Golfers are still visiting Northland courses,
but most facilities are feeling a pinch in the pocketbook

Golf and money.

There is no arguing the two go hand in hand.

Whether it’s figuring out if you have enough cash to play that dream destination course instead of another round at the local muni, deciding to wager with your playing partner about the outcome on the 18th hole or calculating the right amount to tip the cart girl, golf and money are always constant bedfellows.

Perhaps that has never been more evident than now, as the well-documented problems with the U.S. economy remain on the front-burner with each passing day.

It’s no secret Americans are looking for ways to stretch their dollar. That means cutting back in several areas, and typically, the first things to go are the enjoyable "wants" in favor of the realistic "needs."

And for a large segment of the sporting public, there is no bigger "want" than golf. It’s no different here in the Northland, as evidenced by the 13 courses — public, private, executive, and at some facilities, a little of each — competing for the almighty dollar.

With that landscape in mind, the Sun News sports staff decided to take a look at how the economy is affecting golf in the Northland. Inside, you will find stories devoted to the impact on public courses such as the Paradise Pointe Golf Complex in Smithville and Cardinal Hill Golf Club in Liberty, as well as private tracts such as Liberty Hills Country Club.

There is also a piece about the differences between Hodge Park Golf Course and Shoal Creek Golf Course — at one point separated by nothing but a road and a small grove of trees — yet when it comes to the effect on the wallet, two courses at much different ends of the spectrum.

Finally, we offer up a look at nine ways Northland golfers can save money in this tough economy. It may surprise you how a few small changes in your approach to the game can literally leave you seeing green.