Reasonable Budget for Newbie Golfers Just Starting- Lessons, Equipment etc.

When first entering the game of golf, it can be intimidating with what products you may need, how many lessons should you take and how often should you play or practice.

What is a reasonable budget for newbie golfers just starting? New golfers should budget and expect to spend $150-$200 a month when playing and learning the game of golf. This price range includes playing golf once a week, instruction, practice range time and golf accessory purchases. 

Golf can be an expensive sport to get into, but as time goes on, the recurring costs do go down as skills and knowledge of the game increase. To get a rough guideline about how much you should expect to pay for, continue reading below so you can better budget and embrace yourself into the world of golf.

Price of Golf Lessons- Should you Invest?

Golf lessons are the fastest way to improve your golf game, hands down. Don’t get me wrong; you can learn a lot of information online watching YouTube videos or researching golf tips. But there is something about a real person telling you how to fix your game that motivates new golfers to want to improve and see better results. In my opinion, golf lessons will be far more beneficial to a new golfer compared to trying to learn the game on your own. The importance of learning the fundamentals is critical when first learning, and if avoided or learned incorrectly, the game will become much harder! budget for golf

You can expect to pay $35-$60 an hour for a golf lesson. Most golfers prefer to have a golf lesson weekly or bi-weekly to make sure that they don’t forget the material covered by the instructor. After around ten lessons, most golfers will have developed the necessary skills to grow and build upon.

To start golf lessons, call around to your local golf courses and inquire about lessons from an instructor. Most golf instructors are relatively flexible when scheduling which gives you no excuse not to start improving your game!

Golf Range Prices and How Often you Should Go

Another thing new golfers need to budget for driving range time to practice. Golfers can expect to pay $8-$12 for a bucket of golf balls to practice with. While beginning golfers don’t have to go to the driving range, I would highly recommend that they do, especially if they are taking lessons. They will need to practice what they have learned to improve their muscle memory.

Driving range basics 

  1. Try and practice once a week
  2. Practice with all of your clubs (don’t only use your driver)
  3. Spend a majority of your time working on the weakest part of your game
  4. Go to the short game area to practice chipping and putting (if they have one)
  5. Don’t overwork yourself. If you feel pain or get tired, stop and try another day again

golf ball dimples

Playing Golf

Here is where the majority of the cost comes from when budgeting for golf expenses. It comes from actually playing the game! Depending on what course you want to play, the average cost of playing golf is $35 for 18- holes or $20 for 9-holes. Renting a cart can also add more to these price amounts by $8-$15. 

As a reference point and from my personal experience, I would recommend playing golf at least once a week during the golf season. It is tough to learn and gain experience if you never play. One of the best ways to make sure you play once a week is to join a local golf league that plays weekly. This way you are held accountable to show up each week for your tee time, and you can focus on improving while meeting and having fun with others.

Golf Equipment, Average Prices and What You Need

Golf equipment and accessories are also expenses that need to be factored into your golf budget. You can expect to pay $20-$45 a month in golf accessories. Golf equipment is going to cost much more depending on what type of clubs you want to purchase.

Here is a quick list of the average prices of golf equipment you need and accessories and how long they last:

  1. Golf iron set- $200-$1200 (lasts around 5 years)
  2. Golf driver- $150-$400 (lasts around 3 years)
  3. Wedges- $50-$200 (lasts around 3 years)
  4. Golf bag- $50-$300 (can last forever)
  5. Golf tees- $1-$15 (a pack every month)
  6. Golf balls- $10-$45 (dozen should last 2-3 weeks)

budget for golf

 

Related Questions

How long does it take to play golf? – On average it takes 4 hours and 30 minutes to play 18- holes of golf in a foursome.

What is the best way to save money from playing golf? – One of the better ways to save money playing golf is to look for deals on websites like GolfNow to select discounted times to play.

Should you play golf with others or by yourself when first learning? – New golfers should play both by themselves and with others to understand competitive gameplay and individual course strategy.

 

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