Wish I had an easy answer...since it is a big time commitment basically I just try to block periods of time and manage family/work schedules around it...

You??

Commit to it. I understand your troubles though. It's too easy to not go when work, kids, and just life in general seem to get in the way. Thanks to my sons' interest in golf, it makes the perfect excuse. Take them for a 9 after work/school, works well, especially if you don't have the time for a 5 hour marathon round over the weekend.

In my current job I often dont have to be at work until 930 or 10 and the courses open around 6 am 630 near me so I often try to get in atleast 9 first thing in the am. If not I try to get to the practice area after work now that it stays light until 8pm

Commit to it. If money is an issue look on golf now for hot deals. I saved 30$ on a round last week

Having a flexible schedule has certainly made it easier for myself to get out more. That along with an understanding significant other, and a full simulator in our apartment building makes practice pretty easy as well. Only problem is I have no excuse when I play like hell! I would suggest using golfnow if you're not already. The "hot deals" on there help offset the cost of tee times if you're not a member somewhere. If you're married, or have a significant other you could also try to involve them in the sport, although I like my "away" time.

Early retirement?

You have to set time on your schedule for it. I'll set time on my outlook calendar at work to get my own work done so no meetings get scheduled during that time. Do the same for golf on weekends. And also practice waking up early. If you can play at 7 or 8 am, you'll get 18 in before noon and still have the rest of the day to get stuff done. My old game teed off at 7 Sat/Sun and we would be done by 11 - plenty of time to get to that BBQ at 2 or another event.

Have you given any thought to getting a second job working at a golf course? This could help.

DV

Join a league! Each of us in my foursome were "blessed" with new babies last year. (Actual little humans, not 915s) Amazing experience, love being a new Dad, etc.. However, we went from playing every Saturday, Sunday and 1-2 after work rounds per week down to maybe 1 Sunday every other week. The withdraws were awful! Next to heavy drugs, we had to come up with something. One guy thought going with his wife would fix it. Crash and burn, Mav! The rest of us played here and there. Wasn't the same, nor will it ever be, but we found hope. We happened upon a league that was one night a week and tourny every other Saturday. It was an easy sell to the wives. They liked the structure, and even recommended we mix in a couple freebie rounds when the shakes came back. For us, we could plan life around golf, err, I mean, you get what I am saying! Give and take, join a league, find balance, be happy!

I live and work just a few minutes away from my home course. I have a pretty relaxed job. I go on my lunch everyday. Either play a few holes, hit the driving range or putting green. Play Every Wednesday in the association we have and schedule everything else around that. Usually get out 1 or 2 times on the weekends depending on family stuff. If I go its at 6:30-7:00am, play while the family is still sleeping.

Join a league, plan a golf trip with some buddies, and be willing to accept less than 18 holes when time doesn't allow. If money is holding you back, scour GolfNow or Golf18Network for discounted rates and look for Groupons or discounts through local news websites and/or golf sites. Purchase a membership, schedule a specific day and time that is designated for golf and let everyone else know you're unavailable during that time. If you really want to play more golf, there's no reason you can't do it.

Remember that life is short and your number could be called any day. I'm a young 41 and yet, I've watched lives around me be called up...

Play as if it's your last round, play often, and enjoy it!

Work enough, but not so hard that you get what you want and don't get to enjoy it.

:-D

I go every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, sometimes playing nine and sometimes 18. My wife and I sat down and planned this out. She goes and eats supper with her folks now on Thursday's and hangs out with a girlfriend on Tuesdays or gets a massage or shopping. That way we have the weekend together. I must admit that we do not have any children, so that made this easier.

I do have an advantage to play at a club, and the course is laid out to allow play on 1-9, 10-15, and 16-18 from the clubhouse. If I can't get 18 in, I can play 3-15 holes. The prime reason for belong however is playing 18 in an average of 3:20. It's just a matter of looking for times and options to not be locked into a 5 hour 18 hole round. Tonight, I was able to squeeze in 9 on the way home in 1:15 with a single player a little over a hole ahead of me. Couldn't catch her.

got lucky and have a buddy that drags me out

That being said. establish days/time/schedule

get up earlier in the morning! force yourself to be a morning person and the rest of the day becomes longer!

Don't get married !

I -make- time for golf, whether by setting aside Sunday afternoons, getting up early on Friday mornings for a quick 2.5 hour 18 before work, or by going out after my early days at work for a 9-hole + twilight round.

For me, it's harder to set aside time for the driving range, because I would rather be -playing-!

Get out there on the weekends!

I agree with most posts here. You have to schedule time and then set expecatations with wife and family. I recently took about 15 years off to either work on my MBA, work 2 jobs, and raise 4 kids. The kids are getting older, so I have re-committed myself to the game, and loving every minute of it. I have pretty much set the expectation with my wife that I will play at least twice a week. We ususally negotiate which day on the weekends. I also hit the driving range and practice green a couple of times a week in the late afternoon. With DST, it doesn't get dark in Florida until after 8 now. I also made the claim that I would not touch another paint brush until the HDCP was 0. Shot 75 this Sunday (only to lose to a 16 yr old that shot 68!) so I'm getting close. Good luck.