Tax Deductions For Amateur Golfers

April 4, 2008 - PRLog -- Tax Deductions for Amateur Golfers

Windermere, Florida North America’s 27 million golfers face a rendezvous with Tax filing chores this time of year. A small percentage of savvy amateur golfers, however, will get to write-off  their 2007 country club membership dues, golf equipment and apparel purchases, green fees and cart rentals, meals and golf related entertainment expenses, along with last summers 7-day fact finding golf trip to St. Andrews, Scotland.

“The secret path to an advantageous array of tax deductions for personal annual golf expenditures is to get into the golf business”, says Caribbean Cruise Lines (Canada) Ltd., retired Chairman, Anthony Webber.

Part-time or full-time opportunities within the $50B golf and leisure industry are easily accessible to all golfers, men and women, young and retired. From a home office based golf travel agency mini-franchise costing $420.00 http://www.GolfAhoyBiz.com to golf course ownership $5M to $15M and upwards www.LoopNet.com/golf-courses-for-sale/  to a retail golf equipment and apparel store http://www.NevadaBobs.com requiring investment in the $342,000 to $782,000 range, or a home putting green installation business in the $60,000 to $130,000 franchise fee category http://www.IntelliTurf.com  - there’s a golf franchise opportunity to fit every golfers’ business start-up budget.

The tax laws that allow GolfAhoy Golf Travel Ambassadors to deduct most, if not all of their annual golf and golf travel expenses, are the same laws that Tiger Woods, Ernie Ells, Cobra and Nike benefit from. The only difference between a home office based golf travel agent and these professional golfers and Fortune entities, in the eyes of the IRS, is their size.  If your golf expenses contribute to the success of your golf business, then they are fully tax deductible. The Internal Revenue Service, United States Department of the Treasury, defines business travel expenses this way; “For tax purposes, travel expenses are the ordinary and necessary expenses of traveling away from home for your job or business. An ordinary expense is one that is common and accepted in your field of trade, business, or profession. A necessary expense is one that is helpful and appropriate for your business. An expense does not have to be required to be considered necessary”.

Webber, 56 and his wife 45, are semi-retired ‘snow birds’, spending six winter months in Florida and six summer months on Vancouver Island, British Columbia each year. “My home office based golf travel business is totally portable, all I need is a lap-top computer and a cellular phone” says Webber, who took three Caribbean golf cruises and four all-expense paid golf familiarization trips to Brazil, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and to the Ginn Reunion Golf & Spa Resort in Central Florida, during 2007. He has invitations to participate in golf travel workshops to Argentina, India, China, South Carolina, Czech Republic, South Africa and a return trip to Jamaica during 2008.

“GolfAhoy www.GolfAhoyBiz.com start up costs are low, a $420.00 a year registration fee, $19.95 for 1,000 business cards, $179.00 for 1,000 brochures and $250 optional one time purchase of an automated pin number protected GolfAhoy web site landing page.
Add in a few hundred dollars for a lawyer to set up a Florida LLC Corporation, (I took the Sub-Chapter S election), and a home office based GolfAhoy Golf Travel Ambassador agency can be open for business within 48 hours, with less than a thousand dollars invested”, he added.

Webber’s golf business takes place at golf courses three to five days a week. He develops sales and marketing partnerships with PGA Pro’s at different golf clubs in Central Florida and British Columbia, and together they sell and market packaged golf tours to individual and group club members. GolfAhoy Ambassadors represent 308 wholesale golf tour operator companies spanning 47 countries under the GolfAhoy www.GolfAhoy.com brand umbrella.

Jesus Perez Trejo, 38, a retired telecommunications engineer and 12 handicapper, with home-office GolfAhoy agencies in San Antonio, Texas and Mexico City, Mexico, offers this observation, “A certified GolfAhoy Golf Travel Ambassador who is going to send a foursome or four foursomes from a country club on a St. Andrews, Scotland golf travel package, will have a definite advantage if he or she has actually acquired some product knowledge by previously visiting St. Andrews on a fact finding tour. In travel industry parlance, such a trip is known as a ‘familiarization’ visit or FAM tour. Knowing the golf destinations I sell is best experienced by visiting them, and traveling there is a bona fide cost of doing business for me. It’s all part of the learning curve in our profession. It is a legitimate business expense because my business is golf travel. My golf club memberships and other golf related expenses are deductible. Golf courses are where I mostly sell my business services. My GolfAhoy logo embroidered golf clothes are also deductible, caps, shirts, pants, sweaters, rain jackets, even my new golf bag - all part of my GolfAhoy Ambassador uniform”.

LTS LeaderBoard’s President and CEO Gerry Lev says, “ LTS LeaderBoard is the fastest growing company in the world servicing the growing golf tournament industry. The LTS LeaderBoard franchise, costing $48,000 to $120,000  www.LTSLeaderBoard.com offers an electronic scoring system for charity and corporate golf events. A digital leader board displays player’s scores, staying accurate and up-to-date with score cards that can be scanned – along with pictures and videos from real time golf tournaments”.

Rob Franka, 34, an LTS LeaderBoard franchisee in Dallas, Texas, decided to get into the golf business because “ The idea of work that relates to something you enjoy seemed like a really neat idea”, he said. Tax breaks are an added bonus for this golf business entrepreneur who has already bought a second LTSLeaderBoard franchise territory.

What do you expect to spend on golf in 2008? Perhaps a golf business is in your future? Whether you have $420.00 or $15 million to invest in a golf business of your own, a small home-office based venture that won’t conflict with your ‘full time’ career or a big commitment bricks and mortar retail golf store, both could offer favorable golf activity tax write off’s for your April 2009 rendezvous with ‘Tax Time’.

In addition to writing off your golf, other tax benefits for a small home-office based business owner to take into consideration include: home office space, office supplies, furniture, other equipment, software and subscriptions, travel, meals, entertainment, gifts, insurance premiums, retirement contributions, social security, telephone charges, child and/or spouse labor.

Golf franchise business opportunity information can also be found at:
www.golfconcepts.com  New Pro Publications. Distributorship golf course guide books.
www.monsterminigolf.com  Monster Mini Golf. Indoor glow-in-the-dark golf theme family entertainment centers.
www.golfetc.com  Golf ETC. Golf retail shops combining equipment servicing and fitting centers.
www.golfusa.com  Golf USA. #1 Rated golf franchise for 2007. Golf equipment and golf apparel retail stores.
www.golfscotland.com  Golf Scotland. Home office based golf travel agency promoting trips to Scotland.
www.cruisebiz.biz  CruiseBiz. Home office based automated internet cruise travel agency promoting golf cruises.
www.golftec.com  GolfTec. Patented golf instruction centers.
www.parmastersgolf.com  ParMasters. Year round indoor golf training centers.
www.southwestgreens.com  South West Greens. Golf putting greens construction.