The Average Serious Golfer Spends Nearly $900 A Year On Golf Clubs

[Dave Doxey]

Never take "surveys" seriously.  Survey firms will come up with whatever results the sponsor/buyer wants.  Manufacturers would love the"average golfer" (whatever that may be) to spend $900 per year on equipment, so they publish that number, hoping choppers will take out their wallets to keep up with the others.


Coming soon: "Average golfers who spend $900 per year add 10 yards to drives and cure their slices".  (Golf Digest will attribute it to their monthly "cure your slice" article).


P.S. I spent $20 on equipment last year, to replace a shaft that suddenly failed.

[John Kavanaugh]

I wonder what Doak spent this year on golf travel. Many would claim it is immaterial because that is what he does for a living, and a good life it is. I would say what I spend on golf is just as immaterial because it is part of a good life supported by what I do for a living. Where exactly is the line between what we do for a living and how we enjoy our life? I just did a quick calculation and it costs me $900 a year just to shit in a sanitary manner. Why shouldn't I spend that much on golf clubs?

[Kalen Braley]

I have a buddy who does this probably every other year.  Usually involves a new driver, new wedges, and misc equipment like balls, shoes, etc. For hardcore golfers who have the money to spend, I'm not surprised by this at all.

I would be curious to know what these same hard core guys spend every year on green fees, travel, and food/beer while golfing. 

[BCowan]

I wonder what Doak spent this year on golf travel. Many would claim it is immaterial because that is what he does for a living, and a good life it is. I would say what I spend on golf is just as immaterial because it is part of a good life supported by what I do for a living. Where exactly is the line between what we do for a living and how we enjoy our life? I just did a quick calculation and it costs me $900 a year just to shit in a sanitary manner. Why shouldn't I spend that much on golf clubs?

Now that's my early nomination for post of the year

[John Kavanaugh]

Kalen,


The better question is what you have to earn to support your golf habit. Nothing worse than Willy Loman rater who puts the cost of his golf on the consumers back. Have your firm pay for travel, con the course into free golf because of your magazine affiliation, and maybe even eat free on your expense account. Woo hoo, another trip paid for by the guy buying your product and spending $900 a year on the advertisers in the mag.  Priceless, literally.

[Kalen Braley]

Kalen,


The better question is what you have to earn to support your golf habit. Nothing worse than Willy Loman rater who puts the cost of his golf on the consumers back. Have your firm pay for travel, con the course into free golf because of your magazine affiliation, and maybe even eat free on your expense account. Woo hoo, another trip paid for by the guy buying your product and spending $900 a year on the advertisers in the mag.  Priceless, literally.

John,

I would certainly agree in principle that most of us probably consume as much as our budget allows.  These last couple of years there are a few trips/events I would have liked to attend, but that money is currently allocated to my lacrosse playing daughter and her travelling team.

However, there are several models out there in terms of how they get it done.  In addition to your method, there is:

1)  The once-a-month muni guy cause that's all he can afford.
2)  The born-with-a-silver-spoon-in-his mouth guy who has played all the golf he wants all his life, and always will.
3)  The traveling Sales guy who gets to play and close deals on the company's dime.
4)  The did well early in his career guy who now travels a lot in the pre-golden years.
5)  The single guy who works but has no other expenses golfer.
6)  The average working joe with a modest retirement and now living in Florida guy.

And probably a few more to boot!!

[Tom_Doak]

I wonder what Doak spent this year on golf travel. Many would claim it is immaterial because that is what he does for a living, and a good life it is.

John:


I agree with you on your general point, I was just surprised to see a statistic that I thought was out of the box.


FWIW, I spent $32,000 last year traveling and playing courses that will be in volumes 2 & 3 of The Confidential Guide.  [I have to keep track because it's all a business expense now.]  I think I saw 100 new courses for that $, though I did not have time to play all of them, of course.

[Jeff Shelman]

I spent more than the average amount last year.


I like golf clubs.

[John Kavanaugh]

$32,000!?! I thought it would have been much higher. Congrats on being an honest man. That is a very low figure for procuring new work.

[jeffwarne]

I wonder what Doak spent this year on golf travel. Many would claim it is immaterial because that is what he does for a living, and a good life it is.

John:


I agree with you on your general point, I was just surprised to see a statistic that I thought was out of the box.


FWIW, I spent $32,000 last year traveling and playing courses that will be in volumes 2 & 3 of The Confidential Guide.  [I have to keep track because it's all a business expense now.]  I think I saw 100 new courses for that $, though I did not have time to play all of them, of course.

$320 per course (x 100)
Makes $900 a year on clubs seem cheap


As stated here, those averages get skewed pretty quick.
At the wealthier northeast clubs when one set is ordered, a duplicate for "Florida" is often ordered as well,
and that doesn't include fancy custom upgrades from custom fitters etc. driving the set to $4-5000, to say nothing of putters that somehow run $350, while the very model they copied, (PING)is generally 1/3 of that, but doesn't carry a fancy designer name.

[Matthew Rose]

I just bought my first set of irons in 20 years..... used.... for about $250. Ping i20s. I bought a Ping Glide wedge, also used, for $70. I rarely buy balls as my parents live on the right side of the 10th fairway of an upscale public and find enough Pro V1s in the yard during one summer to last all of us multiple seasons.

So I spent roughly $320 on golf clubs last year, and that's probably the most I've ever spent in a year on equipment. I've been using the same driver since 2009 (Ping G5), 3 wood since 2011 (also a G5), the same putter since 1998 (Ping Anser 2i), and I have two Nickent hybrids in my bag (both worth roughly $30).

My previous set were Eye2s that I've had since I was 16.

I'm pretty much a textbook category 1 on that list.

This year I'm probably going to buy another Glide wedge and that's probably it for awhile. I may replace the driver in a year or two with one of the adjustable models.

[Mark Steffey]

i get a new driver every 2 yrs, but use pro shop credit won in fourballs or from weekly sweeps that add up over time.  have played ap2's for 4 years that i won in a $20 raffle at a fourball.


last actual MONEY i spent on clubs was callaway x-16 irons bought way back then.  everything else is acquired through psc one way or the other.


same with balls.  have dozens here on a shelf as gifts for fourballs or m/g that i'll never use.


of course if i now count the entry fees for all the events i play i'm well over $900 annually for "club purchases".

[Tom_Doak]

$32,000!?! I thought it would have been much higher. Congrats on being an honest man. That is a very low figure for procuring new work.

That was only my travel for the book and for "golf".


I don't know off the top of my head what I spent traveling for the courses we built last year and for my consulting gigs.  It was a relatively slow year, so probably about the same as what I spent for the book.  There have been years when my airfares for the year were over $50k, when I made a half-dozen big overseas trips.


As Jeff says, the amounts spent by those in this forum on golf TRAVEL probably dwarf what anyone spends on equipment.  So I guess we shouldn't scold those who spend a lot on equipment.

[Mark Steffey]

you must be swimming in skymiles or whatnot, !

[Steve Lang]

   Please define "Serious"

[John Kavanaugh]

A serious golfer either plays 40 rounds or visits a course 200 times per year.

[Peter Pallotta]

JK - you're right of course that if a fellow can afford it we should be happy for him to buy as much golf equipment as he likes; but what I can't understand is how even for a second the thought occurred to you that you might be considered -- by anyone, here or anywhere else -- "the average serious golfer"? I mean, really....



   

[Steve Lang]

  Tom D,


Peter's suspicions on JK's status and inflation not-with-standing...


by JK's definition, I've been a serious golfer for over 45 years and have never spent over $900 on golf clubs... now golf travel is another thing

[John Kavanaugh]

Steve,


I admire any serious golfer married to another. I don't know how you, or anyone else for that matter, does it. Golf clubs are the least of your worries.

[Mike Schott]

None of the dozen or so serious golfers I know spend that kind of money on equipment annually. They may buy a club or two every year or two and one is likely a driver but rarely the latest and greatest. None are buying Scotty Cameron priced putters. Every 4-5 years we may buy new irons. $900.00 seems way high.


Personally I don't play much any more so am not a serious golfer right now (sadly) so I hit Ping G2 irons, Taylor Made hybrid 3 and 5 woods and an older Taylor Made driver. Putter is Odyssey. The next major cash outlay for the sport will be lessons.

[Michael Felton]

It's really pretty easy to get to $900 on clubs if you want to. Get a professional fitting for a driver, together with a top end shaft and you are getting close to that for just one club. Then if you want to go the route of a custom built putter and you're potentially way over that too. My priorities have changed quite substantially with a third person living in my house, so my projected expenditure on clubs over the next 5 years or so is close to zero. Despite that, in 5 years, I would still be close to the $900 per year over a 10 year period.


There are people out there who spend probably $5k per year on clubs. You don't need that many of them around to bring the average up to $900 per person. The thing is not a lot of that money is going to the club manufacturers. A lot of it goes to the shaft makers and the companies that offer the customised fitting process.

[Mike Schott]

It's really pretty easy to get to $900 on clubs if you want to. Get a professional fitting for a driver, together with a top end shaft and you are getting close to that for just one club. Then if you want to go the route of a custom built putter and you're potentially way over that too. My priorities have changed quite substantially with a third person living in my house, so my projected expenditure on clubs over the next 5 years or so is close to zero. Despite that, in 5 years, I would still be close to the $900 per year over a 10 year period.


There are people out there who spend probably $5k per year on clubs. You don't need that many of them around to bring the average up to $900 per person. The thing is not a lot of that money is going to the club manufacturers. A lot of it goes to the shaft makers and the companies that offer the customised fitting process.

I don't know Michael. For every golfer that spends $5K/year on clubs (I know no one who does this even wealthy private club friends) there are conservatively 50 and probably closer to 100+ that don't. Lets say the 50 spend $250.00/year on clubs. That averages out to $345.00. Of course these numbers have no scientific value.

[Kerry Gray]

I still use a R580 driver and my irons are 4 years old, cost $399. Sole purchase this year, new wedge, under $100. Now if you said golf equipment expense including clubs, balls, clothing, bags, shoes, etc. I would believe many people make that number.
I have a few friends who spend $900 a year in clubs, both love golf, both are not very good. No new club is going to cure that dreadful swing. But they keep hoping.

[John Kavanaugh]

All this denial reminds me of my golf buds and the use of Viagra. I know Pfizer sells a ton of the stuff, just not to anyone I know. Funny thing, a pharmisist friend of ours just starting stocking a generic Viagra at $2 a pill. He just became a very popular guy, with my buds that is.

[James Brown]

At Least $1000.   Couple drivers plus a putter.