Author Topic: Golf  (Read 10552 times)

adjoining_penguin

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Golf
« on: May 27, 2014, 11:55:48 AM »
I own some golf clubs. Golf costs money and in my opinion doesn't actually provide much proper exercise.  Can a futile, somewhat expensive pastime ever be mustachian?  Should I punch myself in the face and sell the the clubs?

Balance

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Re: Golf
« Reply #1 on: May 27, 2014, 02:22:05 PM »
I disagree about the exercise.  I think golf provides a pretty good exercise if you carry your bag instead of using a cart.  Walking an average of 6 miles with a bag of clubs on a hilly course can be very good exercise.  I do sprint and weight training and playing golf is a great way to shake things up.  I also think its very relaxing as I play in beautiful park like courses with lots of fresh air.  I never play the expensive courses or country clubs.  I normally play munis near my house and weight for super twilight rates (normally after 2 or 3 in the summer) and you pay a fraction of the cost.  I paid $20 last week for my round.  Not bad when the round is 5 hours (5 hours/$20 = $4/hr.), much cheaper than other forms of entertainment. If you do use a cart it negates the exercise considerably and ups the cost as well. 

Emg03063

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Re: Golf
« Reply #2 on: May 27, 2014, 07:08:23 PM »
Do you enjoy playing?

chasesfish

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Re: Golf
« Reply #3 on: May 27, 2014, 07:40:56 PM »
Im going to have to agree with Balance on this one - do you enjoy playing it enough to walk a round?  I enjoy playing occasionally with clients for my job and will also walk a round with friends


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hybrid

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Re: Golf
« Reply #4 on: May 27, 2014, 09:43:22 PM »
Golf is like a house, you can make the experience as frugal or as crazy expensive as you want it to be. Public golf on the cheap isn't bad, I've seen crazy good deals at golfnow.com for a few of the local courses. Can you barter at a nearby club (act as a ranger, starter, provide them a service they would otherwise pay for)? I still fix some computers on the side for my former country club and manage to play there about once a month.
 
The exercise isn't bad at all if you walk, and given I am of a certain age walking five miles or so is a decent amount of effort.

Keep the clubs if you can lower the costs.

Alternately, disc golf is quite fun.

Fortuna

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Re: Golf
« Reply #5 on: May 27, 2014, 09:49:15 PM »
I love golf and get great enjoyment from it.  Have to agree with all of the above.  If you ride and are capable of walking I think that is cause for a face punch.  If you enjoy the game stick with it.  Have a budget and play within it.  Life does have to have a balance.

hybrid

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Re: Golf
« Reply #6 on: May 28, 2014, 09:41:18 AM »
This is a muni in nearby Petersburg that was available when I checked online. $15 is pretty darn reasonable for four hours of fun.


GuitarStv

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Re: Golf
« Reply #7 on: May 28, 2014, 09:52:44 AM »
My experience with golf is that really, only two clubs are necessary.  The three iron, and the putter.  And even the putter could probably be replaced by the 3 iron in a pinch.  If you want the ball to go less far, hit it less hard.  :P  The company I used to work for owned the land that the golf course next door used as a parking lot, so any employee was able to sign out golf passes during the weekend to play for free.  I tried to develop a taste for golfing as one of my friends who worked at the company was a golf enthusiast.  It just isn't very fun to me.  You meander around a field, occasionally hitting a ball badly and swearing.  Even walking the whole thing, you're kidding yourself if you're calling that exercise.

PathtoFIRE

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Re: Golf
« Reply #8 on: May 28, 2014, 10:22:36 AM »
I second giving disc golf a try, it provides a lot of the same mental/physical challenges as golf, in most places it is free, it definitely attracts a more diverse group of people, and maybe best of all, the whole family can enjoy it as the learning curve is not nearly so steep and no one cares if your 2 and 4 year olds are running around screaming and laughing.

adjoining_penguin

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Re: Golf
« Reply #9 on: May 28, 2014, 10:27:28 AM »
Ok, I suppose the walking and carrying thing does provide some exercise, that is a good point.  I could also throw a few heavy objects in a bag and go for a walk to achieve similar.  Golf courses do tend to be nice places to walk around though. I do quite enjoy a good swear and golf is good for that (thankfully the rest of life has relatively little annoyance).  I need to balance all these factors . . .

MooseOutFront

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Re: Golf
« Reply #10 on: May 28, 2014, 10:30:12 AM »
My version of golf is certainly a splurge, but it's just one of those things I'll continue to waste money on a half dozen times a year.  It includes a cart, a six pack of beer, and good company.

Once I quit working I could easily see incorporating it as a form of casual exercise on the regular and on the cheap by volunteering at a nearby course in some capacity.

Jamesqf

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Re: Golf
« Reply #11 on: May 28, 2014, 11:44:26 AM »
I disagree about the exercise.  I think golf provides a pretty good exercise if you carry your bag instead of using a cart.  Walking an average of 6 miles with a bag of clubs on a hilly course can be very good exercise.

Why not run?  You could even find some like-minded people, and turn it into a competitive sport like the biathlon.

MooseOutFront

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Re: Golf
« Reply #12 on: May 28, 2014, 11:47:21 AM »
3 club speed golf would be fun.

S0VERE1GN

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Re: Golf
« Reply #13 on: May 28, 2014, 02:14:17 PM »
Here's how I think of it:

I have a buddy I work with. he pays about $3,000/year for a membership to a private course in the area. I know, huge. (I'm also leaving out the $5000 initial membership fee you pay the first year you join...but bear with me)

However, he plays golf 6 days a week, from may (a little in april) to September. He loves it. Its his favorite thing. so he pays about $25 for 18 holes of golf by the time the year is over, because he plays so much.  $25 a round to play at one of the best private courses in America (yeah, its one of those) is a deal if you ask me.

can't put a price on happiness.

Joel

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Re: Golf
« Reply #14 on: May 28, 2014, 04:34:30 PM »
If you enjoy it, play. If you would rather spend your money and time elsewhere, then do that. I enjoy golf, and try to get out several times a month. It's one of the most challenging things I have ever done, and can be a lot of fun with a group of four and some beers.

The Resilent Dame

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Re: Golf
« Reply #15 on: May 29, 2014, 07:21:25 AM »
Depending upon who you play with, golf can lead to some great, great networking.

My husband has met some people who have been absolutely invaluable to his business and the ROI is far above what he's paid to play.

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Golf
« Reply #16 on: May 29, 2014, 08:02:59 AM »
It totally depends.

If you're playing in carts, using a $2000 set of golf clubs and paying thousands a year for club membership, then no. Cheaper courses, cheaper clubs and walking the course, then it's fine.

I used to play regularly, and now I'm more than happy to go for a round of golf with my dad once every few months. Doesn't have to be a top-end expensive course.

OldDogNewTrick

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Re: Golf
« Reply #17 on: May 29, 2014, 08:07:49 AM »
I use to play when younger. No cart. Lightweight nylon carry bag. 3 clubs. Public course with off hours tee-time. :-)

hybrid

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Re: Golf
« Reply #18 on: May 29, 2014, 09:04:18 AM »
Here's how I think of it:

I have a buddy I work with. he pays about $3,000/year for a membership to a private course in the area. I know, huge. (I'm also leaving out the $5000 initial membership fee you pay the first year you join...but bear with me)

However, he plays golf 6 days a week, from may (a little in april) to September. He loves it. Its his favorite thing. so he pays about $25 for 18 holes of golf by the time the year is over, because he plays so much.  $25 a round to play at one of the best private courses in America (yeah, its one of those) is a deal if you ask me.

can't put a price on happiness.

If golf were 3K for the missus and me I'd find the 250 a month doing side gigs and probably still be in my club. Try 7K a year (includes things like food, drink, carts, tournaments, etc.), and our club was far from an elite one in Richmond. Country club membership is serious coin. I was similar to that guy above, but I didn't play quite that much (maybe half the days in warm weather, twice a week was closer to the average).

You raise a good point about a club membership. If one is going to commit to it, commit to it. Nothing worse than throwing down big money and golfing twice a year like a few of the attorneys I work for. When I was there it was a big part of my life and I thoroughly enjoyed it (thus my moniker hybrid). It just doesn't fit into what I am trying to accomplish now.   

hybrid

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Re: Golf
« Reply #19 on: May 29, 2014, 09:15:24 AM »
Even walking the whole thing, you're kidding yourself if you're calling that exercise.

A five mile walk is a five mile walk. Compared to biking it is not very strenuous, sure, but it is still exercise all the same. About 1400 calories worth, and that's not chump change if you coulkd afford to lose a few pounds.

http://www.golflink.com/facts_4469_many-calories-does-golf-burn.html

My GP thinks walking a golf course is fine but not ideal, her concern is that it does not get the heart rate up enough. She loves biking (with a helmet on, oh shit, did I just open THAT can of worms again....). 


Jamesqf

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Re: Golf
« Reply #20 on: May 29, 2014, 10:57:55 AM »
A five mile walk is a five mile walk.

Except it's not (at least as a non-golfer sees it).  It's a series of short walks, say a few hundred yards at most, interspersed with rest breaks where you stand & wiggle a club for a while, hit the ball, watch it fly, then probably stand around while the rest of your foursome does the same.

Paul der Krake

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Re: Golf
« Reply #21 on: May 29, 2014, 11:13:17 AM »
Country club memberships are almost never worth it, especially nowadays where more and more private clubs open up to non members during the week to make up for all the revenue monies lost during the recession.

Besides, I don't care if it's my $15 local public course or Augusta, playing the same 18 holes all year is boooooooring.

S0VERE1GN

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Re: Golf
« Reply #22 on: May 29, 2014, 01:27:12 PM »
Here's how I think of it:

I have a buddy I work with. he pays about $3,000/year for a membership to a private course in the area. I know, huge. (I'm also leaving out the $5000 initial membership fee you pay the first year you join...but bear with me)

However, he plays golf 6 days a week, from may (a little in april) to September. He loves it. Its his favorite thing. so he pays about $25 for 18 holes of golf by the time the year is over, because he plays so much.  $25 a round to play at one of the best private courses in America (yeah, its one of those) is a deal if you ask me.

can't put a price on happiness.

If golf were 3K for the missus and me I'd find the 250 a month doing side gigs and probably still be in my club. Try 7K a year (includes things like food, drink, carts, tournaments, etc.), and our club was far from an elite one in Richmond. Country club membership is serious coin. I was similar to that guy above, but I didn't play quite that much (maybe half the days in warm weather, twice a week was closer to the average).

You raise a good point about a club membership. If one is going to commit to it, commit to it. Nothing worse than throwing down big money and golfing twice a year like a few of the attorneys I work for. When I was there it was a big part of my life and I thoroughly enjoyed it (thus my moniker hybrid). It just doesn't fit into what I am trying to accomplish now.

definitely. in my non-father days I would play 4-5 days a week, and considered going the full membership route. since my daughter was born 2 years ago I can count the number of times I've golfed on both hands without putting down my beer.

MooseOutFront

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Re: Golf
« Reply #23 on: May 29, 2014, 01:29:53 PM »
definitely. in my non-father days I would play 4-5 days a week, and considered going the full membership route. since my daughter was born 2 years ago I can count the number of times I've golfed on both hands without putting down my beer.
That is most certainly what derailed my golf career 2 years ago.  Now I just play for work functions during the week for the most part.

 

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