The 8 Levels of Golf Dad (And What Each One Costs at Home)

The eight levels of golf dad, from one round a year on Father's Day to the dad whose kid plays junior tournaments, and what each one really costs at home: the money, and the hours away. Backed by National Golf Foundation, USGA, Golf Digest and Project Play numbers. An average green fee at a public course is about $41, and an average round takes 4 hours 17 minutes. Bill timed his Saturday door to door: 5 hours 40 minutes, 31 times a year. That is 176 hours, a full week of the year, and Dana has the calendar. The most expensive level on the ladder turns out to be the one that costs the least at home. Narrated by Bill, a former college golfer with four kids who now shoots 112 and takes a breakfast ball. He says he is a level four. Dana says five. Also juggling a job and a family? Bill has a second channel for that, Between Meetings Bill. This week's episode there: https://youtu.be/QLdRV-E9H64 CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:20 Level 1: The Father's Day Dad 1:11 Level 2: The Range Dad 2:02 Level 3: The Scramble Dad 2:49 Level 4: The Saturday Dad 3:59 Level 5: The Gear Dad 5:11 Level 6: The Trip Dad 6:02 Level 7: The Member Dad 7:08 Level 8: The Junior Golf Dad 8:11 Ending Sources National Golf Foundation, 2026 participation figures: https://www.ngf.org/the-clubhouse/golf-industry-research/ National Golf Foundation, Contribution to Rounds by Golfer Avidity: https://ngf.org/?p=134462 National Golf Foundation on green fees, via The Golf Wire (2026): https://thegolfwire.com/golfs-rising-green-fees Three45 Golf Association study of 175 courses, via FairwayIQ (2014): https://www.fairwayiq.com/how-long-round-of-golf Whatnot and Censuswide golfer survey, via Chain Store Age (2025): https://chainstoreage.com/golfers-spending-habits-include-0 Golf Monthly, 2026 driver prices: https://www.golfmonthly.com/buying-advice/where-can-i-buy-the-taylormade-qi4d-drivers-and-how-much-do-they-cost Golf Digest buddies-trip survey: https://www.golfdigest.com/story/buddiessurvey GGA Partners and CMAA, 2024 Club Leader's Perspectives, via Private Club Marketing: https://privateclubmarketing.com/country-club-dues-explained-what-monthly-bill-covers-2026/ Aspen Institute Project Play, national parent survey (2025): https://projectplay.org/news/2025/2/24/project-play-survey-family-spending-on-youth-sports-rises-46-over-five-years GOLF.com on the cost of junior golf (2020): https://golf.com/news/golf-popularity-among-junior-girls/ Youth on Course (2026): https://youthoncourse.org/yoc-blog/then.-now.-next.-celebrating-20-years-of-impact USGA, treatment of 9-hole scores (2024): https://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/handicapping/world-handicap-system/2024-revision/2024-treatment-of-9-hole-scores-FAQ.html Breakfast Ball Bill is an animated comedy based on a real golfer (me). The journey is real; the names are made up and some scenes are played for laughs. Every stat is real and sourced above. The level prices that are not sourced are Bill's own arithmetic, and he says so. Nine holes is a round.