How to Get Paid $30 to Play a Round of Golf

Originally published January 17, 2011. 

Golf has never been my forte, but when I recently got an offer to play a round for free and get paid, I quickly jumped at the opportunity.

Two mystery shopping companies called BARE International and Intelli-Shop are looking for golf enthusiasts to evaluate golf courses around the country. They’ll take care of the green fees and pay you between $10 and $30 for your evaluation.

In exchange you have to spend a day golfing and then submit a report back to the company on your experience. Sounds miserable, huh? 😉

The companies want to know about things like the quality of the course maintenance and the level of customer service from staff.  Most of the questions are multiple choice and it dosen’t take too long to fill out the report.

Remember, this a mystery shop so you’ll be evaluating the course as an undercover customer. If you haven’t tried mystery shopping before, you can read about some of my other mystery shopping experiences here (“I Get Paid to Buy Beer” and “Make Money Shopping at IKEA”).

It is of course free to apply at both BARE International and Intelli-Shop. The shop requirements vary by city, so be sure to read all of the details before accepting a job.

One shop in my area is requesting the evaluator to play a round of 18 holes, have dinner at the club, and enjoy a drink at the bar. The company is paying for the round of golf and reimbursing up to $80 for dinner and drinks. Another golf course near me is simply looking for an evaluator to try out the driving range. They are paying $30 for your trouble.

If you are interested, you can apply here: BARE International Shopper Application, Intelli-Shop Shopper Application.

Good luck Penny Hoarders!

Source: “Make Money Playing Golf“