad higher than we like to pay –

Actually a lot HIGHER!

Heck, our greens fees at St Andrews in Scotland – the HOME OF GOLF – didn’t cost as much.

I guess I do have a limit to how much I will pay for a round of golf – and you know what….

I just found it!

OK, OK…..I don’t mind the various green fees costs really. I mean so far I’ve paid anywhere from $15.00 – $150.00 on a round. So it’s not like it is at a high cost constantly. I’ve played courses that aren’t really worth the money in my opinion, and I’ve also played courses that I would be okay paying more to play. None of that really matters though because golf is the most enjoyable thing that I pay to do.

So at the end of the day, as long as it’s not breaking the bank, I’m gonna pay the green fees.

And truth be told, that’s how it is with most things I do. I often ask my friends and family, “What is the most you will pay for “X”?” For instance:

• What is the most you will pay for a pair of shoes?
• What is the most you will pay for a house cleaner/car wash?
• What is the most you will pay for lawn maintenance?
• What is the most you will pay for a car?
• What is the most you will pay for a watch/jewelry?
• What is the most you will pay for sports equipment or musical instrument. (i.e. bicycle/golf clubs/guitar)?
• What is the most you will pay for clothes?
• What’s the most you will pay for a concert/movie?
• What is the most you will pay for a cocktail/6-pack of beer?

You get the idea. I try to keep the object of the purchase to something that may be a necessity to that person for whatever reason – I know many of you may think a 6-pack of beer isn’t a necessity, but work with me here. By asking this question, I learn what my friends and family are interested in. It gives me insight to their individual preferences, which then seems to reflect their personality traits.

Over the years, I have discovered what my friends and family are willing to pay the most for things and it falls into 5 categories:

#1 – Speed & Convenience. It seems people want an outcome of some kind. And they want it NOW. They don’t want to have to spin their wheels for too long. They want the runway to be shortened.

#2 – “Done For You”. Things need to get done. They know it. They don’t want to do it themselves. OR they don’t know how.

#3 – An AWESOME Experience + Status. Around the world, you have some pretty well-off businesspeople paying large sums of money to be added to a waiting list to be a space tourist. They want to be one of the first civilians to go into space once it has been fully commercialized. Why do they want to do that? Because they can, yes. But also….because they want the experience and they also want the STATUS of having been a part of it. People love to be able to participate in something that others cannot. And they love to brag about it to others.

#4 – Leading Edge, Trendsetter. To get out ahead of the pack, to get in on something before others are able to. People LOVE to feel as if they’re “on the inside” and getting in on something before it takes off into some huge thing.

#5 – Access. This is a biggie. In this world of information overwhelm, it is ironic that what people value most is good old-fashioned human interaction.

By listening to my family and friends share with me their limits when it comes to spending their money, I have discovered the uniqueness of each person’s choice and perspective for themselves.

My Reads from the Reds – Everything has a limit, even green fees.

Fairways and Greens – We are 18 Holes and Counting!

Written By Kathy Festa