It's this time every year that I get really stoked about golf. As I write this article, I have The Masters on in the background. With The Masters on TV that could only mean one thing. Spring is here, the weather is warming up, and soon golfers are going to begin flocking to the courses in big numbers.

Golf has become such a huge sport, not just in the United States but world wide. There are a lot great players in the world, but we can thank mostly Tiger Woods for the increasing popularity. The increase in popularity is great for the sport, but it also driving up cost for golfers. It's simple economics of supply and demand. Each year the equipment, training materials, and green fees continue to go up.

Each year when I begin golfing again as the weather warms up, I head out to a few of my local public courses and sure enough rates had gone up again. It's usually only a dollar or two, but still it gets frustrating year after year. You can almost count on it each year just like paying your taxes this time of year.

There are ways to save money on green fees however. You can call around to your local courses and ask them if they have any special promotional deals that particular month. Every once in a while you can find a buy one round get the 2nd round for 1/2 price. Or if you buy something in the pro shop they will throw in a free round of golf.

Another way is to register on your favorite golf courses website for their news letters. Often these newsletters will have specials each month. Usually some kind of discount or buy one round get another round free in the same week or something ot that effect.

The best way I have found to save money is to get a discount golf card. You can usually buy a card for each course but that gets a little expensive and may not save you money in the long run. But if you play the same course every time, then this might make sense for you.

If you're like me however, and like to jump around and play many courses in different cities and states, then you obviously can't buy a discount card for each course. You need a nationally sponsored card that has affiliation with many courses nationwide. The good ones I've seen have discounted or even free green fees at thousands of courses nationwide and in Canada. You can get these discount cards online buy doing a simple Google search. They usually are pretty inexpensive and can be found for not much more than a round of golf with a cart. So they are definitely worth the money each year to get one.