Beginner- any advice welcome!!!

dude83

As the title says, just after getting a second hand set of clubs after telling my better half for the last two years that i would! Played pitch and putt now and again over the last few years, not brilliant but enjoy it to a degree that i wanted to go further and take up golf. Just went to the driving range today to see could I even hit the ball! Hitting about 100-120 yards with a 3 iron, no idea how good/bad that is! Anyway, just looking for any general advice,thanks in advance.

GreeBo

Drop the 3 iron!

How far are you hitting any other clubs?

Best advice would be to book a block of 3-5 lessons with a nearby pro, driving range, etc.

Get it right now, or you are only making life more difficult for yourself.

dude83

9 iron about the 80 yard mark, and 5 iron around 100. Didn't touch the woods, really just wanted to try hit it straight more than anything else. Yeah i was definitely thinking about lessons, roughly how much should i expect to pay?

staker

Second the pro tip as above.
What you can't do wrong now you'll never do- all it takes is to learn the right way now!
I used to dread going to see a pro when I started to change clubs , as I thought I'd be laughed out the door- he didn't(just sniggered behind my back) and I'd urge any newcomer the same, especially with what deals are out there in this climate.
Local pro here does 5 40 min lessons for €99 or 3 for €59 just to give you a ball park. If at the end you don't see improvement you're not gonna be too broke...

GreeBo

anywhere from 30 to 50 for half an hour, 45 mins

I would advise staying away from a full course for now, try some par 3 (not pitch and putt)

Your distances will make full golf a very painful experience.
There is no point in hitting a 3 iron to maybe gain an extra 30 yrds over your 9iron.

Get yourself to the driving range for some lessons and then practice what you are told, at the range.

After a couple of lessons then hit a par 3 course, if you try to play golf too early you are going to hate it.

TGoodall

As Greebo says, get lessons asap, saves you picking up bad habits. And do whatever the pro says, no matter how awkward it feels or if you seem to be hitting it worse to begin with.

Keep up the pitch and putt. No matter how good you get with the driver and irons the short game is still the most important element of golf.

Finally get out and play a few rounds with guys who play a bit, you will pick up a lot of tips and learn a lot just watching them.

dude83

Thanks a million, going to look into lessons so over the next few weeks, see how funds are.30-50 would be manageable though. Any idea if there are any par 3 courses in north cork area?

staker

Can'tthink of any offhand, I started out playing Tinhalla in Carrick on Suir but don't know if it's still open-great for a beginner.
There's another one down Bantry way,never played it.

lester76

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Y0sUnkqEFTE watch this guys stuff & just get out & play:D:D

Cairn

No Par 3 courses in N Cork I'm afraid. There are very good deals for new members that have never held a handicap in Mallow and Mitchelstown.

Mallow (my home club) is about 500 for the year (aspirant member). The club do group beginner lessons at the start of every season which I think are subsidised, the 2 pros are very good.

Most clubs have a practice area, which is where you should start really. The pitch and putt will really stand to you. Best to practice with 6 or 7 iron as swing would be similar to driver and wood but still have enough loft to allow you to get ball into the air..

No harm venturing onto the course in the short term, everybody (well almost everyone) will be willing to help and nobody minds how many shots you take as long as you play them fairly quickly.

Five Lessons by Ben Hogan is the original golf instruction book and still a great place to start.

GreeBo

Cairn wrote: »

No harm venturing onto the course in the short term, everybody (well almost everyone) will be willing to help and nobody minds how many shots you take as long as you play them fairly quickly.

With respect I think this is poor advice. If you cant hit the ball much more than 100 yards at best you are going to have an awful time playing on a full course. Its not going to be any fun for you and you will feel under pressure as soon as anyone else appears behind you. You dont want to have a negative experience your first time out imo.
By all means join a club and use the practice area and the pro for lessons, but other than playing a couple of holes at 9pm in summer I think there is no benefit to trying to play on the course.

charlieIRL

Hi and welcome to golf - something that will give you great satisfaction and wreck your head at the best of times.

Like the lads are saying, I'd get used to hitting balls before going out on a course - a bad day on one early on might turn you off playing again.

Just remember - unless your naturally gifted, it will take a lot of hard work and practice to get good at this game!!

Cairn

GreeBo wrote: »

With respect I think this is poor advice. If you cant hit the ball much more than 100 yards at best you are going to have an awful time playing on a full course. Its not going to be any fun for you and you will feel under pressure as soon as anyone else appears behind you. You dont want to have a negative experience your first time out imo.
By all means join a club and use the practice area and the pro for lessons, but other than playing a couple of holes at 9pm in summer I think there is no benefit to trying to play on the course.

This is the method used by our club pro for beginners every year, group lessons...practice...9 holes when it's quiet...lesson..etc. You will meet others at your level which will pull you along.

In fairness I can see how this might be difficult in a busy Dublin course but much easier out here in the provinces.

Bit much to expect a new member, even a beginner, to restrict his time on the course until 9 pm.

Bruno26

I find anyone who starts a sentence by saying with respect incredibly condescending. So join a club and play a couple of holes after 9:00 in the evening - great value for money there- this type of attitude puts people off joining a golf club - id say join any club you want and play as many holes as you want when you want. You will then quickly realise what you need to do to improve.

Myksyk

Bruno26 wrote: »

I find anyone who starts a sentence by saying with respect incredibly condescending.

Bit harsh there. No condescending tone in that post imo.

carnsoreboxer

Welcome to the most frustrating game ever but it is also the best of fun. As a total beginner, never played P & P, starting out I was given terrific advice which saved me from flinging my clubs into a lake.

Commit for 2 years, get lessons and lots of practice. It will take 2 years before you really start to enjoy yourself and play consistently to a handicap.

Enjoy, get out and play, join a club, play few holes in your own as often as you can, if someone is huffing and puffing about your lack of distance, poor shots etc, ignore them, some people forget that everyone was a beginner at some stage.

Invest in lessons from a recommended pro in your area now, be mindful of players giving you advice, your head is up, your legs are straights you're not following through, they are not pros, I was constantly being told at the start that I was lifting my head, indeed I'd a pain in my neck trying to keep it down, I wasn't, I was straightening my right leg on downswing thereby lifting my entire body, took a pro all of 30 secs to point it out.

The bug will bite soon and set yourself a target to treat yourself to new clubs. Keep up the P & P, you're ahead of most beginners, you only need to work on distance.

Enjoy and let us know when you win your first club competition

GreeBo

Bruno26 wrote: »

I find anyone who starts a sentence by saying with respect incredibly condescending. So join a club and play a couple of holes after 9:00 in the evening - great value for money there- this type of attitude puts people off joining a golf club - id say join any club you want and play as many holes as you want when you want. You will then quickly realise what you need to do to improve.

I dont advise joining a club if you are brand new to the game, anymore than I would recommend you buy a horse when you decide you want to start horse riding.
I also wouldnt recommend that you join a cross country hunt, Id advise getting lessons and practicing when you can.

You cant honestly expect to rock up at 10am on a Sunday and hack your way around taking a 10 on every hole; at least not in any club I have ever been to.

No one minds playing golf with a beginner, thats where we all started, but its a bad experience for *everyone* involved if you do not have the skills to get around the course at all.

Note that this is totally different advice than I would give to someone who plays a little bit and is now taking it seriously, then your comment of "will realise what you need to improve" makes sense. When you have never played golf in your life, you need to improve everything.


Oh and your condescending remark is way off the mark. Its a sign that I am acknowledging the other posters right to an opinion, and voicing my own, conflicting one.

GreeBo

Cairn wrote: »

This is the method used by our club pro for beginners every year, group lessons...practice...9 holes when it's quiet...lesson..etc. You will meet others at your level which will pull you along.

In fairness I can see how this might be difficult in a busy Dublin course but much easier out here in the provinces.

Bit much to expect a new member, even a beginner, to restrict his time on the course until 9 pm.

Its very different for a pro to be guiding a group around the course than a beginner on their own. Typically the pro will have blocked the tee to ensure there is no pressure from behind. Also, brand new players, who have never played on a course before should never just hop onto a course imo.

Thats why I wouldnt really advise paying much to join a club until you have achieved a basic skill level, to make the game somewhat enjoyable.

Bruno26

Fair enough-I still think someone could join a club and play as much ad they like obviously at a time that is appropriate. Greebo have you ever played carrickmines golf club or know anything about it. Green fee. €35 for 18 holes for a 9 hole course

GreeBo

Dont know it, seems steep enough to me though...

Gin77

I would say don't let the genius type players on the "playing to slow" fourm put you off. Most of them are just flexing their ego's but can't back it up with a decent score card.
In saying that its better for yourself if you don't play during the busy hours like sunday mornings. It takes a lot of control on your part not to get upset when guys are throwing there hands in the air. When you get upset your swing will suffer and you will play even slower and you wont enjoy the game.

Get a lesson or 2 to begin with this will teach you the basics correct grip, stance and a basic pre shot routine.
When I started playing I loved hitting the driver it would go a long way and sometimes sliced off to the right. So I ended up zig zaging all the way down the fairway.
Thats why I was slow I realised a shorter shot on the fairway was better than a long shot in the rough plus easier to find the ball. A good tip is to swing the club 80% to ensure a smooth swing don't listen to me though get a lesson the cost on average 30eu a lesson.

Freemount09

dude83 wrote: »

Thanks a million, going to look into lessons so over the next few weeks, see how funds are.30-50 would be manageable though. Any idea if there are any par 3 courses in north cork area?

Consider joining Charleville (my home course).

Think its €350 approx for new members without a handicap. There is 27 holes so when the main course is busy you can head off on the other 9 for a quiet few holes, till you get the confidence / ability to join the club comps.

There is a putting green, driving range, golf academy and a short game practice area, where you can develop your skill and practice when you have a spare hour or two also if thats your part of Nt Cork ?

GreeBo

Freemount09 wrote: »

Consider joining Charleville (my home course).

Think its €350 approx for new members without a handicap. There is 27 holes so when the main course is busy you can head off on the other 9 for a quiet few holes, till you get the confidence / ability to join the club comps.

There is a putting green, driving range, golf academy and a short game practice area, where you can develop your skill and practice when you have a spare hour or two also if thats your part of Nt Cork ?

sounds perfect tbh.

Cairn

GreeBo wrote: »

sounds perfect tbh.

+1 on that.

dude83

Freemount09, yeah that sounds like a good idea, I'm less than an hour from Charleville, so its not too out of the way. will definitely look into joining, just need to get the cash together first. Would i be able to get lessons there as well?

Freemount09

dude83 wrote: »

Freemount09, yeah that sounds like a good idea, I'm less than an hour from Charleville, so its not too out of the way. will definitely look into joining, just need to get the cash together first. Would i be able to get lessons there as well?

Yip, Jamie the pro there provides lessons in the golf academy. I haven't gone to him for lessons, but from what I've heard he's good and the setup is good too.

I'm pencilled in to go out with a friend just taking up the game next Sunday if you want to join us, your welcome to, and to be honest you sound like you could beat him ! He's shocking altogether !! Hope he doesn't read this !:D