Why is golf so expensive?

Question

why??????

Answer 1

Two people stated it has something to do with keeping the lower class out.  That is just silly.  Trust me-I work in the golf course business.  It is extremely tough to just break even in this business.  There are many expences involved in running a golf course and thus the rates reflect that.  I would certainly never hope to own a course.

Answer 2

Golf with all of its traditions began as an elitest sport and some of that elitist tradition/attitude still reigns today.  Look at the top 100 courses in America and when they were designed.  Super private courses on Long Island and New York like National Golf Links of America(built in 1911), Winged Foot(built in 1923), Shinnecock Hills(built in 1931), and Fisher's Island(built in 1926) were designed in roaring '20's, Great Gatsby Era that was an era of excess.  There are other courses designed in that same era in different parts of the country like Seminole in Palm Beach County(one of the wealthiest counties in the nation), Riviera Country Club in L.A.(where all the old celebrities like Humphrey Bogard and others played), Augusta National(which just hosted the annual Masters Tournament), and Olympic Club in San Francisco.  We're talking ultra-private clubs.  Clubs like Shadow Creek in Las Vegas and Cypress Point on the Monterey peninsula in California only grant membership to individuals if they extend an invitation.  Cypress Point was designed in that Gatsby era as well.  Shadow Creek on the other hand was designed in 1987.  Just an example of the elitist tradition continuing.  Since Tiger Woods has come on the scene, there has been this push to make golf more accessible and affordable, but there are still clubs being built that cost way too much to play.

Answer 3

To make sure the lower class can't play! Unfortunately, golf isn't as much as it used to be. I am sick of seeing more and more working class individuals playing golf, with "Lonsdale T-Shirts", and clubs and equipment from the Sports World everlasting sale.

Answer 4

Golf is expensive because of the golf courses.Golf courses require extensive architecture.

Sport is expensive due to the cost to maintain and upkeep of a golf course. Though almost every other sport requires fees for the upkeep of a pitch or court, golf courses requires a more meticulous maintenance because the golf game itself is very dependent on the natural factors of the golf course. Such instances like the presence of a stone, the cut of the grass, and presence (or absence) of trees that can cut wind direction can affect a ball’s movement, therefore also defining game play.

You cannot walk on the golf courses and so you would have to rent a golf cart which again is expensive.

Social aspect is also one of the major reasons. Golf became the unofficial past time of business world in many parts of the world.

Golf gear is also expensive. The materials involved in the manufacture of clubs is expensive. Steel, graphite, titanium are all premium priced materials.

All these factors come into play to make golf a wealthy man's sport.

Answer 5

Almost everybody wants their courses to look and play like Augusta National, which is a wasted endeavor.  No average Joe/Jane wants to putt on greens that are faster than a billiards table!  More and more designers are wanting 7,000+ courses, and people are going along with it because they want to "play like the pros".  Maintanence cost is getting higher and higher, just to keep up appearances (and hopefully host a U.S. Open).

Equipment is getting expensive because companies are spending big bucks on Research & Development, Advertising and PGA Sponsorships.  

R&D is not as necessary as they make it seem, because there hasn't been a "major breakthrough" since they started making drivers out of titanium.  If these graphite shafts that run $200 are so great, why has Driving Average on the PGA tour actually stagnated or dipped instead of increased?  And what's the deal with "high MOI" drivers?  All they do is make your miss-hits not as bad as they possibly can be.  But when they reach the limit set by the USGA and R&A, what are they going to do?  (By the way, doesn't anyone remember that Nike's 2nd generation SQ driver exceeded the limit set by the USGA and people could get them exchanged?  Weren't THEY the highest MOI driver at the time?  How could they make a newer, even higher MOI driver?) It's all simple physics, something R&D groups can't mess with.

Answer 6

The two basic reasons are

1. The up keep and landspace it takes to maintain a golf course is expensive,

2. Clubs puposely charge more than they need to keep average joes like you and I out and keep up appearances of superiority...