Never played golf
To play or not to play
Is golf the right game for you? As I write this I am a Norwegian living in Germany and although there are golf courses where you can try the game without being a knowledgeable player - this is not the case on most golf courses.
In the US you can just show up, pay your green fee, borrow some clubs and go out on the golf course. It is a matter of how many clubs there are available to the number of people that wants to play.
However, in countries like Germany, golf is still a game played by only a small minority - about 0,5% of the population, but the number is growing. In these countries, golf is compared to what tennis used to be: a sport for the few and with dress codes and expensive clubs that seems to be closed to everyone but the insiders. In fact, telling a non-golfer that you play golf is the same as telling them that you now are old enough, have enough time - and not least - enough money to be able to play. None of this is necessarily true - although you easily can find golf clubs where you have to be at a certain social level to feel well enough to play. At other courts you are joined by the normal family members, the father, the mother and one or two of the children that are out enjoying a Sunday afternoon on the course.
When you consider if golf is the right sport for you, three things come to mind:
The cost
Yes, golf can be costly. But it does not have to be. As in any activity you care to participate in - from stamp collecting to horse back riding - there will always be an expense. In golf you need a certain minimum of equipment, but can choose the cost level that fits your wallet. Buying the most expensive equipment is anyhow not the wisest thing to do. We will give you more details on equipment and prices later, but a set of golf clubs with golf bag will cost you about 250 - 400 Euros. Then you soon want to buy some golf shoes - even though you could very well wear your jogging shoes. Additional equipment like umbrella, rain coat etc. is a one time investment.
| As you play you will need golf balls - they tend to get lost and must be replaced - and will cost from about 1 Euro per ball. |
You can also choose to be a member of the golf club where you play the most since you do not have to pay the green fee every time you play. This allows you to visit the golf course to play just 3 or 4 holes when you do not have time to play the whole 9 or 18 holes.
One major advantage of being a member is that you are part of a club that arranges games and tournaments where you meet and get to play with other golfers.
In our case we have joined a club and calculated that the annual cost of membership is about equal to the cost of playing 50 green fees. In addition to the other benefits of club membership we figured that this was a reasonable price.
The time
It seems like most people who start playing golf get very enthusiastic about the game. A round of golf can easily take 4-5 hours, plus the travel time, plus the enjoyable time in the club house afterwards, when you evaluate your score card and tell stories about the wonderful putt you had on hole 4. In my case, I had wanted to play golf for about 20 years, but decided not to start until the children were old enough. If I had known then what I know now, I probably would have introduced the game of golf to them much earlier and we could have played together.
I know players who work hard all week and like to spend the weekend with their golf friends on the golf course. Needless to say this is not a good way to maintain the family relationship!
Instead I would recommend that you and your partner both start playing - and bring the children along? It is a fun sport for everyone and can be played together by people at quite different levels.
Is it a sport?
This is the third argument against golf. I have heard people say they prefer a sport that makes them sweat, because they like the workout. To convince them I suggest that they join me for a brisk 10 kilometer walk uphill and downhill on the golf course two or three times per week. There is hardly a more healthy sport than walking and why not enjoy the nature and the challenge of complete concentration over such a long period of time?
