The most expensive sports to play are ice hockey ($2,583 a year), skiing and snowboarding ($2,249) and field hockey ($2,125), based on what U.S. families spent on one child in one sport in the Aspen Institute's 2019 survey. That's still the latest national study to rank 21 sports side by side. Gymnastics and lacrosse round out the top five, and golf ranks 8th at about $925 a year.
Prices have climbed since then. In Project Play's 2024 parent survey, families spent an average of $1,016 on a child's main sport, 46% more than in 2019, and Tier 2 club hockey fees alone averaged $2,448 a season in 2025. Below you'll find what's changed since 2019, the top 10 sport by sport, a few sports that cost even more just to get started, where golf fits and how to play it for less.
Updated November 2026.
Jump to:
- The most expensive sports to play: quick list
- What's changed since 2019
- The top 10, sport by sport
- Sports with a sky-high price of entry
- Where golf ranks
- Why is golf so expensive?
- How to play golf for less
- Is golf worth the cost?
- FAQs
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The Most Expensive Sports to Play: Quick List
Average yearly family spending on one child in one sport, 2019 (the latest national ranking of all 21 sports):
- Ice Hockey: $2,583
- Skiing and Snowboarding: $2,249
- Field Hockey: $2,125
- Gymnastics: $1,580
- Lacrosse: $1,289
- Tennis: $1,170
- Bicycling: $1,012
- Golf: $925
- Swimming: $786
- Martial Arts: $777
Source: Aspen Institute/Utah State University 2019 National Youth Sport Survey, 1,032 parents, 21 sports. All-sport average: $693. The cost lines in each section below don't add up exactly to the totals, because the survey also counted "other" expenses.
What's Changed Since 2019: The 2024 Numbers
Project Play's 2024 National Youth Sports Parent Survey asked 1,848 parents in late 2024 what they'd spent on their child's primary sport over the past year. The average was $1,016, up 46% from 2019 and about twice the rate of inflation. Counting any other sports the child played, the total came to nearly $1,500. Families earning $100,000 or more spent $1,471 more than those earning under $50,000, and spending ranged from $0 to almost $25,000.
The 2024 survey reports costs for only six sports, so it doesn't replace the 21-sport ranking above. Here's what it shows:
| Sport | Total a year (2024) | Travel and lodging | Change since 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dance | $2,048 | $448 | Not reported |
| Baseball | $1,113 | $379 | +68% |
| Soccer | $910 | $237 | +69% |
| Basketball | $876 | $242 | +105% |
| Tackle Football | $634 | $160 | Not reported |
| Flag Football | $444 | $105 | Not reported |
| All primary sports (average) | $1,016 | $278 | +46% |
Spending per child on their primary sport over the past year. Sources: Aspen Institute 2024 National Youth Sports Parent Survey (published 2025) and Project Play, February 2025. Project Play reported changes since 2019 only for basketball, soccer, baseball and the overall average. The 2024 survey didn't report golf, hockey or skiing separately.
Dance stands out at $2,048, two to four times what the other five sports cost. Across all sports, travel and lodging is now the biggest line:
- Travel and lodging: $278
- Registration: $197
- Lessons: $183
- Equipment and uniforms: $165
- Camps: $148
1. Ice Hockey: $2,583 a Year
Ice hockey tops the 2019 ranking, and it isn't close. Every one of its cost lines came in above the all-sport average, and travel alone ($829) cost more than the average family spent on a whole sport.
Where the money goes (2019):
- Registration: $634
- Equipment: $389
- Travel: $829
- Lessons: $389
- Camps: $302
Newer numbers point the same way. Registration data from youth sports software company PlayMetrics shows Tier 2 club hockey averaged $2,448 a season in 2025 and Tier 1 averaged $7,055, with fees up nearly 60% since 2022 (PlayMetrics, 2025). That's club fees alone, not a family's full spending.
2. Skiing and Snowboarding: $2,249 a Year
Here the cost is mostly gear: $1,174 a year per child, the highest equipment line in the survey. For adults, lift access adds up too. As listed on epicpass.com in November 2026, an adult (31+) Epic Pass for the 2026/27 season costs $1,169.
Where the money goes (2019):
- Registration: $168
- Equipment: $1,174
- Travel: $434
- Lessons: $281
- Camps: $56
3. Field Hockey: $2,125 a Year
Field hockey is the surprise at No. 3. Travel was its biggest cost, at $934 a year, the highest travel line in the survey, and registration and equipment were well above average too.
Where the money goes (2019):
- Registration: $409
- Equipment: $521
- Travel: $934
- Lessons: $86
- Camps: $132
4. Gymnastics: $1,580 a Year
Gymnastics is light on equipment, at $111 a year. Most of the cost went to travel ($763) and lessons ($422).
Where the money goes (2019):
- Registration: $152
- Equipment: $111
- Travel: $763
- Lessons: $422
- Camps: $104
5. Lacrosse: $1,289 a Year
Lacrosse rounds out the top five, with costs spread fairly evenly. Registration was the biggest line, and camps ($231) were the second-highest camp figure in the survey.
Where the money goes (2019):
- Registration: $411
- Equipment: $280
- Travel: $281
- Lessons: $68
- Camps: $231
6. Tennis: $1,170 a Year
In tennis, lessons drive the bill: $471 a year, the highest lessons line in the 2019 survey. Racquets and balls barely moved the total. If you play both, our look at golf and pickleball covers the court-to-course crossover.
Where the money goes (2019):
- Registration: $115
- Equipment: $122
- Travel: $352
- Lessons: $471
- Camps: $95
7. Bicycling: $1,012 a Year
Bicycling just cracked $1,000 a year in the 2019 survey. The bike and its gear were the biggest line, at $504, while lessons barely registered.
Where the money goes (2019):
- Registration: $120
- Equipment: $504
- Travel: $247
- Lessons: $29
- Camps: $106
8. Golf: $925 a Year
Golf lands 8th of 21 sports in the 2019 survey, at $925 a year for one child. That's about a third above the $693 average across all sports, and less than half of what families spent on ice hockey or skiing. It's a long way from the private clubs and premium gear that give golf its price reputation. The 2024 survey didn't report golf separately, so this is still the latest national figure for junior golf.
Where the money goes (2019):
- Registration: $81
- Equipment: $364
- Travel: $238
- Lessons: $88
- Camps: $113
Equipment is golf's biggest line, at $364 a year, followed by travel at $238. Registration was the lowest in the top 10, at $81, and lessons ($88) were modest next to tennis or gymnastics.
Golf can also start small, and junior players can find junior golf clothing without buying an adult wardrobe. It also made our list of the fastest-growing sports, helped by newer formats like par-3 courses and indoor simulators.
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9. Swimming: $786 a Year
Swimming barely needs gear, at $59 a year. Travel was the big line, at $388, and the total came in about $140 below golf.
Where the money goes (2019):
- Registration: $116
- Equipment: $59
- Travel: $388
- Lessons: $154
- Camps: $68
10. Martial Arts: $777 a Year
Martial arts closes out the top 10, and here you're mostly paying for instruction: lessons came to $467 of the $777 total, second only to tennis.
Where the money goes (2019):
- Registration: $82
- Equipment: $86
- Travel: $107
- Lessons: $467
- Camps: $25
Beyond the Kids' List: Sports With a Sky-High Price of Entry
A few sports sit in a different price bracket altogether, usually because they involve an engine or an animal.
Formula 1 and Motorsport
If you're asking about the most expensive sport in the world, Formula 1 is hard to beat. Under the 2026 cost cap, teams can spend up to $215 million a year, up from a $135 million base, and that figure excludes driver salaries and the three highest-paid staff (Formula1.com). That's a professional team budget, not the cost of playing.
Equestrian Sports
A 2023 Synchrony/CareCredit study of 1,231 U.S. horse owners put basic yearly costs at about $8,600 for a backyard horse, $11,800 for a recreational horse and $26,000 for a competition horse. Add events and other operating costs and the totals climb to $11,538, $16,460 and $36,851 (TheHorse.com). New Mexico State University's 2022 guide puts basic care at $1,350 to $3,000 a year per horse, with startup costs pushing the total past $6,500, and suggests adding about 10% for inflation (NMSU Extension Guide B-715).
Polo
Few polo clubs publish prices, but Farmington Polo Club in Connecticut does. Its 2026 memberships run from $1,500 for beginners to $3,700 for full members, plus tax. Practice chukkas are $125 and game chukkas are $250, and a monthly horse lease is $3,400, which covers four practice chukkas a week, two stick-and-ball days and four game chukkas a month. Players also need U.S. Polo Association registration (Farmington Polo Club). That's one club, not a national average.
Where Golf Ranks (and Why)
Golf sits in the middle of the pack for youth sports. At $925 a year in the 2019 survey, it's about a third above the $693 average across 21 sports, and well below ice hockey ($2,583) and skiing ($2,249). How it compares:
| Rank (of 21) | Sport | Total a year | Equipment | Travel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Tennis | $1,170 | $122 | $352 |
| 7 | Bicycling | $1,012 | $504 | $247 |
| 8 | Golf | $925 | $364 | $238 |
| 9 | Swimming | $786 | $59 | $388 |
| 11 | Baseball | $660 | $121 | $175 |
| 14 | Soccer | $537 | $125 | $107 |
| 21 | Track and Field | $191 | $47 | $49 |
| All 21 sports (average) | $693 | $144 | $196 |
Family spending on one child in one sport, per year. Source: Aspen Institute/Utah State University 2019 National Youth Sport Survey. By 2024, baseball had risen 68% to $1,113 and soccer 69% to $910 (Project Play). Golf wasn't reported separately.
Golf's equipment bill is higher than most team sports, but its registration costs are among the lowest. The survey also found that kids who stopped playing golf were, on average, 11.8 when they last played regularly, after 2.8 years in the sport. That's a little older than the all-sport average of 10.5.
More kids are picking up the game. Just under 4 million juniors played on a golf course in 2025, up 58% since 2019 and the most since 2004, and 35% of them are girls (National Golf Foundation, 2026). Regular golf participation rose 55% among kids 6 to 12 and 73% among teens from 2019 to 2025, but cost still matters: across all sports, participation among kids 6 to 12 from households earning $25,000 or less fell 7% in 2025 alone (Project Play, October 2026). We've looked at we've looked at why more young people are taking up golf and why the game is winning over Gen Z.
Why Is Golf So Expensive?
Golf's price reputation comes from private clubs, premium gear and travel. The everyday cost is lower than most people think: municipal and daily-fee courses average about $41 for 18 holes, and about three-quarters of the country's roughly 16,000 courses are open to the public (National Golf Foundation, 2026). Equipment is golf's biggest youth cost.
Green Fees
Green fees have gone up, but roughly in line with everything else. The National Golf Foundation found that peak 18-hole fees at public courses rose about 29% from 2019 to 2025, compared with about 27% cumulative inflation. Municipal and daily-fee courses average about $41 a round, while resort fees rose faster, at about 37% (NGF). The country's roughly 2,900 municipal courses average 22% less than other daily-fee courses (GOLF.com, 2025).
Gear
The sticker shock lives at the top end of golf gear. A single Honma Beres 5-Star driver can list for up to about $6,000, and we've rounded up the most expensive golf clubs if you're curious. Clothing has its own premium tier: our guide to luxury golf apparel brands covers labels like Lanvin Blanc, where a $357 designer polo sits at one end of the range and a $14 golf tee at the other. Our Korean golf apparel covers plenty of price points too.
Travel and Destination Golf
Golf trips cost more. In Korea, for example, the mandatory caddie system makes golf pricier than in many countries. Here's what a round costs in Korea.
Private Clubs
Initiation fees and dues are what most people picture when they call golf expensive. They vary widely, and nobody has to pay them: about three-quarters of U.S. courses are public.
How to Play Golf for Less
A few ways to spend less:
- Play public and municipal courses. Munis average 22% less than other daily-fee courses, according to NGF figures reported by GOLF.com.
- Start at the range or a par-3 course.
- Buy used clubs to start. Upgrade once you know what you like.
- Buy balls by the dozen.
- For kids, look at Youth on Course. Its more than 457,000 members can play some 2,500 partner courses in the U.S., Canada and Australia for $5 or less a round, and they've logged over 1.5 million rounds in 2026 alone (Youth on Course, November 2026).
Looking good doesn't have to mean spending a lot either. Try our picks for golf outfits under $100, golf gifts under $100 and gifts that look expensive but aren't. If it's your first round, here's what to wear for your first time on the course.
Dollar Bill Golf Marker: $25. Proof that golf style can come cheap: a dollar-bill ball marker that adds a little swagger to every putt.
Browse our golf gifts under $100, from headcovers to accessories.
Is Golf Worth the Cost?
The numbers are kinder than golf's reputation. In the 2019 survey, a year of junior golf cost families less than tennis, bicycling or skiing, and most U.S. courses are open to anyone. Private memberships, premium clubs and destination trips are choices, not requirements. And it's a game plenty of people keep playing for decades.
FAQs
What is the most expensive sport to play?
Ice hockey, based on what families spend: $2,583 a year on one child in the 2019 Aspen Institute/Utah State survey, the latest to rank 21 sports. It hasn't gotten cheaper: Tier 2 club hockey fees alone averaged $2,448 a season in 2025, according to PlayMetrics. At the professional level, Formula 1 is in a league of its own. Teams can spend up to $215 million a year under the 2026 cost cap, and that excludes driver salaries.
Where does golf rank among the most expensive sports?
Golf ranks 8th of 21 youth sports at $925 a year in the 2019 survey. That's more than swimming ($786), baseball ($660) and soccer ($537), and less than tennis ($1,170) and bicycling ($1,012). It's about a third above the $693 all-sport average. Project Play's 2024 survey didn't report golf separately.
Why is golf so expensive?
Golf's reputation comes from private clubs, premium gear and travel. The everyday cost is lower than many people think: municipal and daily-fee courses average about $41 for 18 holes, and about three-quarters of the roughly 16,000 U.S. courses are public, according to the National Golf Foundation. Equipment is golf's biggest youth cost.
How much does a round of golf cost?
About $41 for 18 holes at municipal and daily-fee courses, according to the National Golf Foundation's 2026 analysis. GOLF.com reported a national average of about $43 in 2025. Prices vary a lot by region, season and time of day, so check the course's own rates before you book.
What is the cheapest sport to play?
In the 2019 Aspen Institute/Utah State survey, track and field was the least expensive sport, at $191 a year for one child. Flag football ($268) and skateboarding ($380) came next. All three cost families well under the $693 average across 21 sports. In Project Play's 2024 survey, flag football was still the cheapest of the six sports reported, at $444.
Has youth sports spending gone up?
Yes. Project Play's 2024 survey found families spent an average of $1,016 on a child's primary sport, up 46% since 2019 and about twice the rate of inflation. Basketball costs more than doubled (up 105%), and soccer and baseball rose 69% and 68%. That's why the 2019 figures in this ranking are best read as a comparison between sports, not as today's prices.
Is golf a rich person's sport?
Not by the numbers. Most U.S. courses are public, average public green fees have roughly tracked inflation since 2019, according to the NGF, and golf sits mid-table for youth sports costs. Private clubs and premium gear are part of the game, but they're optional.
