Your careers/jobs

[duncan mackie]

if its your main or only hobby then its relatively speaking not that expensive to change irons every 4-5 years and occasional driver and putters.
Try skiing/autosports/diving/sailing etc etc for cash hungry sports, Golf can be done as cheaply or as expensively as you want or can afford, its a great leveller.

all very true - but you missed the real biggy.....

KIDS

 

[philly169]

i play mainly weekends and only change clubs rarely.

i also still struggle to comprehend the new sets that some can afford!

like a set of mp59s with some matt KBS stiff shafts and some nice tidy grips would set you back some serious serious cash.

id love to be given them but cant imagine ever having the dollar to buy a full set new!

Phil

I've just brought some MP59s with PX5.5's! I have been saving for a few months and sold some guitars and stuff. I work as a senior (only 26) it support analyst and work all week, so only play weekends when the misses hasn't got us anything planned!

 

[moogie]

Work in Print Industry
Shift Work
3 x 12 hr days
or
3 x 12 hr nights
Per week
LOADSA TIME OFF FOR GOLF ...... :thup:

But still manage the odd 'chore' to keep HID face straight

 

[Mark_G]

Compared to my previous hobby of RC racing, golf is dirt cheap, a weekends racing would generally cost £200 and if its a ten round championship plus practice sessions, it just got ridiculous, plus the travelling costs became too much. I see my family more and get to have at least one round a week (usually two) but also if you are a member of a club its no extra cost to play ten times or once a week, so why wouldn't you?

 

[full_throttle]

Work night shift, sun-thurs at Parcelforce, play golf whenever I feel like it weather permitting. Earn a decent salary, kids grown up and very low rate mortgage (1.25%).

 

[Essex_Stu]

I start work between 5am-6.30am mon-fri so get to finish whenever I want to as long as I can cover my time to a job. My father-in-law to be is the Managing director of the company I work for and its usually him who says do you fancy a game. I can afford it as Im a specialist Electrical tester and inspector and have a fair bit of disposable income as my mortgage doesnt cost much and my Fiancee also works 3 days a week so that helps out. I should really cut back a bit but Im only 26 so have a few years to buy some more property etc. Oh and my last hobby was following Chelsea FC up and down the country so Golf is cheap in comparrison.

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Basically I don't waste my money on anything else. I don't smoke or drink much, I don't spend a fortune on clothes and most importantly I don't have any kids Most of my disposable cash goes on golf stuff. I'm not one of these people who changes clubs every year but I do like to buy golf clothes.

As a job I am a network engineer and am fortunate that it pays a decent salary which helps.

 

[Tab373]

I work at a nuclear power plant doing security shift work I work 2 12 hour day shift followed by 2 12 hour night shift then I get 6 days off so only work approx 12 shift a month.i lay golf with a couple coppers who also do shift so play twice a week. Oh and private security work on a nuclear plant pays pretty well also. Hence I can buy new kit as and when.

 

[Evesdad]

I don't work as I'm at home with the kids so money is tight this year I've spent £100 on three wedges and £80 on shoes. The shoes were bought with Xmas money. The big bit is membership so once that's paid I an play as much as I like. Wife's a teacher and get home about 1700 so can get nine holes in one night and practice another. Most of my gear was bought before I finished work but even then most were bought on the cheap.

 

[Karl102]

I am a secondary school teacher...... Let the holiday jibes begin ! I try to play as often as I can, at least one evening during the week and again at weekends. Then a lot more during the holidays! I still play a fair standard of cricket (that doesn't help my swing) and so between the 2 HID needs a medal!
As for buying gear, I would change my clubs every week if I could! I love shineys. I am a head of department so get a good salary, but I live to my means and would never get in debt to buy luxuries.
As per the OP if you put the hours in and work hard then you will be in a position to help fund your golf addiction

 

[beggsy]

I'm a roofer and play a minimum of 4 times a week Tuesday night Wednesday night Saturday morning and Sunday morning

 

[Jungle]

I earn an ok salary about but I've got a mortgage and family so its never going to be a free for all when it comes to playing or spending.

Clubs offering a direct debit option is ideal for me as I've rarely got a spare £500. As for equipment I'll be going 2nd hand which is unlike me but my current set is a starter set and I don't have any driver so will look to upgrade my clubs over the next few years.

 

[GTO NEMESIS]

I am a Director at the worlds largest conference & training company.
I have worked there for 8 years and through proven results been rewarded with the most profitable parts of the business to manage/grow. Out of 10,000 staff I have 3 people above me.

I certainly know how very fortunate I am (and long may it continue - touching wood right now!) especially considering that I have no higher education and in 2002 I left the Algarve from being a holiday rep.
It truly is a fantastic company to work for and I have huge flexibility on the hours I spend in the office which does grant me the benefit of being able to play golf in the afternoons (usually 6-9 holes 1-2 times per week). Work hard, play hard, get paid well - live or die by my results.

Family wise, well we have one little girl aged 11 months and another one on the way and I clearly have a very chilled out wife as I never get grief for playing golf or spending my hard earned - Plus golf is my cheapest hobby! (Racing cars, Bikes, B&O, and Scuba are certainly more costly).

I'm a great believer in striving for the best I can possibly achieve in life and doing the very best I can with what ever cards I am dealt with (and there have been some total stinkers in my life including having to live on £10 a week after losing my father and grandparents aged 17).
Shame my determination is not so fruitful when I have a set of clubs in my hands!

Live for the moment, you never know what the future will bring.

Mark

 

[Fezman]

I'm a Local Govt Officer (been there 20 years). Before you all go on about Gold plated pensions, a few facts. I am currently losing about £6k / annum from frozen wages, buying back annual leave, increased pensions, etc. I also stand to lose about another £2.5k (thats if I dont get a pay cut in the next 12 weeks) over the next year.

Compared to the private sector I am about £20k per annum lower on salary than peer jobs, with no benefits except...

I work 9 day fortnights, @ 37 hrs per week. Which means every other friday I am off and can play golf. All in all it seems very flexible until you consider I start at 7am and rarely finish before 5 PM, so work around 90 hours per fortnight and get paid for 74 hours. A free 16 hours overtime to the public purse - How many of you guys work 16 hours for nowt !

With regard to Kit, I once spent a shedload of cash getting some Ping G5's from Gainsborough and then trade these and subsequent irons in when i feel the need to upgrade. Works out at £200 every 2-3 years.
Woods and wedges get bought off ebay as a bargain comes up. But just bought a magic new driver from AG - Ping G15 at £130. Shoes - I wait for adidas to bring out the latest tour 360 model and then buy last years stock - circa £70 every 2-3 years.

Balls (I don't mean that in an insulting way :whoo: ) use PRo V1 practice balls in comps / society days, and srixon soft feel on casual days. £19 and £12.50 respectively - but just seen aforedablegolf.com have AD333 logo overruns at £9.50 - will be having 6 dozen of them anytime soon.

As for green fees, well I keep being tempted to become a member at various local clubs ( circa £700 per annum is the average), but like to play different courses, so use greenfree 2/4/1 vouchers and usually end up @ £20 per round or so.

All in all it costs me a about £100 per month, but that is worth it - other sports would likely cost a lot more.

F

 

[Imurg]

Driving Instructor..

Self-Employed and in control of my diary.
Working pretty close to the club I can get a round in if I have a 4 hour Window - fairly easy to build into the day...
Friday mornings are Golf morning - mostly.
Can get 2-3 or even 4 rounds a week sometimes.

 

[G1BB0]

I work as a telephone engineer its an ok salary but not great, have 3 teenage kids and no missus = single parent.

I work 6 days a week most weeks, mon-fri is my rota and saturdays/bank holidays as overtime. My membership is cheap @ £400 a year but still an expense that I have to save for, clubs wise all mine are 2nd hand and ebay/forum bargains. My Clothing is also ebay bargains but doesnt mean they are crap

I only work till 4pm so can practise or goto the course most evenings but being knackered working 6 days a week I mostly snooze on the sofa once my chores are done

 

[USER1999]

I am office based, earn naff all, and get no holiday to talk of. Not sure how I afford any golf kit at all. Or subs. I guess it goes on credit, and my descendants can pick up the bill. If I had any.

 

[palindromicbob]

I'm 31 and a nurse working full time in a DINKY household. Usually work 4 days one week then 3 the next. I can request days off a few weeks in advance and avoid being on the rota for those without taking an annual leave day so if I work it right I can have nearly a week without using annual leave if I have golf planned. If I need a little extra cash I have the option of working additional shifts around the hospital on my days off but this isn't gaurenteed income .

I'm using this time to aquire everything I might need because HID wants a little one in the next few years and then I'll probably be scraping together my pennies just to play my 2 society days a month and will forego the club membership!

 

[DaveM]

If you think golf is dear. Try matchfishing. A carbon pole will cost upwards of £3,000. Plus say £200 each for rods and you will have 6 or 10 of them. Then the cost of reels say at £90 each. Plus all the bits and pieces you need around £500. Thats before travel fees and bait. Golf is cheap.

All that is for good gear but no where near top of the range.

Don't do it any more. But I do, do some beachcasting. Even that cost a lot for the gear. 2 Zipplex rods £500 each. 4 multiplyer reels around £250 each. Then all the bits and bobs.

P.s. I don't have much money left in the bank these days.

 

[Hendo007]

I work in IT, Network operations Specialist so the job title says, wage is decent and the wife is a teacher so she got a decent wage too. I work 4 on 4 off 12 hour shifts so did have plenty time off for golf, however just had my first child 9 months ago and now my 4 off are spent watching the wean. Still managing to get about 1 or 2 rounds of golf a week in though and the odd range session. I don't buy clubs that often as I am happy with my current gear.