Golf 101: How to Play for Less (or Free, Even!)

For a game that was created by sheep herders on a pasture, golf is sometimes a very expensive endeavor. Lately, it has been maligned, somewhat unfairly, as a game for the moneyed populace only. Admittedly, some courses may require the blood of your first born in order to step to the first tee, but even those types of tracks can sometimes be had for a pittance, if you know a few tricks…

It’s the one with fairways like carpet and greens slicker than goose poop?

You know that local private club that your friends have talked about in reverent tones? It’s the one with fairways like carpet and greens slicker than goose poop? Many times these clubs have a dirty, little secret: their members are leaving or dying off and they are scared stiff about losing clientele. This is when the “Member-Guest” scenario comes into play. If you keep an eye on the local newspaper you may find that the private club is holding a membership drive of sorts, and one of the enticements is a free round of golf on their beautiful course accompanied by a club member. The open spots will fill up fast, and you sometimes won’t have a choice with whom you’ll play, (hotties, studs, oldies, hacks… they’re all there) but unless you get stuck with a cadaverous old fart whose sense of humor is completely opposite his sense of entitlement, you’ll have a good time at a great course.

Mother Nature can also have a say on how much your greens fees are, with the option of off-season rates. In early spring and early fall in the North, and the in the winter months of the warmer areas of the nation, courses still need to make some cash, even though the days are shorter and the greens may even be aerated and sanded. This is when the die-hard duffer is targeted with rates that can be up to fifty percent off the busy season rates, even with a cart. (Although you should walk, if allowed. The soul of the game can only be found by foot.) Other off-season enticements added to your round may include free range balls, various free swag with the course logo and discounted lunch and drinks at the turn. With a good grasp on the calendar, a foursome can enjoy a great, and cheap, day on the links.

…look for a banner or button that asks you to join the “Birthday Club.”

Many golfers have turned to the internet to buy equipment, to make tee times, book outings and post their handicap info, but don’t realize that it is also a simple way to get a free round, and it is right in plain sight. First, Google your favorite course, or one that you’ve been longing to play. As you navigate the course’s home page, look for a banner or button that asks you to join the “Birthday Club.” Joining the club usually involves nothing more than filling out a bit of personal information and entering your e-mail address, but what you’ll receive in return is oh so worth it. Within a couple of days, your inbox will be graced with a coupon for a free round of eighteen, with cart, to be redeemed inside of a specific area around your birthday. If you happen to live in a more metropolitan area or near certain college towns, an enterprising golfer could take a week’s vacation and play five rounds at five courses for nothing more than the gas money to get there. Whoo-hoo! Blow out the candles and pass the cake; we’ve got golf to play!

You know that kid in the high school football jersey that asked you to spend ten bucks to buy a “Tiger Card” to help the team pay for new helmets so that they might stay non-concussed for a full season? Remember how you blew him off because you hated the football team when you were in school? This year, take a few seconds to read the back of the card. Odds are that the team asked your local club for a giveaway, and for your ten bucks you’ll get half off of a round for your self or maybe two for one greens fees for you and your best golf buddy. An offshoot of the team card is the area or “neighborhood” card. If you do a bit of checking around, whether through the internet or the local papers, you may discover that the local courses have gotten together and issued a group card that allows play at every course for simply the one-time purchase of the card. You might have to drop ninety to a hundred dollars for the card, but the money that’s saved in the long run is well worth it.

This last option won’t get you any free golf, and the initial expenditure will be the most of any of these choices, but if you have the time, it will allow you to play the most golf that you can. A seasonal membership requires a commitment though, so you need to be sure that your schedule will fit your golf fix. Let’s say that a single, seasonal membership at your club costs eight hundred dollars, and your course is open from April 1^st to October 31^st. That’s two hundred and fourteen days of available golf. Now let’s say that a single round of golf costs thirty-five dollars. If you average two or three rounds after work and two or three rounds on the weekend, you’ll shoot a hundred and fifty rounds during the season, and the average cost of those rounds will be a little over five bucks! That beats the hell out of the five grand that you’d drop with individual pricing.

That’s two hundred and fourteen days of available golf.

Hopefully, these ways to get your golf fix for less will get you out to your local course more often, or at least give you the chance to play where might not normally. Spread yourself around some and you’ll find many different chances to enjoy the game.