whats your limit money wise for yearly golf fees?

[bigslice]

if im carefull with my dosh, i dont gamble,im not a heavy drinker, i dont follow follow any fitba teams,i dont smoke and have stopped going with dirty women. im looking to join a proper course, while im at it one that made the top 100. . what im trying to say is how much is too much??? i havent played a lot of courses but around here there are lots of good courses.
my plan would be stay there for life or at least the next 50 years!!! i would hope to play at least twice a week (links golf rules)
again at what stage do i say thats too dear

 

[brendy]

Bigslice, only you can answer that with your specific situation.
I know that I spend around 5-7% per month (of my earnings) on golf and associated costs. I think that if it ever hit 10% its time to rethink priorities.

 

[robbest3offthetee]

I would say whatever you can afford,choose the right course for you,make sure you like the place, then whatever the cost it will be worth it....

 

[Basher]

HID puts aside money every month when I get paid. Come sub renewal time, there's enough pennys in there to pay for my golfing year.
I've had to add a bit as they've gone up a bit this time though.
Mine are £750 from January, a bit steep but to me it's money well spent. Just wish HID felt the same way!

 

[bigslice]

Bigslice, only you can answer that with your specific situation.
I know that I spend around 5-7% per month (of my earnings) on golf and associated costs. I think that if it ever hit 10% its time to rethink priorities.

cheers brendy, just what i was looking for. you have shortened my lengthy question. at the moment i saving up for the joining fee and first years subscription. the plan is for 3 years time to apply/join. sob story coming up. ive had to sort mylife out recently and get my priorities in order. but % wise 7 would be fine and i think you are right 10 would be "what the flip"

 

[brendy]

I think regardless of what wage/salary you take home, percentages are easier to relate to. As an aside, I pay my fees by direct debit, should they ever remove that facility, I will be looking elsewhere as there is no way on this green earth I could justify forking out the guts of a grand in one go for something as I am crap at saving so would end up be a chunk out of my bank account that I could ill afford to lose.

 

[bigslice]

i relate most outgoings to say a pound a day. van insurance, mobile phones, card payment rental etc. but this course could be at least a fiver a day. (best course in the world imo)
ive got a jeeb jar (1p 2p 5p 10p 20p) now started a 50p jar. a pound jar would be showing off

 

[HomerJSimpson]

As has been pointed out many times my club has huge fees (not entirely justifiably sometimes) and so I have to be careful to accrue the money over the year to avoid a big hit on the credit/debit card. It isn't always easy to squirrel money away but it's a case of a little and often and its amazing how quickly it can accumulate.

I'm sure for a top 100 course your fees won't be too high and would probably be worth every penny. Have a look at your income/outgoings, the cost and what options you have to pay and then get joined and playing

 

[Basher]

a pound jar would be showing off

Don't know why you suggest that, it's what common or garden jam comes in!

 

[thecraw]

Where are you thinking off bigslice?

North Ayrshire, I'm thinking Bogside or one of the Gailes.

 

[DCB]

Interesting thread. I'm a member of a club in Edinburgh and whilst by no means one of the more exclusive and higher costing clubs it is still a fair whack especially as I've got my wife's fees and my daughters junior fee to cover as well. Fortunately I use the direct debit method and it's not too bad.

Having seen what some folks south of the border pay, I feel we are well catered for up here in respect to value for money. I certainly don't think I'd be a member of a club down south if I lived there. Fees of £800-£1200 a year would be too much.

I'd echo Brendy's thoughts on % of monthly income expenditure though. If it's too much, something else suffers and I'd rather not go there !

 

[SharkAttack]

Hate you people who stay down in Ayrshire, just like those lucky Fifers. Reasonable fee's on great courses, not all but enough to be getting by.

There are plenty of forumers down your way who can give you advice on the best courses and fee's, there may even be some without joining fees. Mind you with a name like BigSlice don't join Largs some of the holes run along the main road and I use it quite often

Shark

 

[bigslice]

Where are you thinking off bigslice?

North Ayrshire, I'm thinking Bogside or one of the Gailes.

definetly these courses are in the running, it will be an Ayrshire course i join and it will be a links course. i hope to play my target courses in the next few years and then have a think. do i want to travel 60 mins or 20 mins each way.
basically it could be a grand a year or 2 grand a year. i had a conversation recently with a customer who is on the waiting list. and ive an idea now how much it is. money wise its possible. and if im allowed in!!!! and i would definetly play there till i die
at first i thought it waas waaaaaayyyyyyyy out my league but it is reachable just.
so thecraw whats an acceptable % of wages etc.
i havent named my current course (if you can call it that)because its a dump (built on one) the signature hole has a castle (pump house) ruin and a slaughter house in the background!!! but it is my course and the members are a great bunch of guys.
in car terms it would be from driving a vauxhall corsa to suddenly driving a Bugatti Veyron

 

[bigslice]

Hate you people who stay down in Ayrshire, just like those lucky Fifers. Reasonable fee's on great courses, not all but enough to be getting by.

There are plenty of forumers down your way who can give you advice on the best courses and fee's, there may even be some without joining fees. Mind you with a name like BigSlice don't join Largs some of the holes run along the main road and I use it quite often

Shark

EK is only 40 mins away from ayrshire. the slice is under control on certain clubs

 

[brendy]

the slice is under control on certain clubs

Ahh starting with the putter?

One question you have to ask yourself is this, are you going to use the club to its full extent ie bar etc (social expenses) as this can also have a bit of a bearing in how much you spend per month too. If you are just able to make the rent on the membership then you need to factor this in.

 

[JustOne]

Would probably say that £2,000 would be my limit depending on the location, quality of the course(s) and facilities.

 

[dangermouse]

i think it depends what you get for the money. My course has put fees up 5% this year (no choice given the rate of cost increases), and I won't rejoin in 2012 if there is another 5% increase, simply because I wouldn't feel I was getting value for money in playing there.

However, I would then probably go somewhere more expensive if I felt it was worth it and the course was a lot better (disappointed with mine this last year).
In absolute terms, I'd be reluctant to pay more than £1,000 - £20 per week would be about the limit for me, especially with the costs of competitions and drinks etc on top of that.

 

[richart]

Always pay monthly, but what i pay now, approximately £100 per month, is about right for the quality of the course and facilities, compared to other similar courses in the area.

 

[newbhoy123]

Interesting thread alright..

I do think taking a % into account is sensible however I think it depends on the persons circumstances..

Granted the OP does not drink, gamble, smoke or mess about with the opposite sex so I take it he's single so therefore he would have more of a disposal income than a lot of us.

If it's your only hobby and one that you very much enjoy, I feel it's fine to spend in excess of the 10% of your yearly income as perviously mentioned.

If you want to join a top club be prepared to part with a lot of cash and although it might be a top club the members might not always be so forthcoming as in other clubs where economic backgrounds are more varied.

However whatever you choose to do make sure of one thing..Enjoy your golf.. that's what your paying your hard earned money for! Let us know how you get on. All the best.

 

[rickg]

I use the direct debit method

Is that similar to the rhythm method?

I pay approx £100 a month at present. It's comparable to other similar courses in the area. I would pay more if I had to, but it would need to be discernably better than my present club.