Happy “almost-end-of-season point” everyone! As we begin to close in on the final portion of the golfing season, it’s nice to look back and see where we made mistakes in our budgeting (or expectations), where we did really well and most of all, how can we get the most of what we have left in reserve. It’s about this time of year those thoughts of better clubs, spinnier balls, or even a new putter begin to sink in and make us truly consider blowing that budget for yet another year. As tempting as that is, it’s not the right way to go about things if you truly want to be a budget minded golfer. Instead, it’s a better time to look at what has been spent thus far and what you need to do to make next season more memorable – and last even longer.
While shopping for new sticks is always a hoot, the budget minded player only shops for holes in their bag during the season – and even at that, should probably be looking at the clearance rack instead of the custom fit shelf at the local store. For example, during the 4th of July week, Budget Golf featured the Wilson FG Tour F5 hybrids that I carry in my bag for $39.99 each but with the 20% off coupon, the price came down to $31.96 each. Now, I was tempted to pick up a backup, but I bailed on the deal because I truly didn’t need one. By the time I do, I’ll probably want something a bit different, so why grab a spare. A wedge can also be a good mid-season grab as new ones come out at the start of the year and retailers begin to move the old ones at record prices. Another great deal that Budget has running is the Gun Blue Wilson PMP wedges in 56° or 60° for just $49.96 (about 60% off) and when stacked with a 15% off coupon, they come down to $42.47 each. Still, if your golfing budget was in the hundreds instead of the thousands, even adding a clearance hybrid or wedge can seem like quite a splurge. This brings me to the point of this post… Where should the budget minded golfer spend their money?
#1 – Avoid All Things Tech
Yes, the tech guy himself is telling you to avoid spending any cash on anything tech during your golf season. When there are free Apps out there for just about any phone that will do the job of a $100+ hand held GPS (and most of us have some sort of old phone laying around that could use them) it makes zero sense to go that route. The worst part about buying golf tech during the season is that the new stuff is almost out and what you buy right now at full price will be on clearance in a few weeks for quite a bit less money. That said, use the free stuff if you’re on a budget.#2 – If You Lose Balls, Stop Spending More Than $25 A Dozen
Ah, let the complaining begin… Yes, I am coming right out and saying this – if you lose more than 2 balls a round, STOP buying Pro-V’s and TP5’s right now. At $25 for a twilight round of golf, simply losing 5 Pro-V’s will cost you an an extra round of golf. If you still want to play them, you can get gently used or near mint practice balls for a fraction of the cost. For example, you can grab 36 (that’s three dozen) AAA Grade Pro-V’s for $27.95 and only lose $5 a round instead of $25. That’s a deal that makes sense. If you aren’t hooked on playing the latest and greatest, shop the clearance aisles to find a good ball that is under $10 a dozen.#3 – Here’s A Freebie – Do A Game Assessment
The next step in deciding where to spend money is another freebie – assess your game. A game assessment is something that every golf should do but few ever accomplish. During an assessment, you won’t keep score. What you will do is track your good, bad and ugly shots on a score card and then color it later. For example, I start on the first hole with a pulled drive into the trees. It still has plenty of distance on it, but it’s left and I don’t have a great shot at the green. I mark this as a yellow shot. Not bad, but not great. I then chunk a 7 iron out of the trees, which gets marked as a red shot. That’s followed with a very good wedge to the green – a green shot. I finish the hole with a 3 putt from 20 feet – a red performance. By charting a round, you will see what clubs are great, what clubs need to get worked on and what clubs need to just get left at home. It’s a harsh reality when it happens, much like my beloved 3 and 4 irons last year. Still if you want to get better without spending any money, it’s a great place to start.#4 – Buy A Range Card
Yes, this is one place where you can spend the second half of that budget freely. We’re getting into the time of year that the range is open late and you can hit that full bucket after work. Not only does it help you unwind and destress, it also helps your game immensely to get out there and just swing as much as you can. My local range charges about $8 for a large bucket, but the 10 pack card is only $64. That’s two extra days of practice for free. Some range cards are an even better deal as you get discounted buckets all year long or any other number of deals with them. Shop your local range and see what the best practice deal is that works with your schedule. Also, make sure to ask if there is a discount on them AFTER the season. You may save even more if you wait until October to get in on a card.#5 – Stock Up On Essentials On Sale
While I don’t wear a glove on the course, I know plenty of people that spend a fortune on them every year. Instead of blowing $20 a glove at the course, stock pile them during your local store’s summer sidewalk sales. They usually rollout a no-name brand leather glove for under $10 and synthetics gloves for even less. I’ve seen the top notch Wilson Conform Glove for under $10 a pop and their soft grip model for under $5 each when you buy more than a few at a time. Gloves, tees, towels, replacement shoe laces, etc… They are all on sale during the summer months and it’s a great time to stock up.#6 – Play Some Golf
Remember why you’re out here. The whole reason to play golf is to play. Even if you have a vinyl bag from 1978 with clubs to match, the entire point of golf is to play the game. Don’t worry if you are trapped on the course for 7 hours on a Saturday afternoon. Don’t stress the fact that you can’t hit your driver 300 yards. Most of all, laugh at yourself a bit when you miss that tap in and have another three putt. It’s just a game and it’s supposed to be fun.
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