Maximize Your Golf Dollar!

Creative thinking is the key to maximizing your golf dollar! Opportunities abound for you stretch your golf budget.

Yeah, the economy has gone into the tank & most people I know are hurting financially — some real bad and others bad enough where they have to make changes in their lifestyle. But if you’ve been searching for an article like this, I assume that you haven’t decided to give up golf! Rather you’re looking for a way to continue to enjoy the game, but cut down on the expense. I like to call it “becoming a frugal golfer”!

Frugal means costing little, inexpensive, & marked by economy in the spending of money. Even though golf is inherently an expensive game, opportunities exist in numerous places to save money — sometimes big bucks! As you might expect, the internet is your best friend for exploring most of these.

1. Discount Greens Fees – There are a multitude of national, regional, & local discount golf pass programs that cover reduced greens fee at courses close to you. Google “discount golf pass programs” plus “(your State)” & you should come up with a number of possibilities. Check your local newspaper’s sports section for coupons (Monday’s edition is popular in my local area). Subscribing to your local course’s e-mail listing (check a course’s website) can result in coupons. Many courses’ pro shops will gladly share this type of information with you if you just ask about it!

2. Online Greens Fees – Many internet companies sell online teetimes for specific dates & times at reduced rates. Some sites ask you to name your own price, and even auction sites like eBay are getting into the act. Do an internet search & surprise yourself at what’s out there.

3. New Golf Equipment – Retail stores, driving ranges & golf courses are the only way to go when you need to try out equipment to see if it is right for you, but once you’ve identified what you want, you have to check the internet. Low overhead of itself gives the online stores a big price advantage over the brick & mortar facilities. Ebay & Amazon can be the source of big savings! Timing your purchases (January & February in many areas) to just before the new equipment comes out can take advantage of overstocked inventories.

4. Used Golf Equipment – In the search for the new driver, iron, wedge, or putter that will magically reduce their scores, golfers are constantly abandoning perfectly good & in many cases, virtually new equipment. That driver that the golf manufacturers were glowing about just last year didn’t just lose the 20 yards it promised you, did it? Used equipment can be found just about everywhere because there is simply so much of it!

5. Clone Golf Clubs – Many clone golf clubs perform quite well, so check them out, but be careful to distinguish clones from knockoffs. Knockoffs will try to fool you by imitating brand name clubs to the extent that it can be hard to tell the difference. Clone golf clubs will level with you up front with phrases like “compare to” or “similar to” a brand name club.

6. Recycled, Refurbished, Reconditioned Golf Balls – Whatever term you prefer, these are used & there is a big market out there. Golfers lose millions of balls every year, many of which have only been hit once or twice. Golf ball recycling companies clean these balls up & resell them. The highest grade of recycled ball looks & plays perfectly (your playing partner will never know unless you decide to brag about how little you paid for them – typically about half price).

7. Sell or Donate Your Used Golf Equipment – If you decide to sell your used equipment, be prepared to swallow hard – you are likely only to get pennies on the dollar for them! A better way to go might be to donate them to charity for the tax deduction. Some charities won’t accept golf equipment, but others like The First Tee Program (for kids) will be delighted to take them!

8. Get a Part-Time Golf Related Job – Just a couple of shifts as a starter, ranger, cart attendant, or pro shop attendant at your local course is usually enough to get you abundant free golf (although generally with some time restrictions). Work a shift or two at a golf retail shop can result in significant discounts on everything they carry.

Trade specific brands of balls with your buddies, shop the coupon sites on the web, and forget the more expensive brand names for the non skill items like gloves & grips. There are so many ways to save if you put your mind to it! My passion over the years for this expensive game has led me to find whatever way I could to reduce the expense, but you know what? Besides saving the money, becoming a frugal golfer has been really satisfying & yes – fun!

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About the Author

Lee Triplett retired from a government job on a Friday in April 2005 & on the following Monday started a part-time job at a golf course 5 minutes from home. Years of trying to stretch his golf budget, combined with his golf job experiences, and a natural affinity to exhaustively explore the internet before buying anything, led him to build his website www.frugalgolfer.com

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