- Play less frequently. Obviously, this is a crappy idea. Forget I said this.
- How flexible is your job? If you have any sort of flexibility, play during the week. Your job may be more flexible than you think. Is your boss ever looking for people to take night or weekend shifts, even if it’s only once in a while? Do you have the opportunity to work 10 hour days 4 days a week? There you go. There’s a reason that some of the best golfers are firefighters and teachers.
- Play later in the day. If you just have to play on weekends, do it later in the day. Yes, the course is crowded (there goes your 3 1/2 hour round); that’s because others have the same idea.
- Haggle. Seriously. I’ve done it before. It won’t work if the course is crowded, but it if a course needs the play, they’re willing to talk. Golf courses are like airlines – if a teetime goes unfilled, it is gone forever.
- Lower your standards. Are you playing high-dollar courses? Is it straining your budget? I’ve found that there’s a certain charm in playing courses that are a little rough around the edges.
- Get a part-time job at a course. I worked at a country club growing up to get to play golf for free. If you have the time to pick up a couple of shifts at a local course, you’ll generally get free golf out of it.
- Coupons, coupons, coupons. But be ready to play during the week.
What are your suggestions? Please leave them in the comments.
