Tim Bert,
Not always. In 1994 I got an invitation to speak in Australia, all expenses paid. All the GM's in Australia were most sympathetic to allowing me to play their courses while there, so in essence, I got to play Royal Melbourne and others in Australia for almost free. I did have to pay for my own air fare from Sydney to Melbourne, and a few nights at a local B and B, but a few hundred bucks to play several rounds at a world top ten and a few other signifgant courses - that I was very happy with the "value recieved."
In general, I think we calculate the value of playing golf using a lot of factors. Pebble Beach or Pinehurst once at $500 plus travel (which might be reduced as above for business travelers) is probably seen as decent value (perhaps borderline depending on your finances and passion for golf). And for most, I would think our "ideal" golf year considering cost, time, etc., might be something like this:
- 25-50 rounds at the home club,
- Guest at another nice club a few times,
- A few rounds at a favorite CCFAD's, perhaps as part of a friends charity fund raiser
- One golf trip to a Hilton Head, or similar
- One side golf trip tied to a business trip that covered most of the expense (i.e., Ballyneal if in Denver, Sand Hills if in Omaha)
That is actually a lot for the middle class, second 10% of income kind of guys like me. But, it is a realistic ideal for a perfect golf season, no?