What got you interested in golf? A woman's perspective?

[JEFF4i]

Originally Posted by mddubya

Just trying to get mine up to a respectable number like yours,

God, over 1300 hundred posts since November of last year, I need to get a life,

From July when I joined here, I had 3,000 posts before the year was out, so in about 5.5 months.

[ClairefromClare]

Okay, okay--here I am.

This isn't a woman thing. This is a take-up-a-sport-as-an-adult thing. I assume most of you fellows have been playing for years. I've been playing for three.

The only way to do this is full immersion. As in, golf camp. An adult isn't going to learn a sport by taking a lesson here and there.

It happened for me with skiing--I grew up in the midwest, with nary a mountain in sight. I married a skiier, and when our oldest turned three, we had to go skiing. I'd take those 90 minute lessons from a different instructor every time. I never got anywhere and figured I'd spend the rest of my life on green slopes. Then we went to a family Club Med (sadly, now closed) where for a solid week, I spent all day every day with the same six middle-aged moms and the same instructor. Now I can ski blacks (though I prefer blues--see that part about being middle aged).

Golf is the same. Those intense three-day golf camps are what you really need. Plus, for me at least, a lot of reading and practice. I'm still lousy (see that part about having done this for three years and starting in middle age), but I love it, can get around the course in less than four hours, and am pretty reasonable company. Sometimes I even outshoot my husband (who, unlike me, is a natural athlete, though also a newbie golfer).

So send your girlfriend to golf camp--ideally, one oriented towards women. You'll get a golf partner and save yourself a lot of frustration.

[ualtim]

A couple of years ago, I bought my wife a series of lesson from the local assistant pro. While she is not as crazy about golf as I am, she still plays. The key was finding some one else to play with every now and again. She gets frustrated when she plays with me, but she has a friend that she golfs with now and seems to enjoys the game more. Except during the brutal heat, we will go to the range together and hit balls followed by a putting green session of BOGEY. (Think horse, but on a putting green.) Golf is something that we can share together, but still enjoy away from each other with other folks as well.

[Slingblade61]

Golf Camp.....mmmmmmmm.

It is my dream to attend one of the week long affairs that Stratton has in Vermont.......mmmmmmmm.

[soxngolf]

For me, it was the competition side of golf that got me interested. Well, it is at least what kept me interested. If your wife was an athlete, this is something that will appeal to her because that feeling of competition is something that we all lose once we aren't playing those team sports anymore. The great thing about golf is that you don't have to be competitive with someone else (like your husband who has been playing for 15 years), but can just try to beat your own last score. Until I started playing I didn't realize how much I missed that.
The tough thing for everyone, but I think even more for women, is that it can be very intimidating to be on a golf course. When you are first starting, you don't realize that most of the people out there aren't very good either. Most women do not like to do things that they aren't good at. If she could find some women to play with, I think that would be easier for her. She should try signing up for some all women clinics (even better if a friend goes with her) and then if she likes it enough maybe a women's golf league. And remember, when you are out with her, try to be on your best behavior, that includes towards your own shots. I know a lot of women who don't like to play with their spouses because he gets so angry with himself.

[warbirdlover]

My wife would wrap the club around my neck after 3 holes from shear frustration. It would be suicide to get her golfing...

[SilverUberXeno]

I was going to recommend a shopping center annex to the clubhouse that could be visited at the turn, but these responses from the ladies are pretty solid...

All in good fun, by the way I'd LOVE to meet a girl who was excited about golf. Not necessarily good, or as good as I am (though that would be nice), just willing to play.

But that being said, I let the game get to me so much, I'd probably get dumped by the turn.

[ClairefromClare]

Originally Posted by SilverUberXeno

I was going to recommend a shopping center annex to the clubhouse that could be visited at the turn, but these responses from the ladies are pretty solid...

All in good fun, by the way I'd LOVE to meet a girl who was excited about golf. Not necessarily good, or as good as I am (though that would be nice), just willing to play.

But that being said, I let the game get to me so much, I'd probably get dumped by the turn.

Shopping center--bleech.

I'd play with you any time, so long as you didn't insist on using a cart and then driving it to chase down every sliced tee shot (reminding me all the while that you have five minutes to find it), leaving me to walk the course holding a random selection of clubs in my hands. Or insist on showing me what's wrong with my swing.

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by ClairefromClare

Okay, okay--here I am.

This isn't a woman thing. This is a take-up-a-sport-as-an-adult thing. I assume most of you fellows have been playing for years. I've been playing for three.

The only way to do this is full immersion. As in, golf camp. An adult isn't going to learn a sport by taking a lesson here and there.

It happened for me with skiing--I grew up in the midwest, with nary a mountain in sight. I married a skiier, and when our oldest turned three, we had to go skiing. I'd take those 90 minute lessons from a different instructor every time. I never got anywhere and figured I'd spend the rest of my life on green slopes. Then we went to a family Club Med (sadly, now closed) where for a solid week, I spent all day every day with the same six middle-aged moms and the same instructor. Now I can ski blacks (though I prefer blues--see that part about being middle aged).

Golf is the same. Those intense three-day golf camps are what you really need. Plus, for me at least, a lot of reading and practice. I'm still lousy (see that part about having done this for three years and starting in middle age), but I love it, can get around the course in less than four hours, and am pretty reasonable company. Sometimes I even outshoot my husband (who, unlike me, is a natural athlete, though also a newbie golfer).

So send your girlfriend to golf camp--ideally, one oriented towards women. You'll get a golf partner and save yourself a lot of frustration.

My wife and I picked up the sport together about 7 years ago as something to do together. Now it is pretty much our main if not entire form of entertainment.

She also grew up in the Midwest (Kansas) and skiing used to be one of her main interests. Now she can't stand the site of Snow if it stays on the ground for more than a day or so, as it just interferes with golf. Plus she has always said skiing on ice in the East is just not the same as the powder in Colorado.

There is nothing better we could do than spend 4-5 hours on the course every chance we get, and personally I would take a round of golf with my wife over one with my friends any day.

[jacky]

The women who pay her attention to play golf is very beautyful!

[WMitch6]

I tried to get my wife interested in the game shortly after I started playing. We bought her cheap beginner clubs, cheap driving range lessons and off we went. Of course the results were predictable. She got frustrated and gave it up after a couple of months.

Several years later she was watching me hit balls at the range and out of boredom asked if she could hit my driver. What a difference. She hit the ball better than ever before. That renewed her interest a bit.

We bought a decent set of clubs and had them properly fitted. She's nearly 6' so she got longer shafts with larger grips. Lessons this time were from a PGA pro.

Now she plays in two women's leagues, gives me a run for my money whenever we play together and most importantly, she eagerly agrees whenever I want to spend a week at a golf resort somewhere.

[julie_m]

Not all women are going to get golf. Some of us are just awesomer than others.

Seriously, I'd expect every woman to love golf with their man as much as I'd expect every man to love dancing with their woman, or shopping with her, sitting and visiting, or watching a feel-good movie.

Maybe you should think about the WAY you're playing golf with your ladies. Do you come home grumbling and cursing every time you play? Do you think that would make anyone else want to? When you go out, are you frustrated and impatient and angry all the time? Whether you're mad at the game or frustrated with her, doesn't matter, a woman is just going to intuit your anger. Women like me want to spend quality time with her fellow, be comfortable and not exhausted, and not feel like a loser. When my boyfriend started taking me, he took me to pick out clubs I liked, we'd go to small courses at off peak hours when there was no pressure to play in a hurry, he complimented me lots, focused on me and what I could do better, and used the time to work on his own basic fundamentals. After years of playing with my family when they forced me to, I suddenly found a game I liked.

That got really long. Sorry...just thoughts. I don't know what would work for everyone.

[JEFF4i]

Originally Posted by julie_m

Not all women are going to get golf. Some of us are just awesomer than others.

Seriously, I'd expect every woman to love golf with their man as much as I'd expect every man to love dancing with their woman, or shopping with her, sitting and visiting, or watching a feel-good movie.

Maybe you should think about the WAY you're playing golf with your ladies. Do you come home grumbling and cursing every time you play? Do you think that would make anyone else want to? When you go out, are you frustrated and impatient and angry all the time? Whether you're mad at the game or frustrated with her, doesn't matter, a woman is just going to intuit your anger. Women like me want to spend quality time with her fellow, be comfortable and not exhausted, and not feel like a loser. When my boyfriend started taking me, he took me to pick out clubs I liked, we'd go to small courses at off peak hours when there was no pressure to play in a hurry, he complimented me lots, focused on me and what I could do better, and used the time to work on his own basic fundamentals. After years of playing with my family when they forced me to, I suddenly found a game I liked.

That got really long. Sorry...just thoughts. I don't know what would work for everyone.

I learned this first-hand. My wife and I play together, but I tend to be a little intense when I play.

Due to this, she would internalize anything I did. I learned that when I go out with her, its for fun, and only that.

[ClairefromClare]

Julie!! Great to see you here.

Jeff, you're about to fall in love and jilt me.