what to expect for a newbie

[barnsng]

Hi

I am not sure if anyone asked this before and if someone did, please direct me to the thread.

1) I just pick up golf and would like to know what are the challenges that a newbie will face in a game of golf?

2) What are the biggest factors that prevent golfers from reaching their true scoring potential?

3) how many hours do you play golf to improve your skills?

4) how should i begin with playing golf?

Thanks in advance for your reply.



barnsng

[Adam Pettman]

Hi and welcome to Shottalk
1) You will slice the ball untill you learn how to hit the ball properly
2) Letting your ego get in your way just aim to get a bogey and then be happy with anything lower, untill you get better
3) hundreds
4) buy cheap clubs and visit your local driving range and then get a set of lessons by this point you'll probably be hooked or have given up.

[ManchesterGolfer]

Originally Posted by Adam Pettman

Hi and welcome to Shottalk
1) You will slice the ball untill you learn how to hit the ball properly
2) Letting your ego get in your way just aim to get a bogey and then be happy with anything lower, untill you get better
3) hundreds
4) buy cheap clubs and visit your local driving range and then get a set of lessons by this point you'll probably be hooked or have given up.

Welcome, Adam's spot on here apart from when he says 'cheap clubs' I wouldn't recommend a package set. I'd go look on Ebay for some decent clubs from one of the major brands that are a few seasons old. Package sets are dead money, imo.

LESSON's are the best advice. Rather than teach yourself incorrectly from the start go to a pro and do things right from the start.

[Sandy]

1) I just pick up golf and would like to know what are the challenges that a newbie will face in a game of golf?

The biggest challenge, I think, is coming to terms with understanding you'll NEVER be as good as you want to be, and managing that expectation is what makes the difference. Even Tiger Woods has several shots a round that he wishes he could take back! With lots of practice and playing time you soon learn to enjoy your game and embrace your limitations!

2) What are the biggest factors that prevent golfers from reaching their true scoring potential?

Getting too wound up about point 1! That and getting too caught up in trying 'hero' shots they (and 99* of golfers) don't have the skills to pull off, especially early on. I found it helped to choose rounds where you really try to score well, then every now and again dedicate a round to trying all the mad, extravagant wonder shots you always want to pull off and get them out of my system! Don't do that until you have the basics down though...

3) how many hours do you play golf to improve your skills?

As many as you can to improve, but not so many that you ingrain problems and swing faults. If you get lessons, follow a practice plan you work out with your teacher/pro and work on what they tell you. And get as many rounds in as you can to mix up the range work.

4) how should i begin with playing golf?

Buy some used super game-improvement clubs for a good price, throw out the 3 and 4 (and probably the 5) irons and replace them with hybrids, and get a forgiving driver and a 4 or 5 wood. Then go see a pro for an introductory lesson so you start on the correct path, and don't go too far down the wrong one and need to spend hours sorting all your problems out - like most of us here will have done!

Oh, and most important of all - keep reading Shottalk, asking lots of questions, and digesting all the good stuff on here!

[Greydawg]

By that I mean don't get discouraged!
And don't set unrealistic goals for yourself.
I'm pretty much a newbie myself.
1 1/2 years later and I still haven't broken 100 yet.
It's frustrating as hell sometimes,
but don't let it get to ya!
Just have fun and enjoy the day out.
Afterwards go have a beer and look forward to your next round!!!

P.S.- Don't spend all your practice time on the range, split it up between the range and the putting/chipping area!
Advice I just received yesterday and I'm taking it to heart!
Good luck!!!

[Sandy]

Originally Posted by Greydawg

It's frustrating as hell sometimes,
but don't let it get to ya!

That's the key - dealing with the frustration of golf is 75% of the battle. Coaches, teachers, books and lots of practice can all help you with the technical side of it all, but beating the inevitable frustration is the real key to enjoying the game.

Look around some of the posts on here and see how many single-digit or even scratch golfers post and *still* get frustrated with their game and how they can't do what they want to! It's all part of the fun!

[JEFF4i]

Originally Posted by barnsng

Hi

I am not sure if anyone asked this before and if someone did, please direct me to the thread.

1) I just pick up golf and would like to know what are the challenges that a newbie will face in a game of golf?

2) What are the biggest factors that prevent golfers from reaching their true scoring potential?

3) how many hours do you play golf to improve your skills?

4) how should i begin with playing golf?

Thanks in advance for your reply.



barnsng

1) What challenges aren't there? It's the charm of the game, every skill level has something you need to work on. If you like that, you'll love golf.

2) Short game

3) I couldn't begin to the count the hours I've spent playing and practicing. However, to keep in good effort I'd say maybe play on the weekend, and try and get to the range twice a week.

4) Lessons.

[threefiveseven]

Welcome to ST and golf in general!

A few things I have found helpful in the short time I have spent playing the game:

Practice is imperative; as long as it is correct practice. Balance your time between the range, practice greens, and partial rounds or full rounds of golf. Try replacing a range session with nine holes when possible as well; applying the skills you learn on the range to a real-life situation is a tough thing to learn.

I agree with the comment about a starter club set being a mistake. As I previously said, I am new to the game myself, and I bought a starter set of GB's to get me going. Now I am finding myself scrambling (financially and otherwise) to upgrade my equipment. Check out eBay, but an even better resource are the classifieds on the golf forums (especially ST! ). Not only can you find great equipment at a great price, but you also get a reliable seller with good advice and experience.

Good luck and have fun!

[ezra76]

Welcome.

I think the biggest challenge for me, and still is, trying to do what I do when I hit a very good shot all the time. Realize this is a game of mistakes, everyone has them. If it were easy it would be boring.

I think the biggest things preventing true scoring are lack of solid fundamentals and short game. Learn the game, learn your game.

I play 2-3 times a week and practice another 2-3 times a week. It's a rare day I don't pick up a golf club.

Pick up a decent used set of clubs. Something a year to 5yrs. old will be fine. A few lessons would be a good idea to get the fundamentals down. I've gone the self taught route and really lack a solid fundamental base. You could watch my best 2 holes of round and say "man, this dude must be scratch" and then the worst 2 and say " holy hacker"

[Bubble Head]

I put this in another post a while back. I was shooting 120 a year ago. Now I am in the 90's.

I came back to golf a year ago after being away from the game since 1982. The first time around, I never took a lesson. If you can hit the ball well with the driver, here is what I would do:

1. Watch the pros on TV. It is particularly important to watch them hit the mid irons. That will show you what your basic 5 iron swing should look like.

2. Read Ben Hogan's book on the golf swing. It is a quick read. It is particularly important to read his discussion of grip and set up.

3. I have never seen anyone else recommend this, but I like "Golf for Dummies" by Gary McCord. It's funny and it covers everything. It isn't the best swing book, but it does cover things like etiquette and scoring.

4. Read "The Search fo the Perfect Golf Club" by Tom Wishon. If you don't want to take the time here are some basics.

The guys on this forum, eBay, globalgolf.com and rockbottomgolf.com are good sources of clubs.

- If you are not a good golfer, you should have 10.5*("*" means degree) or greater loft on your driver. If you have a high swing speed, this is too high, but it will be more accurate. Post information on how far you hit your driver and the Shottalkers will coach you on a shaft. You have one of these. You should post what you have and how you hit it to get advice on whether you should use it or get something else.

- Get a basic putter. This is where I would buy a new club. It is all about feel. Go to a golf shop, that someone you trust recommends, and hit every putter in your price range. Buy what feels good.

- Irons. If you are more athletic than a healthy 50 year old man, use steel shafts. You want extreme game impovement irons. Ask your friends or post on this forum to see if you are getting the right clubs. You do need to find someone who can fit them. Getting length, lie angle and grip size fitted is important.

- Wedges. I am a high handicapper, so I hit wedges that are an extension of a game improvement iron set, not the forged blade wedges that good golfers hit.

- Fairway woods and hybrids. Most high handicappers, and may good golfers, don't use 3 and 4 irons. Most people use hybrids instead. Finding what works here is tough. Get a used one with 3* less loft than your 5 iron. If you can hit it about as well as a 5 iron, you have a winner. Play with it a while before you buy more. Gradually work down towards your driver loft at 3 or 4* increments. When you get to 15*, you may want a 3 wood instead of a hybrid. I hit my driver 220yds and my 16* hybrid 210 so a 3 wood doesn't make sense for me. I am 50, I use steel shafts in my hybrids and I recommend that for most people. Particularly if you are new to golf.

5. Find a golf shop where you see the same people every time you go there. I used to go to Golf Galaxy. I saw different people every time I went. Now I go to a place where it is no one but 2 partners and the son of one of them. They know what is in my bag as well as I do. They let me borrow demo clubs and go play them for a few days before I buy them.

6. If you have a good shop, don't be afraid of buying clones. The resale value is crap. But good quality clones are not a bad way to go if you can test drive them first. I like my Pinemeadow stuff better than some of the name brand stuff I have tried.

7. Take a lesson or 2. It will help.

[Eracer]

All the advice given so far is good.

I would add that you need to learn etiquette on the course. Some people say that you shouldn't even try to play on a course until you have spent a lot of time on the range learning to hit the ball. I agree to a certain extent. There is no point in playing a complete round of golf until you can make decent swings. When you do feel comfortable enough to play a full round, recognize that you are sharing the course with a lot of other golfers, most of whom will be much better that you. It's going to be tough for you to not feel pressured in that situation. But there are things you can do to make yourself less of a burden.

Take your time (within reason - about 20 to 30 seconds is OK) when you are getting ready to hit a shot, but hurry to the next one.

If you are driving a cart, learn how to manage it. Position the cart next to, or ahead of your ball at all times, especially when you are on the green. I see people leaving their carts 30 yards from the green (at the spot of their last wedge shot) and walking up to the green with putter in hand. Instead, you should hit the wedge, then drive your cart to the spot next to the green that is closest to the next hole, and only then take you putter to your ball. Or they leave their cart on the cart path when it's not required, and walk forty yards to their ball. Or if it is required, such as when the course has gotten a lot of rain and the fairways would get damaged if carts were driven on them, people take only one club to their ball, realize when they get there that it's the wrong club, walk all the way back to the cart to get another club, etc. Take two or three clubs with you in that situation.

Respect other people when it is their turn to play. Don't move around or make noise.

Don't EVER give people swing advice on the course. As you learn the swing, you will have moments of great revelation that you will want to share with others. Don't. Save it for this forum, where you have golfers who want to hear about it.

You should pick your ball up after you've reached double par score on any hole. Do this for a while. There is nothing more frustrating to the golfers behind you than waiting for you to make your 14th stroke on a par three hole.

Don't hit your ball until the golfers ahead of you are COMPLETELY clear of a potential mis-hit, even if the mis-hit is a great shot. And if you do accidently hit a ball towards other golfers (and you will...) and it looks like it might get anywhere near them, yell "FORE" as quickly and as loudly as you can.

For a while, try to play only when the course is not crowded.

Let faster players play through if you can't keep up with the group ahead. But frankly speaking, there's no reason you can't keep up if you manage yourself properly by following the advice above. If it happens, and you find yourself lagging behind the group ahead, let the group behind you go through.

Repair your fairway divots. Fill them with sand if available, or replace the divot if there is no sand. Carry a ball mark repair tool. Learn how to use it properly, and use it always. Repair any ball marks on the green that you make, and repair one other if possible.

There are a lot of other etiquette rules. There are a lot of people who've never bothered to learn any. You will find that you enjoy the game a lot more if you can learn to set a high standard.

[Pa Jayhawk]

I am by no means a teacher, but more of an observer and processor. So take most of this with a grain of salt. Just concurring with most of the advice given. Most importantly, take lessons in the beginning as there are fundamentals in golf that sometimes seem to defy logic to one who hasn't played and it is important to learn these before the alternative habits become very difficult to break. You don't need to take lessons constantly, but more to learn the fundamental. I took 5 weekly 1 hour group lessons at first to learn the fundamentals, then simply 1 x 1/2 hour private lesson shortly after to get things in sync. If you don't trust the instructor you you have, there are plenty out there. Find one you like. Personally I have found in general most instructors at a course better suit my ideals. They usually make just as good a living if you play their course, as they do by teaching you a lesson. Although this is not to say there are not good instructors out there. Just be leery of the ones that want to teach you once or twice a week for the next 6 months. To much info is not usually a good thing (refer to later comments)

Practice short game more than anything else. It is the bread and butter to scoring well. Hitting 1000 balls at the range is not practice unless you have a purpose, it only makes you tired which breeds bad habits in the golf swing. Hit 1000 balls around the practice greens between chips, pitches and putts and you will become a master.

Don't strangle the club, you need a light grip to play well and is the most common mistake I see in people starting out, next to hitting a 1000 balls thinking shear numbers helps their game.

If I had it to do over again I would have bought the book Hogan's Five Fundamentals of golf in the beginning, as it is something I read at the beginning of each year. Although I would do so after lessons and not at the same time to avoid to much info at first. Or maybe as a method of gaining confidence in what is being taught.

After you have developed and decent repeatable and reliable swing and think it is time to move on to nice clubs, get fitted. It doesn't cost anymore outside of the fact that you usually can not do so with clearance bargain clubs.

Don't think to much, and if you must do so while playing, try and limit your swing thoughts to one thought. The range is the place to groove your swing by trying new things, not the course. To many thoughts leads to "Paralysis by analysis", and is probably the most common flaw I see once people get away from strangling the club. Also likely the most common factor I have seen in friends that have given up the game.

[Pa Jayhawk]

Originally Posted by Eracer

There are a lot of other etiquette rules. There are a lot of people who've never bothered to learn any. You will find that you enjoy the game a lot more if you can learn to set a high standard.

Great post Eracer. The whole post and not just the part I quoted.

Kinda hard to enjoy the game when the people you play with do not enjoy your company out of distraction. Especially if you are generally a nice guy and just don't know any better.

In the beginning, other golfers will likely not care if you play all 130 shots as it lies, and show the utmost recognition for every line in the rules of golf. It will likely only piss the off. They will care if you lie 13 on a par 4 and they have to wait 20 minutes on the green prior to being able to finish the hole in fear that the group behind you will be bombarding them with golf balls. They will care if you walk through a bunker without a rake because it is the closest distance between you and your ball. If you talk while teeing off and putting. Walking accross a persons line on the green. Just learn when you are hindering the people you are with and learn that you will likely be respected more for picking up, then following every rule. A player that shoots 130 can still play, and play fast. Even faster than many that shoot 1/2 the score. It is just a matter of learning to utilize time well. At first it is usually good to play when it is not the busiest time, and most course can likely let you know when it is a good time.

Not that this is just common among beginners. I don't know how many people have told me they have be playing for 40 years while I am in my backswing or bringing back my putter. I am usually just thankful I have not played with them for those 40 years.

[niblick]

Originally Posted by barnsng

Hi

I am not sure if anyone asked this before and if someone did, please direct me to the thread.

1) I just pick up golf and would like to know what are the challenges that a newbie will face in a game of golf?

2) What are the biggest factors that prevent golfers from reaching their true scoring potential?

3) how many hours do you play golf to improve your skills?

4) how should i begin with playing golf?

Thanks in advance for your reply.



barnsng

1. Getting the ball in the hole.

2. Their swing and putting stroke.

3. Too many if you ask my wife. Not enough if you ask me.

4. Grip, alignment, balance. Everything else is secondary.


Welcome to the game!

[twofast2s]

here's what i did.

i started playing golf last april, started my first swing ever w/ a lesson. after 5 lessons and range session almost everyday, another 4 private lessons followed. this took me about good 2-3 month b/f i even set a foot at a golf course. get the fundamentals right from the beginning.

i also got the best equipments that i could afford at the time.

practice, practice, practice, but eve more; patience. after awhile i mixed in a round of golf w/ range sessions, and eventually play more golf than going to the range.

nowadays, i go to a range 1 or 2 times a week, and play 2 rounds or more in a week. i practice putting every other night for about 1/2hr to 1hr (but still sucks at putting).

and lastly (also most importantly), have fun. it's only a sport. i do get serious sometimes (missing 2ft putt for example) or be committed to an important shot, i try not to lose my temper if it goes wrong. and i feel like some people take it WAAAAAAAY too seriously to a point where they stop playing golf altogether... bad day on a golf course is better than a good day at work i think