Is Golf Becoming Too Expensive? I Think It's A Myth

It’s a hot topic in this country that we are shelling out more and bringing in less. Food, fuel, technology, insurance, materials and services, any type of fee or subscription… everything has become expensive enough to make you draw breath when opening the bill. That’s inflation.

Inflation has been almost 3% annually over the last 20 years. Goods and services costing £100 in 2005 would cost £182 today. Not far off double.

For those who haven’t seen their income increase at a similar rate (a freelance writer like me for example), it’s a worry. Without doing a little research, my thinking was – “oh no – we’re all in the same boat, not being paid enough to cover the bills.”

But actually, the median annual salary in the UK has increased from £23,000 in 2005 to £39,000 in 2026. That’s only slightly below inflation for the period. As a nation of workers, we should be only just a little worse off financially (as a whole) now than we were in 2005.

Yes, we might be paying more in certain taxes and other enforced charges. We may be (are) also consuming more, and we might (do) have higher standards and expectations that are more costly.

But, if we were to buy the same things today as we did in 2005 and our pay had increased alongside the national average, we would be in roughly the same position financially – (a tiny bit down but not enough to see us in the poor house.)

Us bringing in (relatively) considerably less and having to shell out considerably more for goods and services is something of a myth.

I was a strong believer in that “myth” before I started to write this article, and I began typing it with a view to convey something quite different. I was going to suggest that golf was pricing itself into a corner – effectively becoming too expensive.

I am now aware it’s not the case and that causes me concern. If I think like that, how many others do? I am forever hearing, and have gone along with, the consensus that golf is more costly than it used to be.

That party line discourages people from playing the game, or from taking the game up. It’s harmful to the future of our sport to be spreading misinformation that golf is becoming super-expensive.

Parents will discourage youngsters from heading in a golfing direction, and cost-conscious adults will drop it as an activity if they are convinced it’s relatively pricier than other pastimes and relatively pricier than it used to be.

Yes, golf (as nearly everything) has seen costs increase significantly over the last 20 years. My golf club annual membership has almost doubled since I moved back north in 2005. At first glance, I think – “Oh my god, what’s going on? It’s way too pricey now.”

But looking at the Bank of England’s inflation calculator – our subs have pretty much followed inflation over 20 years… Steady enough until 2021 and then sharply increasing for a few years. That’s life unfortunately.

Golf equipment is similar. As an example, the price of a top-level driver has also nearly doubled in 20 years. A Titleist 905T (which I had, and loved, by the way) was £349 RRP in 2005. The new Titleist GTS is £629. It’s easy to say of that new price – “that’s crazy!’ But it’s just followed inflation.

The price of a dozen premium golf balls or a premium golf glove is actually relatively lower now than 2005, when you look at inflation. Consider pretty much anything you buy for golf – waterproofs, bags, shoes, clubs… if you look at the price today compared to the price in 2005, it has either followed or slightly beaten inflation.

In the main, golf costs roughly the same relatively today as it did 20 years ago. The only real place where cost has gone up above inflation is green fees at the most prestigious venues.

That’s been well documented and its due (of course) to supply and demand. Largely because of foreign visitors who are willing to pay the big bucks to play at the most famous courses in this country. At them, rack rate green fees have risen fast in recent years.

If you were to principally play golf peripatetically at championship venues, golf would be relatively more expensive now than in 2005 (fairly considerably so).

But there’s a simple way round the problem if you feel it’s too pricey to visit Turnberry or Wentworth. Don’t do it. And when there’s a downturn in demand, the prices will reflect that, so maybe wait a few years.

You can still play golf or start out in golf. You can be a golf club member, visit lower-tier clubs and spend the same amount, relatively, as you did 20 years ago.

Golf has not become overpriced; it’s a constructed perception of the cost of golf that has been over-inflated. You can find equipment bargains online and in pro shops, you can find introductory rates at clubs and green fee deals on various websites.

Golf, like everything, has become more expensive simply because of inflation. I for one am glad to inform myself of that. Now I need to find a way to start making more money to pay for it and all the other things I want to do in life! For a start, I’ll stop writing this…