Rich or Poor, you still can play

My alarm goes off at around eight thirty every summer morning. I wake up, reply back to the text messages that I got during the night and then I eat my breakfast. After that, you will find me at the golf course all day practicing and preparing for my upcoming tournaments. Im at the golf course from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with the same people everyday throughout the entire summer. It gets very expensive throughout the summer paying for lunch, golf balls, and new equipment. At the end of the year, I always think back and try to estimate how much money I have spent over the year.

I’ve been playing golf for about 6 years now. From the day I started I realized that this is one of the most difficult games to play, but it is also pricey. In the past 6 years I have improved drastically I am still improving daily. If you were to ask any person about how difficult golf is, everyone would say that its the hardest game to become good at. The only bad thing about it is the price. Golf is one of the most expensive sports to start playing when you are young. From playing in golfs tournaments, to just being a member at your local golf course it all adds up quickly. Not only that, you also have to buy clubs, apparel, tournaments, and food. There are many added costs to play the game and it starts to add up once you start to think about them.

When you hear the name golf, the reputation of the sport is for the rich and wealthy. Even though this is true, anyone can play it. Yes, if you want the most expensive clubs and desire to play the best courses, then you do need to be wealthy. All you really need is the basic equipment and your local course to start playing. If you are just a small time golfer and you go out to play golf once in a while with your friends you are looking at about 25 dollars to play 18 holes walking, but you can also add a cart in for an extra cost. “A full-length 18-hole courses charge anywhere from $25 to $150 or more.” (Chass) If you are a frequent golfer and you want to become a member of a club the cost can very. Im a member at The Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley, MA and for me its around 850 dollars per year. If you are an adult its around 3 thousand dollars a year. This is relatively cheap to become a member at a golf course. “Even though its cheep, 90% of my pay check goes towards golf and the Orchards.” (Bailly)

Apparel is paramount, and expensive. Every club has a dress code, so that means that you will have to go out and spend more money to be approved to play. Here are some men’s dress code guidelines at my club. “Shirts with collars and sleeves are required and to be tucked in at all times. Mock neck shirts are acceptable attire. Shorts are permitted, but must fall no higher than 4 inches above the bend in the back of the knee. Pants and shorts with elastic waist bands are not permitted, denim in any form is not permitted in the clubhouse or on the golf course. The definition of denim extends to pants, skirts, shorts, shirts or any article of clothing made from denim. Hats must be worn forward at all times.” (Orchards) If you are the type of golfer that is big into the game then you will most likely be looking at spending a little more money on a couple of things such as, golf shoes and golf gloves to enhance your golfing ability. Both of these items will improve your play, but cost more money. “Gloves, which stabilize a player's grip on the club, cost $5 to $25. Golf shoes reduce slipping and help maintain proper footwork, and typically cost between $50 and $200 per pair.” (Chass). Theres one other thing a club will always get you spending more money. Once your done playing golf, most people will go up to the club house to get drinks and maybe some food. I know that half my bill is from buying food and drinks. “ I spent $100 on just food last month, thats more money that i have to spend.” (Bailly)

The most important item that you must have is your equipment. If you have no equipment then there is no possible way to play golf. In each set of clubs you will need to buy the following, a set of irons, woods, wedges, and a putter. You will also need to purchase golf balls. Depending on the brand of clubs you buy, the price will vary. Irons can go from anywhere between $500 to $1500, woods will go in the range of $150 to $500, and wedges will go anywhere from $50 to $125. The last thing in the bag is the putter. They go anywhere between $100 to $300. Buying golf balls in a dozen go for $15 to $60 dollars. Basically, you are going to need to spend at least 800 dollars for a full set of clubs. Clubs do not last a life time so you will aways need to buy new ones every couple of years to keep updated with the technology.

Not only does golf cost a lot of money it also takes most of your day. During the day, you are also spending money to eat and drink. “Tiger Woods is the number one player in the world and he practices for 8 and a half hours everyday, waking up at 6am”(Haney). I will be going to play golf at a college next year on a golf scholarship. I’m going to have to mange my school time and practicing. I need to keep practicing everyday to keep the money from the scholarship to keep coming in. I must be at the course 6 days a week and have to be there for at least 3 hours a day, trying to improve my game. This is the way I will be paying for college and golf for the next 4 years. If I wasn't giving this opportunity. I would be spending much more money in the 4 years they I ever will before.

Having spent over $2500 for about 4 year’s now, I’ve realized the cost of golf is outrageous. Just spending money on new golf clubs. This is not a full set, maybe only spending about $500 in clubs. I always have to play $700 to be a member at my local club every year and I also spend about $600 dollars in tournaments. Food is the big killer in your bill. I could honesty say that i spend about $250 in food over the summer at the course. I usually will get new shorts and new polo’s for the season, also a new pair of golf shoes. Thats about 450 dollars in new apparel. The money that spend over the years is a lot of money. This year Im going to try to cut back on spending money on food and unnecessary items. It just takes writing an essay in English class to make me realize how much money I have spent over the past couple of years. This could be one reason why people think of golf as a rich mans sport.