There are a few voices beginning to be heard around the atmosphere of golf complaining about the expensiveness of the sport. This actually kind of shocked me. I was fairly certain it was a universal truth that good golf is a luxury; something that’s not very cheap or easily accessible. If you can’t afford the kind of golf you want to play, don’t play it.

Through my upbringing I have learned several valuable lessons from my wonderful parents, Scott and Rhonda Conatser. One lesson that has proven itself useful many times in my life is that if you want something badly enough, you’ll work for it. Not much is just handed to you. In accordance with this lesson, I realized that if I simply can’t afford something I can’t afford it. It was my false assumption that the rest of the world had the same mindset.

Now I’m not saying, “Don’t play golf at all.” If you really want to play golf, I would suggest considering cheaper options. There are several ways to play golf on a budget.

I would strongly recommend buying gear at a secondhand store. Secondhand outlets and secondhand sports equipment stores usually have superb deals on golf clubs, bags, balls and all that jazz. In addition to secondhand stores, contact friends and family. Tweet something or post something on your rarely-visited Facebook profile.

When looking for equipment, also consider online bargaining sites or local classifieds. Honestly, it’s golf equipment, not gold, it won’t be that hard to find.

Once you’ve got your gear, another excellent idea is looking online for coupons. Coupons are often found on a golf course’s web page. If there are no coupons or special deals on the course’s website, look on coupon websites local to you, you’re bound to find something.

If you honestly try as hard as can, and you still can’t afford it, chances are it’s not for you anyways. Golf is an affluent sport and if finances aren’t on your side, there’s not much you can do about it.

The best advice I can give you is don’t be that guy that’s, “all in or all out.” If you can’t afford it, don’t go blow thousands of dollars on a set of clubs and several more thousand dollars on a membership to an elite country club that you don’t belong in. The sad truth is you will likely end up broke and embarrassed.