So, how you all recommend starting to play golf? A few lessons first? Just go in and wing it?
45 thoughts on “April 14, 2021: A Good Walk Spoiled”
Ex-Twin Peter Moylan (GCL Twins, 1996-1997) is the new manager of the Melbourne Aces.
Personally, if the course doesn't have a windmill, I'm not wasting my money.
golf is one of those habits that is expensive to get beyond horrifically bad. And expensive when you are horrifically bad too.
You could probably find a public course that has rental sets. I haven't actually been out in over a decade, but when I started I was a kid so just went out there and developed bad habits as I went.
Golfing, now that is in my wheelhouse. If you haven't ever played, or if you have rarely played, here is how I would proceed.
1) If possible, find an adult beginners clinic. These are the best start as it is small group learning. Way more cost effective than individual lessons. It is also nice to have others around you learning the game as so that you don't feel too self-conscious about your own swing. The first year or so I would just go purchase a cheaper set of clubs, in case you decide the game is not for you. If you can't find an adult beginners clinic, then I would find individual lessons at a club on the less expensive side. Just someone to help you get the basics down so that you don't build bad habits into your swing. Take it from me, sometimes those bad habits can be a bugger to fix.
2) Find an easy and affordable golf course and play a fair amount that first summer or so. It takes a while to build confidence in a swing and lots of reps are needed. Find a golf buddy to play with as that can often be a good chunk of the enjoyment of golf. If you have time, do spend some time practicing putting and chipping, as that is the quickest and easiest way to save strokes on your score. From tee to green I am below average in the group of players I golf with, but because I work on the short game a lot, I usually score better than a fair amount of my buddies.
3) Once you get to the point that you have some pretty nice shots each round, but struggle with consistency, then think about individual lessons with a better coach. I started doing this 2 years ago and it has helped my game a lot! Using a launch monitor in the lesson hitting bay has helped me see data that supports what my coach is telling me. Once you understand the data, you can hit on your own with a launch monitor and the data will tell you what you are doing wrong. At this point, you can also explore getting nicer clubs and have someone "fit" you in a set that works best for you. I was fitted for a set of Ping irons that have really helped my game.
4) Lastly, do not expect great things right out of the gate. I absolutely sucked for many years due to a swing flaw that I could not figure out on my own, yet I did enjoy going out as it is one of my favorite outside summer activities. Mostly due to the social aspect of it. Love hanging out with my friends. Have a goal of enjoying the experience versus letting a bad swing or round wreck your day. Hungry Joe, you have my contact info. Feel free to reach out if you have specific questions.
This is probably a better approach than what I took:
Cobble together some clubs from thrift stores (Need a 9 iron? I've got 3! Is my only wedge an "E" wedge? Yes! The way I golf, I assume they mean "Emergency!").
Visit 2 random courses a summer with random friends and/or family.
Enjoy!
I'm probably stuck at that #2l that Zoom describes above, and I don't know that I'll ever move off of it. But it's fun, so that's all that matters about it to me anyway.
Probably better than my "let's hit the driving range after baseball practice in the cages" approach to figuring it out.
Both of my boys are getting interested in it, so it might be time for me to start with zoom's first piece of advice.
I'll go with the advice by the great Leslie Nielsen:
1. Keep your head down.
2. Keep your stupid head down.
3. Keep your damned stupid head down.
My dad's very helpful advice:
"Swing hard, son."
🙂
I heard that advice from my father who was an awesome golfer. Unfortunately, it is bad advice as if your head is too far down, it is difficult to clear your shoulders both in the backswing and follow through. But, you also don't want to look where your ball is headed to before you hit it. 🙂
Right, I find that if I concentrate on keeping my head down, I don't allow a proper follow through, and my swing has a block in it. That being said, keeping your eye on the ball all the way through impact IS vital.
But, you also don't want to look where your ball is headed to before you hit it.
The quickest way to badly mishit the ball is to ignore this advice.
A few years ago I decided to try to take up golf by joining a work intramural league. I figured that getting more play time would improve my game.
I was dead wrong.
I felt like I got worse each time I went out. I would recommend lessons as that will probably do better to improve your game than just playing more.
That is the tough thing about golf. For me, and I am guessing many people, so many of the "fixes" are counter-intuitive. When I tried to fix my swing on my own, what seemed like the right adjustment only made it worse.
For instance, if you slice the ball you may think to open up your stance and aim left. This causes the club face to open up more, and your swing to become even more "outside -in" which makes the slice worse. When I am slicing I need to remember to close my stance a bit and swing more inside out. However, lately I have found that weakening my grip gets rid of a hook and strengthening my grip gets rid of a slice.
The nurse who put in my IV this morning is from Alexandria, and I'm kicking myself for forgetting the name of Zooom's restaurant. I couldn't quite figure out a way to say that there's a guy I know from the Internet who has a fantastic restaurant there.
I'm hanging out getting my infusion right now and all is going well.
Fish and a glass?
Glad it's going well Pepper
Sunny and a Shot
Crappie and carafe!
Bass and Beer
but those are both beer!
Bass and Bass
Guppie and Gallon
Minnow and Martini
Perch and Punch
Now I'll NEVER remember the actual name, but the laugh was worth it!
To think, there were so many alternative names I could have used for the joint!
A funny side note (not really funny): Apparently, A LOT of peoples cell phones and computers will autocorrect "Pike" to "Puke". It has led to many frantic apologies and lots of laughs. Should have tested the name on autocorrect apparently.
In the future, Pepper, if you forget the name and run into an Alexandrian, just say you know a guy who owns a restaurant and is a big hockey guy. They will get it. Which is funny that my identity is wrapped up in a sport that I never played. I can't even skate.
What a lot of people said here already. Caveat, I haven't golfed in 10 years and I only broke 100 once in the 14 years prior. Additional advice:
1. Get comfortable using high irons first. I made the mistake of trying to use my 2 iron and 3 iron out of the gate to hit a 180 yard shot to the green. Don't expect to make par. Less frustrating to hit two solid 7-irons then hoping and praying with the low irons.
2. If you're not using a cart, get a pull/push cart. Hauling golf clubs on your back sucks after two holes.
3. Have a decent bag with plenty of supplies well organized. Make sure to get a good divot fixer to take care of the greens.
4. Don't worry too much about your score. Enjoy the outdoors/company and play at a steady pace.
5. If someone is peppering you, remember they have weapons in their golf bag if you turn around and yell at them.
If someone is peppering you, remember they have weapons in their golf bag if you turn around and yell at them. be sure to thank them afterward for the incredible experience! 😜
As a person who works at a golf course, #3 is good advice 😂
Everyone here has offered up pretty good advice. I would say try the small muni or public courses in your area. Weekday rates are usually cheaper than weekends. Call ahead to course to make sure there are no high school meets or other activities. (With covid scheduling and a late start to the school golf season my course is pretty booked up all April afternoons) If they have a putting green take advantage of that to get a feel of how to put (there is an adage "drive for show, putt for dough"). Have fun and play at your own pace.
Though statistical analysis doesn't bear out that adage. Also, Tiger. If you can drive to within a 7-iron of the green, you're score is going to be lower. I had a period where I was magic with the putter, didn't three-putt for weeks. Still couldn't get my score under 100
Yeah thats Bryson DeChambeau's game. Lose strokes by out muscling and play the angles.
I'm just saying go out and put and get the feel of putting, how much swing to put on it, what kind of swing are you comfortable with, that sort of stuff. It helps and I think in the long run helps.
For mere mortals, there is no better way to shave strokes off than to improve your short game.
Getting good with approach shots is a close second. Beau's advice to get comfortable with high irons is excellent.
Yes, last year I took my handicap from a 18 down to a 12 despite struggling off the tee and from 150 yards on out. (I blame it on getting used to new clubs). My improvement came from chipping and putting. I practice at least a 1/2 hour on each before my league rounds.
An additional tip: set your ego aside. Lots of people struggle with hitting a 3, 4 or 5 iron, yet stubbornly keep those clubs in their bag cuz "good players use them". More and more pro golfers are going to hybrids or 7 woods as they are just easier to hit. In fact, Michelle Wie used an 11 wood in a recent tournament and Dustin Johnson (arguably the best player on the planet) keeps a 7 wood in the bag. Find the clubs you are comfortable and confident with and if you just can't seem to hit a certain club, ditch it.
Kirilloff up as the extra player for the DH. Simmons to the IL with COVID-19 too.
I'm concerned for Simmons just as a person. He said that he had thoughts about suicide (and has a history of that) when trying to play in empty stadiums last year and opted out after trying to play. Now he has COVID. Hopefully, he recovers quickly and doesn't have to be isolated for very long. Of course, I have to wonder why he didn't get vaccinated.
Do we know for sure that he didn't get vaccinated? My understanding (which certainly could be wrong) is that it takes some time for the vaccine to be fully effective. And of course, no one is claiming that the vaccine is 100% effective.
He told a reporter that he wasn't vaccinated.
Okay. Didn't know that. Thanks.
Yea, he made it a point on Instagram I think that we wasn't going to get vaccinated and to please honor his decision.
viruses know no honor
Play golf in Utah or New Mexico - the higher elevation gets you extra yardage on all your shots.
Or go all out and try the Alan Shepard method.
Also heard this.
Your problem is that you're standing too close to the ball after you hit it.
Ex-Twin Peter Moylan (GCL Twins, 1996-1997) is the new manager of the Melbourne Aces.
Personally, if the course doesn't have a windmill, I'm not wasting my money.
golf is one of those habits that is expensive to get beyond horrifically bad. And expensive when you are horrifically bad too.
You could probably find a public course that has rental sets. I haven't actually been out in over a decade, but when I started I was a kid so just went out there and developed bad habits as I went.
Golfing, now that is in my wheelhouse. If you haven't ever played, or if you have rarely played, here is how I would proceed.
1) If possible, find an adult beginners clinic. These are the best start as it is small group learning. Way more cost effective than individual lessons. It is also nice to have others around you learning the game as so that you don't feel too self-conscious about your own swing. The first year or so I would just go purchase a cheaper set of clubs, in case you decide the game is not for you. If you can't find an adult beginners clinic, then I would find individual lessons at a club on the less expensive side. Just someone to help you get the basics down so that you don't build bad habits into your swing. Take it from me, sometimes those bad habits can be a bugger to fix.
2) Find an easy and affordable golf course and play a fair amount that first summer or so. It takes a while to build confidence in a swing and lots of reps are needed. Find a golf buddy to play with as that can often be a good chunk of the enjoyment of golf. If you have time, do spend some time practicing putting and chipping, as that is the quickest and easiest way to save strokes on your score. From tee to green I am below average in the group of players I golf with, but because I work on the short game a lot, I usually score better than a fair amount of my buddies.
3) Once you get to the point that you have some pretty nice shots each round, but struggle with consistency, then think about individual lessons with a better coach. I started doing this 2 years ago and it has helped my game a lot! Using a launch monitor in the lesson hitting bay has helped me see data that supports what my coach is telling me. Once you understand the data, you can hit on your own with a launch monitor and the data will tell you what you are doing wrong. At this point, you can also explore getting nicer clubs and have someone "fit" you in a set that works best for you. I was fitted for a set of Ping irons that have really helped my game.
4) Lastly, do not expect great things right out of the gate. I absolutely sucked for many years due to a swing flaw that I could not figure out on my own, yet I did enjoy going out as it is one of my favorite outside summer activities. Mostly due to the social aspect of it. Love hanging out with my friends. Have a goal of enjoying the experience versus letting a bad swing or round wreck your day. Hungry Joe, you have my contact info. Feel free to reach out if you have specific questions.
This is probably a better approach than what I took:
Cobble together some clubs from thrift stores (Need a 9 iron? I've got 3! Is my only wedge an "E" wedge? Yes! The way I golf, I assume they mean "Emergency!").
Visit 2 random courses a summer with random friends and/or family.
Enjoy!
I'm probably stuck at that #2l that Zoom describes above, and I don't know that I'll ever move off of it. But it's fun, so that's all that matters about it to me anyway.
Probably better than my "let's hit the driving range after baseball practice in the cages" approach to figuring it out.
Both of my boys are getting interested in it, so it might be time for me to start with zoom's first piece of advice.
I'll go with the advice by the great Leslie Nielsen:
1. Keep your head down.
2. Keep your stupid head down.
3. Keep your damned stupid head down.
My dad's very helpful advice:
"Swing hard, son."
🙂
I heard that advice from my father who was an awesome golfer. Unfortunately, it is bad advice as if your head is too far down, it is difficult to clear your shoulders both in the backswing and follow through. But, you also don't want to look where your ball is headed to before you hit it. 🙂
Right, I find that if I concentrate on keeping my head down, I don't allow a proper follow through, and my swing has a block in it. That being said, keeping your eye on the ball all the way through impact IS vital.
The quickest way to badly mishit the ball is to ignore this advice.
A few years ago I decided to try to take up golf by joining a work intramural league. I figured that getting more play time would improve my game.
I was dead wrong.
I felt like I got worse each time I went out. I would recommend lessons as that will probably do better to improve your game than just playing more.
That is the tough thing about golf. For me, and I am guessing many people, so many of the "fixes" are counter-intuitive. When I tried to fix my swing on my own, what seemed like the right adjustment only made it worse.
For instance, if you slice the ball you may think to open up your stance and aim left. This causes the club face to open up more, and your swing to become even more "outside -in" which makes the slice worse. When I am slicing I need to remember to close my stance a bit and swing more inside out. However, lately I have found that weakening my grip gets rid of a hook and strengthening my grip gets rid of a slice.
The nurse who put in my IV this morning is from Alexandria, and I'm kicking myself for forgetting the name of Zooom's restaurant. I couldn't quite figure out a way to say that there's a guy I know from the Internet who has a fantastic restaurant there.
I'm hanging out getting my infusion right now and all is going well.
Fish and a glass?
Glad it's going well Pepper
Sunny and a Shot
Crappie and carafe!
Bass and Beer
but those are both beer!
Bass and Bass
Guppie and Gallon
Minnow and Martini
Perch and Punch
Now I'll NEVER remember the actual name, but the laugh was worth it!
To think, there were so many alternative names I could have used for the joint!
A funny side note (not really funny): Apparently, A LOT of peoples cell phones and computers will autocorrect "Pike" to "Puke". It has led to many frantic apologies and lots of laughs. Should have tested the name on autocorrect apparently.
In the future, Pepper, if you forget the name and run into an Alexandrian, just say you know a guy who owns a restaurant and is a big hockey guy. They will get it. Which is funny that my identity is wrapped up in a sport that I never played. I can't even skate.
What a lot of people said here already. Caveat, I haven't golfed in 10 years and I only broke 100 once in the 14 years prior. Additional advice:
1. Get comfortable using high irons first. I made the mistake of trying to use my 2 iron and 3 iron out of the gate to hit a 180 yard shot to the green. Don't expect to make par. Less frustrating to hit two solid 7-irons then hoping and praying with the low irons.
2. If you're not using a cart, get a pull/push cart. Hauling golf clubs on your back sucks after two holes.
3. Have a decent bag with plenty of supplies well organized. Make sure to get a good divot fixer to take care of the greens.
4. Don't worry too much about your score. Enjoy the outdoors/company and play at a steady pace.
5. If someone is peppering you, remember they have weapons in their golf bag if you turn around and yell at them.
If someone is peppering you,
remember they have weapons in their golf bag if you turn around and yell at them.be sure to thank them afterward for the incredible experience! 😜FTFY
I laughed
Ditto Number 4
Related, I know this guy: https://www.thehappiestgolfer.com/
He also runs this thing: https://www.bethenicekid.com/
Good dude.
As a person who works at a golf course, #3 is good advice 😂
Everyone here has offered up pretty good advice. I would say try the small muni or public courses in your area. Weekday rates are usually cheaper than weekends. Call ahead to course to make sure there are no high school meets or other activities. (With covid scheduling and a late start to the school golf season my course is pretty booked up all April afternoons) If they have a putting green take advantage of that to get a feel of how to put (there is an adage "drive for show, putt for dough"). Have fun and play at your own pace.
Though statistical analysis doesn't bear out that adage. Also, Tiger. If you can drive to within a 7-iron of the green, you're score is going to be lower. I had a period where I was magic with the putter, didn't three-putt for weeks. Still couldn't get my score under 100
Yeah thats Bryson DeChambeau's game. Lose strokes by out muscling and play the angles.
I'm just saying go out and put and get the feel of putting, how much swing to put on it, what kind of swing are you comfortable with, that sort of stuff. It helps and I think in the long run helps.
For mere mortals, there is no better way to shave strokes off than to improve your short game.
Getting good with approach shots is a close second. Beau's advice to get comfortable with high irons is excellent.
Yes, last year I took my handicap from a 18 down to a 12 despite struggling off the tee and from 150 yards on out. (I blame it on getting used to new clubs). My improvement came from chipping and putting. I practice at least a 1/2 hour on each before my league rounds.
An additional tip: set your ego aside. Lots of people struggle with hitting a 3, 4 or 5 iron, yet stubbornly keep those clubs in their bag cuz "good players use them". More and more pro golfers are going to hybrids or 7 woods as they are just easier to hit. In fact, Michelle Wie used an 11 wood in a recent tournament and Dustin Johnson (arguably the best player on the planet) keeps a 7 wood in the bag. Find the clubs you are comfortable and confident with and if you just can't seem to hit a certain club, ditch it.
Kirilloff up as the extra player for the DH. Simmons to the IL with COVID-19 too.
Burying the lede there...
I'm concerned for Simmons just as a person. He said that he had thoughts about suicide (and has a history of that) when trying to play in empty stadiums last year and opted out after trying to play. Now he has COVID. Hopefully, he recovers quickly and doesn't have to be isolated for very long. Of course, I have to wonder why he didn't get vaccinated.
Do we know for sure that he didn't get vaccinated? My understanding (which certainly could be wrong) is that it takes some time for the vaccine to be fully effective. And of course, no one is claiming that the vaccine is 100% effective.
He told a reporter that he wasn't vaccinated.
Okay. Didn't know that. Thanks.
Yea, he made it a point on Instagram I think that we wasn't going to get vaccinated and to please honor his decision.
viruses know no honor
Play golf in Utah or New Mexico - the higher elevation gets you extra yardage on all your shots.
Or go all out and try the Alan Shepard method.
Also heard this.
Your problem is that you're standing too close to the ball after you hit it.