Everything golf for a COMPLETE beginner

Hanley

I'll preface this by saying my "experience" consists of playing a few rounds of pitch and putt a week for two or three summers between the age of 15 and 17, I'm 22 now. So basically I know NOTHING.

What I do know is that I need;
1) Clubs
2) Shoes
3) Lessons
4) Somewhere to play

I'm fortunate enough to be pretty well connected thru the family and friends to some great golfers (one current pro and several Am's who play off scratch), so I imagine they'd be a great help. BUT I don't want to go near them and completley embarass myself. I'd like to have at least a basic level of competence.

Thus I come to boards. Can anyone give me some recommendations on 1-4 above? I don't mind spending a bit of money, but I don't want to go running into the thousands!! I imagine for 3 and 4, lessons at a range to start and pay to play would be the best options?

I know it's probably a bad idea to get started coming into the autumn, but I figure the courses will be empty, I'll have lots of time to practice my swing on ranges, and hopefully be able to hit a ball straight come next spring.

Oh and I'm based in north dublin. Blanchardstown, Howth, Malahide and the Airport, or anywhere else in the general area is easily enough accessible for me. Althought that Airport and Blanch are probably most convenient.

Sorry if this has been covered, but I scrolled back 7 pages and saw nothing that matched all of my questions!

EDIT: Upon some further research, Elm Green looks like the best bet for courses around. It's only about 25 mins from my house even at peak traffic times.

Also, how is this as a beginner's set http://www.mcguirksgolf.com/complete-sets/ram-fx-black-complete-set-p-1708.html ??

stockdam

I think you've basically answered all of your questions.

Get some good lessons and then practice at the range until you can hit say a 7 iron quite well.

Practice also on par three course where you'll learn how to chip and to putt.

Read the rules of golf and look for some tips on etiquette.

The clubs you posted are fine. Ram do some decent starter sets. However beginner sets seem to always have every club you could imagine and you'll end up leaving half of them out. If you are a real beginner then I'd doubt if you could use a driver and you probably won't want anything higher than a 5 iron (ditch the 3 and 4 irons). I'd suggest a half set and a smaller lighter bag (with dual straps) if you will be carrying the clubs.

Shoes.........not the cheapest but in my opinion the best.....Footjoys.


Balls - try the Dunlop Locos in Heatons.

Frisbee

stockdam wrote: »

Balls - try the Dunlop Locos in Heatons.

+1
I only play with these anymore.
Cheap as chips (24 for a tenner) and a quality ball

Hanley

stockdam wrote: »

I think you've basically answered all of your questions.

Get some good lessons and then practice at the range until you can hit say a 7 iron quite well.

Practice also on par three course where you'll learn how to chip and to putt.

Read the rules of golf and look for some tips on etiquette.

The clubs you posted are fine. Ram do some decent starter sets. However beginner sets seem to always have every club you could imagine and you'll end up leaving half of them out. If you are a real beginner then I'd doubt if you could use a driver and you probably won't want anything higher than a 5 iron (ditch the 3 and 4 irons). I'd suggest a half set and a smaller lighter bag (with dual straps) if you will be carrying the clubs.

Shoes.........not the cheapest but in my opinion the best.....Footjoys.


Balls - try the Dunlop Locos in Heatons.

Alright, good post!! Thanks.

Where abouts on the north side are some good par 3's?

madds

stockdam wrote: »

I'd suggest a half set and a smaller lighter bag (with dual straps) if you will be carrying the clubs.

I don't think the OP will have any worries on the bag-carrying front Stockdam. This is the OP in the link below.

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=vioN91uszPY

1) Clubs - the set you saw in McGuirk's will do the job fine. Believe me, if you're a complete beginner, it won't be the clubs which are at fault. When you start seeing your game improving you can look at getting clubs which are customized to your build/swing.

2) Shoes - you should be able to pick up a pair for ~€80. If you do go for that set of clubs in McGuirk's, you should/may get a few quid knocked off if you buy some shoes at the same time. Just make sure you say it to the member of staff who serves you before you get to the till.

Edit - here's a pair of decent shoes at a good price - www.mandmsports.com

3) Lessons - you're in the envious position of having a number of friends who are good golfers. However, if you don't want to bother them, there are plenty of club pros around North Dublin who offer lessons. Expect to pay €30-€40 for a half hour.

4) Somewhere to play - check out the GUI's excellent new website (http://www.gui.ie/ for a list of courses in your area. Elm Green is a perfect course for you.

Finally, enjoy it.

jph100

as was said above, enjoying golf is half the battle. its a very easy sport to become frustrated in.

a good tip id give to beginners is definitely getting lessons from the start which u seem to be keen on which is great.

also look at golf on tv, u will see how they plot their way around the golf course but more than anything else u will see their etiquette which we can all learn from

Hanley

madds wrote: »

I don't think the OP will have any worries on the bag-carrying front Stockdam. This is the OP in the link below.

http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=vioN91uszPY

1) Clubs - the set you saw in McGuirk's will do the job fine. Believe me, if you're a complete beginner, it won't be the clubs which are at fault. When you start seeing your game improving you can look at getting clubs which are customized to your build/swing.

2) Shoes - you should be able to pick up a pair for ~€80. If you do go for that set of clubs in McGuirk's, you should/may get a few quid knocked off if you buy some shoes at the same time. Just make sure you say it to the member of staff who serves you before you get to the till.

Edit - here's a pair of decent shoes at a good price - www.mandmsports.com

3) Lessons - you're in the envious position of having a number of friends who are good golfers. However, if you don't want to bother them, there are plenty of club pros around North Dublin who offer lessons. Expect to pay €30-€40 for a half hour.

4) Somewhere to play - check out the GUI's excellent new website (http://www.gui.ie/ for a list of courses in your area. Elm Green is a perfect course for you.

Finally, enjoy it.

Lol.... I was thinking "carrying the clubs isnt gonna be a big deal" but I didn't wanna come across big headed and specifically say it!

My thinking when it comes to the equipment is "buy cheap and you buy twice". So I'd rather spend a little more now and get quality gear that will last a few years.

With the friends/family thing, it's more me not wanting to embarrass myself by sucking than asking for help!! Once I get a few months under my belt and start to get to grips with things I might try and organise a round of two. I reckon once I start to make good contact with the ball I should be able to power out some strong drives.

And as for lessons, I've seen first hand in the gym how much of a difference coaching can make, so I know that an experienced set of hands to point you in the right direction is the best place to start.

As an aside, I'm half looking at this for networking purposes too. From what I've seen a lot of contacts get made and business gets done during a round of golf!

PhilipMarlowe

Hanley wrote: »

...I reckon once I start to make good contact with the ball I should be able to power out some strong drives...

Woah there horse.... I know it seems logical but this thought of powering out drives usually leads to them being mis-hit!
Think 'hit it better' to actually make it go further. You will often see this with pro's, especially hitting into the wind. They keep everything smooth for the best result.
Best of luck and enjoy the crack.

BrianD3

Hanley wrote: »

once I start to make good contact with the ball I should be able to power out some strong drives.

There have been some heated arguments in this forum about whether heavy weight training/high strength is beneficial for golf. I say it is. It will be interesting to see how you get on.

jph100

Hanley wrote: »

As an aside, I'm half looking at this for networking purposes too. From what I've seen a lot of contacts get made and business gets done during a round of golf!

thats very true. some colleges in america even include golf lessons in their business degrees.

if i remember correctly from seeing u in de accounting forum ur in one of de big 4 right? well in big places like that the golf would be an advantage alright.

u shud read up about the pro golfer kj choi. apparently he was a bodybuilder just like urself when he was in his teens

Griffin1983

best of luck man, i was in your position about a year and a half ago. def the best idea is to get even a couple of lessons just to get your fundamentals (grip, stance, basics of your swing) down. then just get out there and play. your spoiled for choice really with courses. if your a bit nervous of a full 18 elmgreen, hollystown are fine. but you should look at teetimes.ie who have some great deals on all the time. i play a bit in elmgreen a good bit, you should give us a pm if your interested in a heading out to the driving range or relaxed round any weekday morning or afternoon.

ps. you should have a look around adverts etc for a good 2nd hand set of clubs also. some of the beginner sets are fine but you will replace most of it within a year or 2 of you play often.

stockdam

Agree with Griffin.....a good 2nd hand set is a much better buy than a cheap new set.

OldGoat

Just a quick addition to your list of essentials...Waterproofs. Don't skimp on them. Buy the best quality you can afford. Nothing turns a novice off the game quicker then the first time they play in the rain.

mickyt

I would invest in a good second hand set.

I made the mistake when I first started of getting a cheap set with cheap shoes cheap bag etc..

It ends up costing you. the offside to that is that it might not be your cup of tea as a sport. that said, I am sure it will be. when I first started I would hit like 120 bad shots and 2-3 good shots, and its those shots that keep you coming back for more. then you eventually hit 5 good shots, 10 and so on.

defo addictive game

Regards your lessons, defo get some. I didn't bother and although the guys I played with low handicappers did help me alot. I felt it took me a year longer to get better.

Friends that were getting lessons soon out past me quicker from getting a regular routine to use.

Regarding shoes, my Footjoy aqualites best purchase I have made

The guys are right about the driving. try not burst the ball straight away. try get the ball straight on the fairways sacrificing distance starting off. and the more you start to feel your swing, the harder you can drive the ball.

I started like this and can now drive some 300-320 par four greens.

have fun, thats the best advice the guys are giving