Seems like there are alot of monkeys interested in picking up golf so I thought I'd share a little wisdom from my life so far with the game.
Playing off a 7 GHIN while I was coming out of undergrad no doubt helped me land my first banking job. One of the bosses played college golf at Stanford and there were a ton of other players in the firm.
THINGS TO KNOW - BASICS
First thing that newbs should all know about golf, is that you don't have to be good at it to enjoy it and play with good players. It's like sex in that way, we say. Also, you are not a 'golfer' and you don't 'go golfing' - you PLAY golf.
Second thing, if you want to get serious, get a teacher early before you ingrain awful habits. Don't listen to anyone who isn't below a 10 handicap. Even many 7-8 handicappers say some of the dumbest, technically incorrect BS about the golf swing and how to hit a ball. Get Hogan's Five Lessons and Tiger's book How I Play Golf for a good foundation.
Last, golf does not have to be expensive. Programs like First Tee and the glut of courses have made the game accessible. You can get a great set of Titleist or Ping clubs from a decade ago for a few hundred bucks, and these clubs are good enough for some tour players. At home I play a set of Mizuno MP-9 blade irons that aren't worth more than 200 bucks but perform like Tiger's clubs.
The MOST IMPORTANT THING IN GOLF is that you play FAST.
Don't take practice swings and don't line up every putt like it's to win the Open. I care very little how good a playing partner is so long as they play FAST. Hit the fucking ball and do it now. Slow play is killing this wonderful game.
Even a 36 handicap can play a round in under 4 hours if they do these right things:
- Always be ready to hit and watch your ball until it lands, no matter how bad the shot. Pick a landmark so you know where to look for it.
- Carry the club you just hit in your hand until you get to the ball, THEN switch/clean your clubs
- Mark you score on the next tee, not on the green you just played, idiot
- If a hole is going really bad, just pick it up and move on Tiger
- Play the right tees - if everyone in your group is playing tips, it's ok for you to play the easier whites
- One practice swing, tops. I don't take them at all unless I'm trying to really shape a shot left/right/high/low or the stance is really hard (sidehill etc.).
- In casual golf, carry a ball in your pocket so you can drop (in competition tho this is illegal).
LEARNING GOLF
To learn, start with the putter, move up to low running chips, and build up to pitches and short irons. Leave the driver for until you are good at all of these. This is how Tiger learned. The fundamental concepts of putting and chipping apply precisely to the full swing - this is why you must build UP to the full swing, not DOWN from the full swing.
FINAL WORDS
Last, have FUN when you play. I hate nothing more than an angry golfer who swears and throws clubs and shit. How can you be mad when you are in a position in life that allows you to play such a beautiful game? I'd rather play with a 50 handicap who plays quick and has fun than a scratch golfer who is a slow asshole.
Any more questions, let me know! Hope lots of people pick up this wonderful game. It's truly life changing. I have played all over the place and I keep the logo balls from every new course I play.
+1 from me, great pointers and I appreciate them. Didn't come from a background where golf was something you could really pursue, looking to get into it now.
how much practice/how good do you need to be before you can play some actual holes without looking stupid?
It'll depend on your hand eye coordination/athleticism a bit, really hard to say...as a really rough estimate, for an average golfer with the right instruction, probably 15 to 20 good 1 or 2 hour range sessions. Really not that much.
As long as you can make contact and hit the ball at least 100 yards - maybe just use your favorite club, like a 7 or 8 iron, for every shot - you can play quickly. You can even skip short game/putting on each hole until you feel more comfortable with chipping and putting. If you get to a hole with water, you can just tell your friends you'll start from beyond the water.
More important, people really overestimate the cost of looking stupid. I think this is why many people play so slow, because they are afraid of messing up. I never really care what other golfers shoot or if they mess up or whiff it once or twice. I don't even notice most shots unless they are really really good. But I definitely notice if they play slowly. I've even left slow groups to go play ahead of them because we were falling so far behind.
Basically once you can hit the 100 yard shot every time, I think that's when you can go play a few holes. Start on a little 9 hole course, these are usually very beginner friendly and you'll see a lot of beginners.
Not sure if I agree too much about not getting up-to-date clubs, especially if you are almost a scratch golfer. My first paycheck went to the Titleist 910D2 driver ($400), which I can consistently hit 300-320.
Yeah, for better players, equipment definitely makes a difference (see RBZ 3 wood...). I would note that there are alot of tour players tho who are playing Titleist drivers that are more than a few years old, since Titleist's more recent models haven't gone over so well with the players. Some are still playing the 906 I think. Also, you could've gotten that 910 much cheaper if you bought a gently used one.
But I think for beginners you can definitely get a great set going which will take you down to single digits for under 500 total - there was a good post on this somewhere, I'll see if I can find it to cut and paste it here. I still play the Titleist 690CB irons, if money was no object I might get a new set of AP2s but my current sticks are hard to beat. The super forgiving clubs for beginners have seen some great tech too, but really if you get old Pings or Callaways, they're all so easy to hit that I don't think it makes a ton of sense to buy the latest tech.
Connor what do you usually shoot? 320's big. I bunt mine about 250, 270 on a good pop. Then I'm 5 foot 6.
Here's the post:
"Driver: Titleist 905r / Taylormade 2007 Burner ~$90 Irons: Callway x16/ Titleist 695cb/Mizuno mx series 4-PW ~$150-200 Wedge: Grab some vokeys/ mizuno mp 52* and 56* with decent grooves ~$70 Hybrid: Adams idea pro ~23* ~$50 Golf balls : Top flite gamer ~$15/doz"
TAKE LESSONS!
Or you will look like an idiot.
Yes, and know your basic golf etiquette - order of play, where to stand, don't talk while people are hitting, don't walk in people's putting lines, etc.
Also, very important, make sure your grips are fresh and tacky. Most important part of the club and one of the cheapest ways to make old clubs way better.
etiquette > skill when it comes to not embarassing yourself playing with people from work
Agree 100,000% percent with this. Play quick and be courteous. Key if you are a beginner is staying out of the serious people's way, which you need etiquette and awareness and speed (not skill) to accomplish.
I have the Peter Putter and the House, are these good clubs?
SB to first correct identification of reference.
I know the authors :) Just don't play them in cold weather please...
I'm good at golf but hate playing with other bankers. I like golf because I like golf. Not because I treat it as some fucking networking event or because I want to show off my etiquette that I learned on an online forum.
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