Just Joined a Club

Irishder

Took the leap yesterday and joined a club

I have been working from home since last March and it will probably continue now.

The 4 walls have been closing in on me so decided to join as an outlet.

Played a bit of golf a good few years ago so have the basics clubs wise.

Been up and down to the range the last couple of weeks as well and seem to be hitting the ball ok.

Any advice, specifically:

- How to get a handicap
- What to wear (Where to buy)
- What equipment to buy (Have clubs, push trolley)


Thanks

prawnsambo

Irishder wrote: »

Took the leap yesterday and joined a club

I have been working from home since last March and it will probably continue now.

The 4 walls have been closing in on me so decided to join as an outlet.

Played a bit of golf a good few years ago so have the basics clubs wise.

Been up and down to the range the last couple of weeks as well and seem to be hitting the ball ok.

Any advice, specifically:

- How to get a handicap
- What to wear (Where to buy)
- What equipment to buy (Have clubs, push trolley)


Thanks

Surprised your club hasn't informed you of how to get a handicap. Basically, you'll need a playing partner and play three rounds from the tees specified by the club (this is usually the tees used for summer competitions and from the permanent markers). Submit the cards to the handicap secretary; usually leaving them in an envelope at the clubhouse is fine - but again, check with the club - duly signed and with the marker's name on them and marked for initial handicap allocation in the place normally used for the name of the competition.

What to wear: Again, there should be a dress code specified, but basically no jeans or tee shirts - golf trousers/shorts and a polo-type shirt and jumper/jacket (depending on the weather ). Good value would be Heatons/Sports Direct and Dunnes for starters. Online is a bit of a risk if you don't know sizes. Moving up in price - the likes of Halpenny, American Golf or McGuirks. Shoes obviously come in here too.

Equipment: Most important is a pitch-mark repair tool, ball marker and then you can start splashing out on distance measurement equipment - GPS watch, laser rangefinder... the list is endless

coillcam

SHOES & CLOTHING:
I wish someone told me this at the start. Waterproof shoes are one of the most important purchases. Try to buy a pair in person so you can get the right fit/feel. It's often overlooked but you really can't beat a comfortable pair of shoes, especially when covering 10km+ in a full round. Waterproofing is also crucial given our climate. I have a spikeless pair that are water-resistant for hard summer ground and a spiked waterproof pair for the rest of the year. I'm on my 2nd round of shoes in a year due to blisters and no waterproofing (both spiked and spikeless).

In terms of clothes, I've found some great deals on Zalando and Amazon for Polos, tops, and trousers. Occasionally the likes of Adidas, Puma, and Nike have special deals. McGuirk's and Halpenny are a good local option. Layers are your best friend also in our climate. Waterproof outer layers and an umbrella will also be needed on occasion.

BALLS:
So you can spend as little or as much as you want here. I use Decathlon distance balls for hacking around casually (Yellow in winter). They are €6 a dozen, comparable to more expensive distance balls and I don't mind losing a few. For scoring rounds/comps I'd use Seed as they're a lot cheaper than the top-end premium ones but very close on performance (ProV1/TP5 etc/ChromeSoft).

MISC BITS
A small pencil case is great to keep golf tees and pitch mark tools tidy. Some small pencils for marking cards. Maybe a consider a scorecard holder. Keep a small bottle of suncream in the bag, never know when it will be needed. Also a few fivers and some coins. This will cover drinks and small bets if you are so inclined.

Irishder

Great tips, thanks lads

Richmond Ultra

coillcam wrote: »

SHOES & CLOTHING:
I wish someone told me this at the start. Waterproof shoes are one of the most important purchases. Try to buy a pair in person so you can get the right fit/feel. It's often overlooked but you really can't beat a comfortable pair of shoes, especially when covering 10km+ in a full round. Waterproofing is also crucial given our climate. I have a spikeless pair that are water-resistant for hard summer ground and a spiked waterproof pair for the rest of the year. I'm on my 2nd round of shoes in a year due to blisters and no waterproofing (both spiked and spikeless).

In terms of clothes, I've found some great deals on Zalando and Amazon for Polos, tops, and trousers. Occasionally the likes of Adidas, Puma, and Nike have special deals. McGuirk's and Halpenny are a good local option. Layers are your best friend also in our climate. Waterproof outer layers and an umbrella will also be needed on occasion.

BALLS:
So you can spend as little or as much as you want here. I use Decathlon distance balls for hacking around casually (Yellow in winter). They are €6 a dozen, comparable to more expensive distance balls and I don't mind losing a few. For scoring rounds/comps I'd use Seed as they're a lot cheaper than the top-end premium ones but very close on performance (ProV1/TP5 etc/ChromeSoft).

MISC BITS
A small pencil case is great to keep golf tees and pitch mark tools tidy. Some small pencils for marking cards. Maybe a consider a scorecard holder. Keep a small bottle of suncream in the bag, never know when it will be needed. Also a few fivers and some coins. This will cover drinks and small bets if you are so inclined.

Regarding pencils, IKEA ones do the job fine, gather a lot next time your in store and that will keep you going for ages.

celtic_oz

some cheap

golf shoes here : https://ie.sportsdirect.com/golf/golf-shoes/mens-golf-shoes?promo_name=landing-golf#dcp=1&dppp=120&OrderBy=price_asc

balls : https://www.decathlon.ie/golf-balls/122085-33781-distance-100-golf-ball-x12-white.html#/demodelsize-254no_size/demodelcolor-8402428?queryID=e7294ce66dde55cbfb895b550abd3b7f&objectID=2399989

gloves : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32572287037.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.7cd64c4dDKyM8x

tees : https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4000015387950.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.64f62727Z0wtnp&algo_pvid=16070d5e-17ca-4219-ae00-f033a49bd3f9&algo_expid=16070d5e-17ca-4219-ae00-f033a49bd3f9-0&btsid=0bb0624616211521982475426efe4b&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_