Is It Possible To Play Golf For Free?

Given the sharp increase in living expenses, many golfers are looking at ways to save on green fees to keep playing the game they love for free or pay next to nothing. But, of course, golf doesn’t have to be expensive; in some situations, it can be free or significantly less expensive if you’re prepared to think outside the box a little.

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The 9 real ways in which you can play golf for free are below.

Key Takeaways

• Almost all golf clubs offer free or heavily discounted access to the course to their employees. As a result, getting a part-time job, volunteering, or providing private services to the golf club may grant you access to free golf.
• Offering publicity through social media may be a bargaining chip for getting your hands on free golf, especially if you have a high follower count. In addition, some companies and golf courses may ask for reviews on the course in exchange for free runs on the green.
• Some golf courses have offered Frequent Player Cards that players can use to track the number of games played. As a result, when players reach a certain amount of games played on that course, the course may award the player with free access to their next golfing day, including green fees and a cart.
• Donating lost golf balls that you may find around the course is one of the best ways to win favors with a golf club, and the more you have, the better the favor – just don’t forget to keep a few for yourself!

Ways To Play Golf For Free

“Free golf” is two words that can get any golfer’s heart racing, and with a bit of creative thinking, it is possible to be within reach. There are several ways you might be able to save money on your next greens fee if you are exhausted thinking about how much it can cost to play golf.

Once you’ve invested in a set of clubs, the only ongoing expenses associated with golf include paying to play on golf courses, buying balls frequently, visiting the driving range, and taking lessons from a pro.

Regrettably, putting all this into practice can make golf a pricey sport overall. If golf is your passion, it might take a little of your time and effort to find free methods to play, but it will be well worth it! So, starting with some creative ways to get on the greens for free, let’s take a closer look into what makes this possible.

1. Working Or Offering Services At A Golf Club Can Earn You Free Golf

The most excellent option to consistently play golf for free is to find a part-time job at your neighborhood golf club. All golf clubs provide their employees with either free or significantly discounted rounds of golf.

It never harms to ask if there are any openings inside the golf club; it may just be a position you have free to do if you already have a full-time job. If so, it may just be a tremendous win-win situation.

Maybe you could work with the groundskeeper a few mornings a week, marshal on the weekends, or open and shut the driving range. Likewise, working at a golf course doesn’t require being a professional golfer.

Furthermore, if you own a business or possess specialized knowledge, perhaps the golf club needs your assistance? As a result, there are innumerable openings for business owners to take advantage of free golfing prospects. That said, you might be able to assist the golf course and receive compensation in the form of complimentary rounds of golf if you have a service or a product to offer.

Some persons will volunteer to be the private country club’s electrician in return for membership. In exchange for playing golf, perhaps you run a restaurant and could provide the golf course a discount on any catering they require. Depending on the clubs, the possibilities are endless, and small company owners should consider it seriously.

Be honest about what you are providing and what the golf course should provide you when you negotiate a transaction. But, of course, you can always provide some of your time and abilities in exchange for free golf, so it’s always worth asking.

2. Promoting A Golf Club On Social Media May Earn You Free Golf

Do you have a boundless social media following? For instance, if you have a sufficient number of golf-loving Instagram followers, you may be able to trade complimentary rounds of golf for promoting your local golf club on Instagram.

It won’t happen overnight, but if you do it correctly, you could be able to play free golf for a long time. Alternately, it is also feasible for other social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to perhaps advertise golf courses. You’ll try to promote and expand the golf course’s popularity. A transaction like this might be put up in a variety of ways.

Create a link for your profile as one solution. For example, you can make some additional golf money or golf games if people utilize the link to make a tee time reservation at a course. In addition, you may visit the golf course and discuss a deal for advertising the course with the staff there.

For instance, you may promise to write five-ten blogs on the course and the benefits of playing there in exchange for ten golf games. But, of course, you really have nothing to stand on when it comes to being a promoter if just seven people follow your account.

On the other hand, if you have tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of Instagram followers, you suddenly have some negotiating leverage. You may still get support for it, though.

All you have to do is establish an Instagram account that is dedicated to golf and the location of the golf club. Then, start blogging and growing your audience until you have a few thousand local golf-loving followers. Now that the clock is ticking, you must sell the golf club your Instagram account.

Inform them that in return for being allowed to play at the club for free, you’ll upload and share updates each time you compete for the viewing enjoyment of hundreds or even thousands of your followers. Given that they have nothing to lose and will gain significant exposure, they will likely take the chance.

3. Player Cards Often Offer Free Golfing Specials

Using a frequent player card, you may log your golf outings and get free rounds. The Palm Beach County frequent player card is an excellent example of this. This arrangement is typical in neighborhood golf facilities. For example, with some, you may receive one round of golf for free if you play ten or more games.

Choosing a frequent player program that will work for how frequently you play is essential because some of them are better than others. For example, the rounds can expire if you only participate ten times a year before you can use the rewards. Check whether nine-hole rounds and rounds played at any time of day will also count.

If you just play nine-hole rounds, you might be able to figure out a method to receive a free nine-hole round after a few runs. The restrictions governing these frequent player cards are typically rather rigorous at golf courses. However, this card will be a fantastic method to accumulate several free rounds of golf if you have a favorite golf facility.

4. Writing A Golf Review Can Earn You Free Rounds

If you can land the opportunity, being a golf course mystery shopper or a review applicant is a terrific opportunity. The only hitch is that you need to locate a business with a program and an opening in its program.

This option is frequently available to golfers of all skill levels because it is necessary to have as much info as thinkable for the course being examined. Additionally, when you play a round of golf as a golf course mystery shopper, you will get payment in return for your honest evaluation of the course.

You’ll probably need to respond to a survey asking for feedback after your round. You may receive payment for the information you give the business in addition to having your golf expenses covered.

For instance, you may earn an extra $20 or $50 by having your greens fees and cart paid. So, if you can land it, this opportunity is fantastic. However, the challenge is finding a position like this since there are many more eager participants than golf course surveys and review companies.

The advantage of your reviews for these golf courses is that the golf club staff are unaware that you are the covert shopper. As a result, they won’t have the chance to treat you any better than they do other golfers to distort the results of their surveys and ratings. Feedback becomes so crucial since this is the most objective approach to evaluate how a golf course actually is.

5. Donating Collected Golf Balls Has Its Rewards

Golf clubs prefer to keep a stock of old golf balls to mix them with their driving range balls and sell them to their members as used balls. You’ll win favor with the golf club if you go out onto the course after play has ended, discover a bunch of missing golf balls, and then give them to them for free.

It could take you some time to search around the woods or the lake for a few hundred, but if you give them to the club, they can now sell them for a profit of 100%, and they’ll be sure to give you several free rounds of golf in return. Just be sure to ask or clarify that this is the agreement.

If you want to keep getting free golf games, keep a steady supply of golf balls to give to them. Spending a few hours a week accumulating a stockpile is your best option. Before bringing them to the club, be sure you polish them as well; it’s the perfect finishing touch.

That said, keep the top 10 balls you locate on each search trip if you give them to the course in exchange for cost-free golf games, so you are never low on supplies.

6. There Are Free Golf Courses Worldwide

Specific golf courses around the globe are entirely free to play on if you’re ready to lower your standards a little. Although the greens and fairways aren’t nearly as well-kept or quick as those on golf courses where you may pay to play, they are still an excellent alternative if you just want to play golf and want to go for a pleasant stroll.

Edwin B. Cavendish built the Cavendish Golf Course on the Hawaiian island of Lanai in 1947, one of the many options. He built this golf course to give the pineapple workers a break from farming. A total of 9 greens with two sets of tees on each make up the 18 holes of today’s 3028-yard golf course.

Additionally, there are many free golf courses worldwide, so you don’t need to travel to Hawaii to locate one. A 36-hole pitch and putt golf course is available at the Bruntsfield Links Short Hole Golf Club in Edinburgh, Scotland, and there is also a free golf course in South West Virginia.

On the Emory & Henry College campus, there is a free 9-holer golf course called Lynch Links Carolina Golf Club. It is a 1730-yard par-30 course with an exciting design that is fun to play on. So if you have a business trip to any of these areas or need a reason to visit friends and family, unlimited free golf may just be the answer.

7. Some Golf Courses Offer Free Golf To Junior Golfers

Golf clubs around the nation have made it simpler than ever to engage the entire family on the course today. So if your child spends the day indoors playing video games or sleeping until noon (or both), you may now introduce them to a free summer hobby.

Children can play for free with an adult who pays for various courses year-round and during the summer. Golf is costly, but taking advantage of this chance may benefit kids greatly. A complimentary set of rental clubs is offered on some courses. Other clubs will teach kids how to play golf for free if their guardians have paid for the lesson themselves.

Club rental and golf instruction are perks for kids under the Troon Family Golf Plan. A different website to check out is Youth on Course, which offers youngsters the chance to play for $5 at 1,200 courses around the country. View the map here.

Take advantage of the summertime weather by going outside and playing golf with your child or children. The golf courses nationwide where kids can play for free are listed below.

8. New Golf Courses May Offer A Free Round

Next, try out a new private club in your neighborhood to see if you can get a free game of golf there. You will most likely receive a complimentary round of golf from the club’s membership director so you can decide whether to join the club.

You should be prepared to go through a sales presentation, answer inquiries about your eligibility, and maybe participate in a few meetings. This is a terrific technique to get free golf if it makes sense for you to do it or if you are interested in joining the club.

With a deal like this, there’s a reasonable probability that you’ll eventually be spending significantly more for each game you play. Due to the high membership cost, most private clubs provide a complimentary round of golf as a favor. You might need to know a club member even to be allowed in. Even though this is a free golf-day method, it may not be the top choice for many.

9. Living In A Golf Community Comes With Perks

Finally, access to free golf is a feature offered in specific neighborhoods and holiday home resorts that include a golf course. You are required to pay a homeowners association charge and golf club dues in many golf communities worldwide. However, some homeowners’ associations also include golf in their membership requirements.

These golf courses can occasionally be shorter executive courses or pitch-and-putt layouts. Free golf is still free golf, though! Moving to a neighborhood where you get free golf makes sense if you know you play golf frequently and you want access to a course.

Given that your HOA will pay all your greens fees, you probably won’t have as much monthly expense. However, if this lifestyle makes sense for you, these communities might be a little challenging to locate.

Related Questions

Are Public Golf Courses Free?

The majority of public golf courses are accessible to anyone. However, some towns or counties charge for practice ranges, motorized carts, and greens to make the course financially self-sufficient. As a result, the public costs vary based on the disparity in services, from $10 to $30.

Typically, the counties or cities in the corresponding states that they belong to own them. However, because the general public contributes taxes to fund their operation, some golf courses are regarded as being on public land. Therefore, municipal courses are another name for the programs.

Is It Possible To Use A Driving Range For Free?

Most golf club members receive a few free driving range tokens each month as part of their membership. However, it never hurts to ask a fellow member you get along with whether they have any extras you might use. If so, make sure to pay for the first round of drinks or occasionally offer them a pack of fresh (or collected) golf balls as a token of appreciation.

What Is The Best Way To Find Free Golf Balls?

Finding spots off the tee boxes where a player could shank a ball into the weeds or woods and where you can see no one has entered are some of the finest places to obtain free golf balls. You’ll most likely discover the most balls there. I would advise bringing a UV lamp if you’re hunting at night and dressing in tattered clothes, such as long sleeves shirts and long pants when you go golf ball hunting.