Golf is a game that consists of playing the ball from a teen ground into a hole with successive strokes. If you want to play golf, new golfers should budget and expect to spend 150 to $200 a month when playing and learning the game of golf.
This price range includes playing golf instruction, practice range, time, and golf accessory purchases once a week. Youth sets aren’t all that expensive. According to the NGF, the number of junior golfers ages 6 to 17 in America has increased by 25% from 2.4 million.
This is the most significant jump in total volume compared to other youth sports, including soccer, basketball, football, and baseball. Affordability has to be part of that equation by estimation. The first year in the game can cost anywhere from $832 to $3454 for juniors and $1849 to $3349. It costs more than $2,500 per child to play travel, baseball, or lacrosse for adults.
With two youth on-course memberships, a child could play all the golf they wanted for much less money. Defeating the misconception that golfing is highly expensive compared with other American sports. It is cheaper now. But why do rich people mostly play golf? We will analyze the reasons thoroughly.
Why do rich people play golf?
What is the first thing that comes to mind about golf? Something goes along the lines of elegance and classy! Why is there a specific image when it comes to golf? It could even be the way the game is played so elegantly.
The rich man sports stereotype comes from the top golfers who are filthy rich. It could be the astounding net worth of the wealthiest golfers, from Jack Nicklaus to Phil Mickelson to Tiger Woods. Jack Nicklaus is a professional golfer from America who has a net worth of $320 Million. Jack turned professional in 1961 and is regarded as one of the world’s greatest professional golfers.
Jack has accumulated 114 professional victories, including winning the PGA Tour 73: three times and the Champions Tour ten times. Phil Mickelson is a professional golfer with a net worth of $400 million.
The greatest Tiger Woods needs no introduction as he had one of the most impressive and successful golfing careers in 1996. Tiger has earned over $1.5 billion, become the highest-earning golfer ever, and was the highest-earning celebrity worldwide for many years. Some of his golfing achievements include 81 PGA Tour wins, 41 European Tour wins, and five Masters victories.
Golf is a test of feel and skill more than physical fitness, so one can still achieve a personal best in their fifties and sixties. The barrier to entry is high. Your competitive advantages are technique and experience, which rich people have the resources to get if you pay for lessons, equipment, and many rounds in the course. A young, athletic challenger with less experience is unlikely to be better than you.
Let’s know the 10 reasons why wealthy people play golf.
1. Rich people can afford golf
Golf is expensive and exclusive. It is expensive because the equipment, uniform, and course fees add up. Beyond the exclusionary aspect of price, country clubs are self-selecting and potentially discriminatory. It’s also exclusive because golf is difficult to pick up and play. So it would be best to take lessons that exclude many decently well-off adults who couldn’t play.
In addition, golf is stereotyped as a social game for white-collar management to play while talking business, possibly because of the above reasons. It creates more self-selection on the golf course. Since people tend to travel where their social circles travel, wealthy people play because it’s a game their wealthy friends play, while less rich people who can afford it don’t play. After all, their friends aren’t playing.
2. Rich people like uncommon
Rich people care about doing things that are high quality and legitimate. They don’t care about excelling in something that doesn’t matter. A sport covered on ESPN’s front page, sponsored by Rolex, features multimillion-dollar athletes, and involves major athletic brands is legitimate. There aren’t many other sporting options available to wealthy people that are legitimate sports.
While offering safety, bragging rights, and a chance to excel, many rich people became rich because they accomplished the possible for their entire careers. With golf, considerations, risks, and rewards, swing mechanics’ tendencies challenge it strategically, physically, and emotionally.
3. Wealthy folk
One of the biggest reasons this sport is considered mainly for wealthy folk is how much the game makes a person spend their money. Playing golf is not as easy as walking in a bowling alley to have fun or sprinting around a football field.
There are several expenses when it comes to the game. It doesn’t take only hundreds of dollars but could go up to thousands per game, which would be considered a waste for most of us because of how we earn.
Being a member of anything could cost you quite some money compared to the others, which goes for the old sport. A golf membership could cost you a good deal. But if you’re not cautious about how much money it would take, you’ve nothing to worry about regarding Golf gear, including hats, golf shoes, bag filters, gears, driving gear, free-range gear, etc.
4. Show-off
Being able to play several rounds of golf on a private or public field could be a very clever way to show how well off you are in life. Thousands of dollars on golf equipment, a couple hundred bucks on a driver, and another 1000 for every fundamental of golf. You must be born rich or have enough money to spend on an elegant sport without care.
It’s crazy how much even the most rudimentary requirements could cost you thousands of dollars. You succeed only after a long hunt to find reasonably priced bats. Sometimes, buying second-hand golf gear at better prices would be wise.
Second-hand ones are not always a bad idea. Sometimes it could be from one of the spendthrifts who have decided they’re too tired of the old bats while tossing those away to spend more money on newer ones.
5. Entertainment
Golf is not as easy as whacking a tiny ball into a hole. The whole game is an art and art that can be mastered if one is born with perfect timing, posture, and control or has been taught to master the sport. Golf lessons are not as cheap as the football and swimming lessons most common folks attend. The more time you spend learning on the golf field, the more you will have to cash out money.
You have to be consistent with your practice before you know it. There’s no going back unless you lose interest in the sport and don’t want to play anymore. It is one of the biggest reasons people who don’t live wealthy lives stay away from golf. Even classes every 5 to 10 days cost a massive sum that could not be reasonable.
6. Luxury benefits and satisfaction
Golf requires a well-done, stable greenfield arena. You are wrong if you can pay into the court and pick whatever land you want to play on. Even the players you decide to play could vary with different prices depending on which is better than the rest.
Once someone makes it onto a golf course now and then, they might get a sense of wealth. That sense of wealth does not last very long. If you’re making it to the golf course, the next thing you would feel is a requirement would be the fortune of joining a golf membership, a group formed for the elite to play the game. They also have several luxury benefits to satisfy their members.
7. Pride and elegance
Golf is not about only playing the game. The knowledge of excelling at the sport could lead to great advantage and a sense of dominance as this is not your average sport. Golf is a game filled with pride and elegance. The competition is also tight, with most of the crowd filled with wealthy folks who may have a fierce sense of competence.
So it’s essential to maintain that image on the course. Nobody on the field would be satisfied by not being last. All of them aim at being the best, among the best. That is something that everyone can learn from.
8. Networking and Business Opportunities
Golf is seen as a sport providing a networking and socializing platform. Many business deals, partnerships, and professional relationships are established or strengthened on the golf course. Playing golf can be seen as a way for the affluent to connect with other influential people in a relaxed and informal setting.
9. Exclusive Club Memberships
Golf clubs and courses are seen as exclusive and prestigious. Being a member of an elite golf club can provide access to amenities, services, and a community of like-minded individuals. This exclusivity and social status associated with golf clubs can attract affluent who seek to be part of an exclusive community.
10. Physical and Mental Challenges
Golf is a sport that requires skill, strategy, and concentration. It offers a mental and physical challenge that can appeal to those seeking an engaging and enjoyable activity. The opportunity to continuously improve and compete can be attractive to anyone who can invest time and resources into the sport.
Last words
Anyone unfamiliar with the game of golf would label it as plain dull. Those words are out of ignorance, and there is much more to the game than we can imagine. It has its unique requirements and is not one that can be played in any random location.
Some are fortunate enough to play in the comforts of their golf fields, and others have experience in public golf fields. Either way, the game is a luxury that adds an excellent reputation to the person’s social status and image.
Nothing wrong can come out of effort and determination. So we can conclude here that the statement is not entirely false when golf is labeled as a game for the wealthy. But let’s hope that things don’t stay that way. The sport should be accessible to anyone who desires to play it and not to those who want to because of its high reputation among wealthy people.
In the end, sports should be available to all those who have a passion for it and not only those who can spend more. So those are the reasons why golf is considered a game for the rich and why many celebrities golf matches.
Read more:
Why Are Supercars So Expensive
Why Is Horseshoe Crab Blood So Expensive?
Table of Contents
