Golf is currently booming, with more and more golfers experiencing golf in some way, shape, or form! But these shocking stats on the rising cost of golf clubs, golf balls, golf memberships, and just to play a round of golf could put an end to this boom in golf participation. Today, I go through The SHOCKING STATS on THE RISING COST OF GOLF will leave you SPEECHLESS!
So how much more expensive is golf equipment in 2024, how much more expensive are golf ball sin 2024 and how much more is golf membership in 2024?, PLuss we go through the massive increase in the cost of a round of golf in 2024!
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So today I bring you a totally different story usually this is breaking news but this is news in a totally different form and I want you to say what you think on this now we all know golf is absolutely booming but a recent survey could show that because prices are just going too
High is golf going to be affected because the prices just aren’t sustainable now as I say as I go through this survey just let me know what you think think like this is about us as golfers and just discussing that is it just getting too expensive now that’s
All I want you to think about here in the sense of what this survey is finding now if we look at it right now K go demand for golf is going absolutely crazy I mean like crazy and hopefully it shows no signs of slowing down like I I
Think if I look back when I was a junior to now there is so many more younger people playing and if you’re older than me 29 just to put that out there um you will have seen golf change probably from being very popular in sort of the 80s
And ’90s and then it went away and then now looking absolutely crazy so just to give you some context to this because I want to go through these numbers so I can’t remember them all come on give me a break um but I want you to think about
This so golf’s World documented pandemic Boon has seen an upswing in all areas of the game in the USA and across the world now these stats are very much based on the USA in the seven years following the Great Recession the late 2000s the American Gold population
Shrank by 2.3 million in the ensuing seven years it grew by 2.8 million now according to the National Golf Foundation an estimated 26.6 million Americans played golf on a golf course in 2023 that’s a net increase about 1 million compared to 2022 now that is crazy like we not we’re not just talking
There golfers who might have gone and played Crazy Golf we’re not talking just range golfers simulator we’re talking actual golfers that went on some kind of golf course now if that didn’t shock you listen to this there were 45 million more Americans who played some version
Of golf in 20123 now that could be places like top golf driving rangers simulators that could be Crazy Golf just any form of golf now that figure to me is absolutely astounding and I can’t believe it like golf is becoming seriously popular now that sounds all
Rosy and I guess like golf is in a great position but I want to go through some findings and it shows you the price hikes that we have seen over a period of time and some of you will probably remember these better than me and I just
Want to know if you’ve seen any big increases let’s say golf balls cost of a driver that you bought in the 2000s to now cost of everything now I do get it right and I get some of the comments will be of course everything has gone up and I totally understand that but
Because golf was already expensive this is sort of I guess the point of the article and the point of the survey because golf is already expensive as it is if it hikes up again does that already eliminate even more people out of the game now let’s go into this so
Just to give you an idea if the cost of living in United States I’m going to give you this in dollars it now requires around $119 to buy the same goods and services that used to cost around $100 pre pandemic now I guess the thing is I
Don’t know what those services are I’m just reading this from the survey but this is now in Gulf detached survey and this is more sort of golf based so a serious golf now spends $11,100 per year on equipment that is a 55% more than those golfers who were spending the same in
2010 crazy right a 55% increase from 2010 to now now I think a big part of that will be like custom fittings um will be the cost like more golfers who are serious getting expensive shafts getting fitted for irons getting fitted for drivers getting fitted for Putters
Like there’s more of that bespoke nature now so that’s definitely going to add to that but that’s a serious increase now if you class yourself as a serious golfer have you seen that sort of increase in you buying let’s say you bought two sets of irons from the mid
2000s to now is is that what you have seen too and guys if you are watching from the UK put your opinions in here too so another stat here for you right and this is crazy most manufacturers you go out now and the latest driver cost around $600
Right that’s the cost of what they are now and that’s probably even before like a driver shaft upgrade a decade ago an entry level driver were about half that price now the same logic can be applied to other gear in the same time period a decade
Ago around a pro V’s retail price for a dozen was around $5 according to the survey now it is $55 a dozen now I do question the $5 a dozen like go on I need you to help me out there um I couldn’t remember them I didn’t play
Provies they were very very expensive uh even at the $5 range um they were definitely more when I was a kid all I remember them being is about 35 and that was probably 10 years ago but I guess if you go 10 years before that maybe we
Were sort of in the same sort of area I don’t know let me know on that one but either way they have got seriously more expensive so you can start to see why a serious golfer is starting to pay over $1,000 a year if you think buying new clubs then
You’ got golf balls golf gloves golf shoes crazy crazy expensive now it is not just equipment that’s got more expensive is actually getting out on the golf course and I think this is the point where we’re sort of looking at it if equipment’s expensive for a serious
Golfer then that knock on effect down the chain is going to be for what we’re classing as a non-serious golfer a recreational golfer so plays once or twice a week now I do know that you can go and get some great bargains on the secondhand market and that’s something
That I think will boom in this and where people will go but we’re talking about sort of new equipment here we’re talking about not just equipment but also the cost of a golf course now here in the UK I think memberships are going up slightly and have done year on year and
I think I read a survey recently and not this one that sometimes golf clubs are putting it up and then just going oh by the way to their members it’s gone up now let me know what your membership is now and has that gone up from 10 years
Ago because I think that’s quite interesting now I appreciate in America it works slightly differently but here in the UK we sort of have a lot more in inverted commas affordable gold memberships it’s still expensive but let me know what you think there I think we
Can arguably say here it’s gone up now to give you some context in this where it’s expensive to still get on a golf course we’ll go highend then we’ll go low end and low end’s not even low from 2020 to 2021 more than a third of courses in the US raised their peak
Season green fees by an average of 11% that has that and that trend has continued now we do know that the cost of running a course has gone up like the sand the materials the cost of fuel and this is probably one of the reasons why but the question is is it
Sustainable now in a study of the top 100 golf courses in the UK average Green Feed in 2023 were up 12% compared to the previous year now just to give you an example of this in the US Pebble Beach bump their green fees up again from $595 yes $595 to
$625 plus $55 for a cart and then probably a caddy as well don’t forget that now this is a huge hike in prices and the rumors are that that is going to go to around a near not North I don’t think but around $1,000 a round ,000 a
Round crazy absolutely crazy now I get it it’s a Bucket List golf course but still that is ridiculous money it’s going to price so many people at I mean even what it was at was going to price so many people out right now let’s go
For sort of more of a public golf course in America now again in the UK it works slightly differently but the price was well under $100 to play around and rent a golf cart now in 2024 the rate is $150 plus a golf cart this is crazy like
Ridiculously more so I reckon you correct me on this guys if you live in America you probably could get $70 for a golf cart and a green fee we’re now looking at around $150 for that same thing now the question I want to pose to you after learning and listening to all those
Stats is golf going to price some people out is this massive boom in golf going to be sustainable or is the price of things just going to make it too crazy now this is a real real interesting video and I just had to bring it you
Because of that if you did enjoy it don’t forget to subscribe to the channel and turn the Bell because I honestly think this could price a lot of people out and this big boom could end up being a big decline because of it I’m sorry to say
16 Comments
What is it like in your opinion
Yes, it is so expensive and ridiculous. People go and custom fit a $4500 set of irons but they have a $.45 swing I mean that's Crazy. You can't buy a good score you must practice what's best for you, personally. That slice you have with the $100 irons will be there after you custom fit for a $4500 irons.
Golf will become its own worst enemy with increasing prices! In the UK you can play courses for £25 or £100's but its all played on grass. Does it cost more to grow grass in different parts of the UK? OK,I accept the facilities and manicuring is different but does this justify the price difference? As for the manufacturers, I think they see golfers as 'cash cows' and regardless of 'improvements' in equipment the price will be increased for any new itteration. The problem being they are not just minor but substantial increases!!!
From france, a lot of people on thé courses. But old people. Or few young. But no more complète family playing.
With me it's actually costing the manufacturers money. I just don't upgrade as often as I used to anymore.
Used to change driver every 2 years, sometimes every year. Last driver I kept for 5 years before changing.
irons I used to change about every 3 years, had my current set 5 years now. No plans to change.
Not that I can't afford it, new drivers simply arn't £500 better than what I currenty use.
In the last 3 years my green fees have increased 20% and new clubs form top brands are now unaffordable for me, if the prices keep increasing at this pace I will be giving up in the next couple of years, they are pricing lots of people out of the game.
45 million golfers in The US, but what are the age demographics? I see less younger players.
more like 10 years ago you were paying £200 for a new driver now average is £550 no justification for these rip off prices
I decided ages ago that buying second hand is the way forward. The latest drivers are no better than the previous marques that you can pick up at a reasonable price.
Pricing out future growth
The most recent numbers I could find was 25.6 million golfers in the US in 2022, with 3.3 million playing golf for the 1st time. 6.8 million of those 25.6 were between the ages of 18-34.
Come live in Australia and pay $1000 for your driver and $80 for ur box of Pro V’s
Member fees for me are $3,000 pa. Up 10% from last year. If i play comp once a week i pay $15 or $660 for 44 rounds. And variable costs like golf balls etc i am looking at at least $5,000 pa. Golf clubs are really expensive. Had to replace my driver as i accidently drove over my golf bag breaking a number😂 of clubs. Big brand names are between $700 to $1000. Bought the cleveland launcher xl driver for $400 Aussie. I am at the point now wherher to continue playing. I have an interest in photography and may throw in the towel for golf and buy myself a Sony aiii digital camera and a couple of lenses and do something more creative with my life. Its rhe mateship at golf i really enjoy but the cost is now getting prohibitive.
There are brands for the wealthy and brands for middle class or lower. That's life. Some people wear a 40 dollar watch, others have a 400 thousand dollar watch. Kirkland Signature made a good driver at a fair price. Many people in comments think their friends would tease them if they used a Costco club. The big brands can talk about growing the game all they want, it's just talk. In time, direct to consumer brands, Costco, and second hand golf shops will take enough market share that the big names may have to adjust. They will say advances in the production process or some other BS allowed them to provide a better price.
Alex,
I firmly believe that golf manufacturers use the I Phone model, where they use the general fact that we, as consumers, have the shiny new syndrome, whereby we have to have the new set of clubs, regardless of potential gains.
The problem, as I see it, with this strategy, is that the boom will only last so long, but the bust will be massive.
I think that golf courses could eventually price themselves out of the market. With a huge rise in launch monitors, with the ability to play simulated golf, becoming available, I think that people may look at the course fees more critically.
I have recently started playing golf again, but now I live in Mexico. I thought that it would have been cheaper to play here, but quite the opposite. There are 2 courses near my home, both private. One of the courses is not taking any more members and the other is charging a US$20,000 up front fee, with an annual fee of around US$1,000.
If I want to buy equipment, it is not available locally and I need to buy and import it from the US, so I buy it in the US and pay US tax on it, then I need to get it shipped and then I need to pay 20% import fees on the original price plus the US tax plus the shipping. It ends up costing about 30% more than in the US.
I realise this is not the case in the UK, but there will come a point that people say enough is enough. As for me, if I want to play a course I need to drive 1 and a half hours, pay the equivalent of £45 to play on a course, that even when you hit the middle of the fairway you may find that your playing of hard, stoney dirt! I will be looking at building a home simulator and occasionally visit the US for a weekend to play a real course.