golf lesson questions?
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 at
7:04 am
aland411 asked:
I’m 30 and have never picked up a golf club. i would like to take some lessons. anyone else start playing at 30 and if so, how long have you played and how is it going.
I’m 30 and have never picked up a golf club. i would like to take some lessons. anyone else start playing at 30 and if so, how long have you played and how is it going.
thanks,
aland411
Tagged with: Golf Club • Golf Lesson • Lesson Questions
Filed under: Golf Lessons
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first thing you need is a lot of patience .. go to your local driving range and talk to the pro there … see what his fees are and if you get along with him .. I’ve been playing for about 15 years now and I love it ..
if you are serious about golf after a bit I would get a set of fitted clubs they will make a huge difference in your game
Hey 411, I’m 40 and I’ve just started golfing about 4 months ago. It going pretty good. I started just as something to do when gas prices went up.(used to go drag racing). So found some golf clubs at a good will store for 2.00dollars each. And just bought my first set of clubs. I’ll tell you to start with you short game first. Such as putting and pitching. Shave your strokes right there. If you can learn to hold the club to hit ball straight first. The hook and the slice will come as you learn.
Just as well will the back spin and the run. Also don’t give up if you don’t do so well. I started in the 170 on a 72 par coarse and I’m in the 110 to 120’s. So there’s only one thing to keep in mind try hard and have a good since of humor. But the most important is to have fun. GOOD LUCK!
I always tell people that first pick up the game golf isn’t a past time or hobby, it’s a commitment. First off be patient because you won’t be great at it, but no one is at first. It is the hardest game there is, but if you give it a chance it will be addictive.
Secondly: take a few lessons. It’s better to get advice from a pro than your buddies that aren’t very good after 15 years of playing.
I was 29 and picked a lesson at a local range. What a waste of money. The instructor just gave a basic guide lines and watch me swing all the time. No actual full lesson. So I quit taking lesson. I spent $110 USD for an hour. So I think it’s too expensive.
2 years later, I can hit my driver 250 yards. I just go to the range once a week and watch some video lessons. Everytime I practice, I fix one mistake.
You have an adventure on your hands, but a fun one nonetheless. Your idea of getting a couple lessons is a good one. Lots of municipal courses in the States offer group lessons for beginners (often referred to as clinics) which will give you some basics and they are not too expensive. Individual lessons should be about $30 to $40 per half hour. They are important so you don’t get into bad habits at the begining that will be hard to break later on. Golf is a hand/eye coordination sport so your past atheletic endeavours may help you there – baseball, and ice hockey players tend to pick up the game more easily than some others. The other thing to remember is that practice at the range, chipping green and putting green are where you belong for probably a couple months before you venture out on to the golf course proper. Good luck and enjoy.
I started playing a little over thirty (33 to be exact). I was positively addicted (still am but I have some responsibilities keeping me from the course lately).
Within about a year and a half I started shooting in the low nineties and was about a stroke away from finally breaking 90. Now, well, I’m high nineties but I don’t practice much. I took some lessons at a very nice golf school last year and was very dedicated but when my dog (who has been my best friend for 11 years) was diagnosed with Cancer I decided to spend less time on the range and golf course and more time with her for the time being. Golf is my great love but apparently my second!
I would recommend staying away from drivers for a little while. Pick up a really awesome three wood that is easy to hit or even a five wood. Often in the beginning it is better to hit executive courses that are easier, a little shorter (usually par 3s and shorter par 4s) so even a five wood that you can control while learning is better than a three or a one you can’t. I would also recommend staying off of really high end courses or even “okay” regulation courses with morning tee times until you can hit the ball nice and straight at don’t double par anymore. I’m not trying to be a jerk and I love the marshalls at our courses but beginners who are already really nervous won’t have too much fun getting hounded to hurry up and pick up!! I had a group of friends from work I used to go out with and one of the guys was a lovely person but TERRIBLE on the course. It was really hard on our group and on the people behind us. I ended up spending a lot of my time trying to “manage” the pace of our group instead of focsing on my own game. It also ***** because I am a woman so until the marshalls saw me hit they assumed I was the problem. It bothered me in the beginning but doesn’t phase me now. I was not the problem. Oh, but when I first started playing – believe me! Being a new golfer AND female really taught me to develop a thick skin. Golfers are the best people I know but they can be merciless if you can’t keep it in play and you slow the round down. Slow play is the kiss of death. Even if you stink at first (most people do) golfers are “cool” with you as long as you can keep up with the pace of play.
I put a lot of time into this game from playing often 72 holes a weekend to spending a lot of time at the range. I would recommend finding a good golf professional (someone who is PGA) and really taking some lessons. Note that the lessons are only as good as what you put into them in between. I will only take a series of lessons when I know that I have time to dedicate to practicing what I have learned to create the muscle memory.
Also, DO NOT just buy a starter set of clubs. This is what I would recommend – quality used clubs that are “standard” for your height just to start. Once you develop a swing you can take them into golfsmith or some other type of place and have them shafted and the lie angle tweaked to work best with your body and swing type. I bought a then expensive set of x18’s (Callaway) off the rack and later had them completely redone with TX90 shafts and a slight bit of tweaking – I hit them great. However, once you hit the clubs they are used. Period. Your preferences will change as your game improves too so if I had to do it all over again I would have purchased a used set. The reason I write don’t buy a starter set of clubs is that if you want to play remotely well they will not help you. My very first set was a starter set and I am not kidding, when I bought another set of irons (“real ones”) my game IMMEDIATELY improved. I would buy a two generations back set of decent used irons before I would waste money on a set. You don’t need all of the woods and driver initially anyhow and the putter probably stinks. It seems like a great deal because you get everything together but it isn’t.
Don’t forget that grooving your swing is not the only important part of the game. Few of us are Tiger Woods (duh, I know) and that scores are very dependent on short game. Start developing a few nice go to shots around the green and work on your putting. Choosing a putter that feels good to you will be key.
I started when I was 27 and my brother started in his mid 30’s. I have never taken a lesson and my brother has taken a few. More times than not, I score better than my brother. His issue is flexibility. I am quite limber. He is much stronger than me; much bigger. I wish I had his strength but keep my flexibility. I shoot mainly low to mid 80’s when I play a full round. I play 9 holes more often so I shoot anywhere from mid 30’s to low 40’s. Everything I’ve learned has been by reading Tiger Woods’ book, “How I Play Golf” which says that you should have a teacher to work with. How ironic is that? I also keep a Golf Magazine subscription and I have done many of the drills in it on the range. Short game is my strength. It has saved many a round. I’m 35 now. Make your time at the range work for you.
I’m 32 and I picked up my clubs last year after years in hibernation. Went to the range for a month then hit the fairway. Totally sucked, so I went and found a pro. I now shoot in the mid-80s and am enjoying the game a lot.
I also know a lot of guys who started at 30 and have gone on to play at very decent levels, with some even hitting single-digit handicaps.
Find a pro who you can work with, be coachable, and enjoy the game!
Like a lot of things, it will be harder to start late in life. Most accomplished players were able to play dozens of rounds a week during their youth. But I can tell you that you don’t have to be good to have fun. And ‘good’ is a relevant term. Unless you’re Tiger, there will always be someone better and someone worse. I’ve been a scratch player since I was 14 and I can promise you I don’t have any more fun out there than the guy who’s shooting 105. Good luck!