Golf for the adult beginner?

TimmyO

One of the companies I work with has a couple of people who are into their golf. They've become friends too and I'd like to be able to have a minor laugh at their expense by being able to actually hit a ball (as in, make contact and it travel forward and upward lol - nothing mega ) when they finally coax me out 

I'm presuming a few lessons with a golf teacher is the best way - do you just ring a local course and book in for a lesson? 

joneve

TimmyO said:

One of the companies I work with has a couple of people who are into their golf. They've become friends too and I'd like to be able to have a minor laugh at their expense by being able to actually hit a ball (as in, make contact and it travel forward and upward lol - nothing mega ) when they finally coax me out 

I'm presuming a few lessons with a golf teacher is the best way - do you just ring a local course and book in for a lesson? 

Yep. Local course or local range with Pro would suffice at this point. Then just practice as much as you can to ingrain what they teach. Usually you can get a block of lessons for a fixed price. 

Should be able to pick up a second hand set of beginner friendly cavity-backed clubs to get you going for not loads of cash either (happy to help look for these if you want)...or the course/range pro shop might have some sets from people who have Part-Ex'd old sets in. 

VimFuego

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFc4WcL6gY8

EricTheWeary

MrsTheWeary and her sister did classes through the local college although she didn’t carry on with it. Lot of golf clubs out there to be picked up for a song.

I spent large chunks of my adolescence caddying ( or at least walking around in the rain looking moody) for my father and he would watch hours and hours of it on the TV so I know a bit about it although have zero desire to play it ( the local club is ten minutes walk from my house as well). We held his wake at the club he went to and scattered his ashes across it. Handy hint here, if ever scattering ashes do not stand down wind. 

Sorry, yes might find a local school or college night class or with a pro at a course or range as Jon said. Based on my father standing in the middle of the lounge swinging your arms with an invisible club is also part of the process. 

Paul31

Can be expensive for lessons though i just started with a half swing and built up from their, and practised on the range till i got fair at hitting the ball straight. But did have one half hour lesson just for the basics, also read a few books and watched videos as well loads of good ones on the net.

Rocker

Definitely take a few lessons from a teaching golf pro and ask his advice about what clubs to purchase.  And always remember that there is a big difference between hitting a golf ball and playing golf.  While they might seem to be one and the same, golf magazines continually emphasize ball striking etc,. in reality hitting the ball is a skill that can be learned.  Playing golf is a game, a strategic game that can take a lifetime to learn.  If we ever get to learn it.  Hitting the ball is the easy bit.  But golf can be made a bit easier if we think about it.

For example, on a Par 4 hole, a well struck driver or 3 wood off the tee gets you a long way towards the green but it also brings the fairway bunker(s) into play thus limiting your options for the next shot.  From the same tee box, a 7 iron will leave you well short of those bunkers and another 7 iron will advance you beyond those same bunkers.  And another 7 iron will leave you on or very close to the green in 3 shots.  All without any dramatics or once in a lifetime shots.  It is not very macho to use 7 irons repeatedly but it works.  Using similar thinking, three 5 irons will reach most Par 5s.  What you lose in distance (using irons) you gain in accuracy.  Down the middle of the fairway is where you want to be.  Every time.  You will not be holding up your playing companions, it is more likely that they will be holding you up!

At the end of the day it is not how but how many so get a lesson or two on how to use those mid irons and you are away on a hack.  Golf is a simple game that we make unnecessarily complicated.  A simple game that is also a hard game to master.

mgaw

get your swing right as a priority first...I would say lessons at the beginning are well worth the money as a good solid swing will see you right throughout your golfing years

TimmyO

Cheers

I'll probably do a lesson when I'm back off holiday and see how it goes.

Tbh  still recovering from the trauma of these 2 guys turning up to an otherwise normal night out wearing branded golfwear. Luckily we didn't bump into anyone I know 

BRISTOL86

A course of lessons, which can be had quite cheaply, is by far the best way to get up and running.

Trying to start off on your own steam is great but is a recipe for setting up in bad habits which are very hard to break out of. I’m not exaggerating when I say that a pro can see something in your setup that could take you a year on the range to realise yourself. 

Most pros do an offer on a course of lessons. My teacher charges £15 for a half hour lesson and 6 for 5, so £75 for 6 lessons. 

I’m only two lessons in but I reckon I could have spent 10 times that on range balls and still not fixed the issues he’s identified in just two lessons. 

strumjoughlamps

Yeah defo do a lesson or 2..

Swinging a golf club uses parts of the body that don't normally get used. You see so many people turn up to the range and whack out the driver, 20 balls in they are twingeing(sp?). I never start off with anything longer than a 7 iron. /Daves tip of the day. 

Jalapeno

Yes, lessons.  There are loads of used clubs at the Aston Clinton dump recycling shop. See if your local dump has a recycling shop

joneve

strumjoughlamps said:

Yeah defo do a lesson or 2..

Swinging a golf club uses parts of the body that don't normally get used. You see so many people turn up to the range and whack out the driver, 20 balls in they are twingeing(sp?). I never start off with anything longer than a 7 iron. /Daves tip of the day. 

I always start with my Wedges and work my way up, when I go to the range. 

Jay1

I've been playing for years and I've had loads of lessons in the process. Lessons are good, but not always. As with learning anything, different teachers work for different pupils. There are lots of different styles and some will click, others wont. That's not the big issue with golf lessons though. The main one is, how much do you want to work at it. Golf lessons are an utter waste of time and money if you're not going to practice (like guitar really). Also "a lesson" will never be enough to get any sort of result if you're starting from scratch, you'll probably spend most of it on grip and posture, rather than actually swinging.

The golf swing is quite a complex movement. Even things like the grip can feel very unnatural to start with and only feel comfortable and give results with time and practice. 

If you don't think you'll work at it, I'd just say go to the range, start with wedges and work your way up in club lengths, just finding your own comfortable way of getting a useable result. "see ball hit ball" often does work. My brother in law did this and is now playing of a handicapp of 2, never had a single lesson until he got down to 4. 

If going without lessons, 2 big tips, don't try and smash the hell out of it to start with, and don't try and hit the ball in the air (the club will do that). Hit slightly down in to the  back of it

strumjoughlamps

joneve said:

strumjoughlamps said:

Yeah defo do a lesson or 2..

Swinging a golf club uses parts of the body that don't normally get used. You see so many people turn up to the range and whack out the driver, 20 balls in they are twingeing(sp?). I never start off with anything longer than a 7 iron. /Daves tip of the day. 

I always start with my Wedges and work my way up, when I go to the range. 

That's cos you is smart innit. 

joneve

Jay1 said:

I've been playing for years and I've had loads of lessons in the process. Lessons are good, but not always. As with learning anything, different teachers work for different pupils. There are lots of different styles and some will click, others wont. That's not the big issue with golf lessons though. The main one is, how much do you want to work at it. Golf lessons are an utter waste of time and money if you're not going to practice (like guitar really). Also "a lesson" will never be enough to get any sort of result if you're starting from scratch, you'll probably spend most of it on grip and posture, rather than actually swinging.

The golf swing is quite a complex movement. Even things like the grip can feel very unnatural to start with and only feel comfortable and give results with time and practice. 

If you don't think you'll work at it, I'd just say go to the range, start with wedges and work your way up in club lengths, just finding your own comfortable way of getting a useable result. "see ball hit ball" often does work. My brother in law did this and is now playing of a handicapp of 2, never had a single lesson until he got down to 4. 

If going without lessons, 2 big tips, don't try and smash the hell out of it to start with, and don't try and hit the ball in the air (the club will do that). Hit slightly down in to the  back of it

Wis for all of this. 

Oh and prepare to feel the highest of highs, followed by some of the lowest lows (nothing beats flushing a long iron stiff to 10ft....only to 3 putt or fat your drive on the next hole).

Golf is hard. 

TimmyO

Jay1 said:

I've been playing for years and I've had loads of lessons in the process. Lessons are good, but not always. As with learning anything, different teachers work for different pupils. There are lots of different styles and some will click, others wont. That's not the big issue with golf lessons though. The main one is, how much do you want to work at it. Golf lessons are an utter waste of time and money if you're not going to practice (like guitar really). Also "a lesson" will never be enough to get any sort of result if you're starting from scratch, you'll probably spend most of it on grip and posture, rather than actually swinging.

The golf swing is quite a complex movement. Even things like the grip can feel very unnatural to start with and only feel comfortable and give results with time and practice. 

If you don't think you'll work at it, I'd just say go to the range, start with wedges and work your way up in club lengths, just finding your own comfortable way of getting a useable result. "see ball hit ball" often does work. My brother in law did this and is now playing of a handicapp of 2, never had a single lesson until he got down to 4. 

If going without lessons, 2 big tips, don't try and smash the hell out of it to start with, and don't try and hit the ball in the air (the club will do that). Hit slightly down in to the  back of it

I definitely don't see myself out doing golf practice multiple times a week - or realistically every week.

What you say may well be true but t it does seem counter-intuitive : if I'm not going to Be oit there frequently working out what works for me, why is someone telling me the best/a good way to do it not worthwhile? Even, more worthwhile in that circumstance? 

octatonic

TimmyO

Funny story - I was just driving across town and was passing a local roadside golf shop - I stopped in and posed the same question - a chap suggested just buying a used 7 iron and going down the range.

So I have invested the princely sum of £20 in a club (he rummaged in the bin then said "...I'd go for this one - you're tall and it's a smidge longer...") 

They have a teacher but he's booked up until after my hols - I'll probably go for a lesson when I'm back and may pluck up the courage to go to a range before then

fretmeister

1: This is going to be a whole new level of GAS.

2: If you can't keep a hold of phone / kindle / another phone in your pocket without losing it I'm estimating your annual budget for lost golf balls will be about £50,000

TimmyO

fretmeister said:

1: This is going to be a whole new level of GAS.

2: If you can't keep a hold of phone / kindle / another phone in your pocket without losing it I'm estimating your annual budget for lost golf balls will be about £50,000

1. It really won't. 

2. I'm taking the fifth 

joneve

TimmyO said:

Funny story - I was just driving across town and was passing a local roadside golf shop - I stopped in and posed the same question - a chap suggested just buying a used 7 iron and going down the range.

So I have invested the princely sum of £20 in a club (he rummaged in the bin then said "...I'd go for this one - you're tall and it's a smidge longer...") 

They have a teacher but he's booked up until after my hols - I'll probably go for a lesson when I'm back and may pluck up the courage to go to a range before then

Yep. This will be fine. Taylor Made’s are historically very good at making very forgiving golf clubs. 

Without wanting to get too technical, this is a regular flex shaft rather than stiff (oo-err). So you son’t want to be swinging the bollocks off it and trying to swing as hard and fast as you can. 

The shaft has extra flex in it to help do some of the work for you. 

Easy tempo, start off with shorter back swing and keep your eye on the ball