At the end of 2025 I faced a very difficult decision, should I renew my golf club membership or not? With an annual price hike adding to my already stretched budget, I knew that affording to belong to my beloved home club was a luxury and one that as a single parent on a relatively modest income, I had to seriously weigh up.
So I started to consider what golfing life would be like if I was a nomad who no longer belonged to a club, if I only paid and played when I could afford to. It was an extremely difficult decision to make after 30 plus years of club membership.
In the end, I decided to cut back on other luxuries to streamline my outgoings because for me, getting to play golf with my friends every week is the most important luxury in my life. Plus, with my 12-year-old son Hogan now also a member of the club, playing golf together means making memories.
Nevertheless a little part of me was fascinated to know what life as a golfing nomad would be like, because so many of us choose this route as opposed to paying expensive club membership subs.
For starters, does it actually save you money? A typical nomad probably plays golf once a week. Let’s say an average green fee is £50 a round (that’s taking the medium of cheaper pay and plays right up to peak high season summer rates well over £100) that’s 52 weeks times £50, you’d be paying £2,600 a year in green fees. That’s substantially more than most annual golf club membership subscriptions and that’s before the added cost of driving to different courses that aren’t right on your doorstep.
Carly Cummins with her son Hogan
(Image credit: Carly Cummins)
However, if you’re smart, being a golfing nomad could save you a considerable amount of money compared to a golf club membership. You can play courses offering deals, you can lean on friends to sign you in on guest rates. There is also the attraction of getting to play a variety of courses, not just one.
There are pros and cons to this, the obvious con being that you don’t learn the nuances of the course in detail that allow you to score better. There’s no doubt that after 30 years of club membership, having a local knowledge of the course saves me an awful lot of shots. I know every subtle break on every green. Although there’s a certain joy and excitement of playing a new course for the very first time. I sometimes shoot a surprisingly good score because…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Latest from Golf Monthly…