Absolute beginners

Larbre34 · 21-01-2025 06:05PM #1

I'm sure this has been addressed before back through the forum, so indulge me please.

I enjoy Golf as a sport and a game and its always appealed to me. In the past I only ever played P&P and Par 3 and hacked around with better players on holidays etc.

A lot of my good pals and colleagues in a new job play the game, as Club and Society members, trips to the Algarve and all that.

My kids are doing their own thing now and I'm done pretty much with the GAA training and the Tennis sessions. I'm 48 and have been working on my own health and fitness a bit too after a total Covid era blowout.

So, I'd like to get into Golf. And I want to do it properly, steadily, realistically. Invest in it in every respect. I'm in probably average shape for my age, no major injuries, pretty good movement and up to my late 20s played a decent amount of football, hurling and tennis, which was my first sport as a kid.

My question is to you guys that are playing away is, where is the best place to start?

Get fitted for a few basic Clubs?

Talk to an instructor?

Where to find an instructor for my level?

Get nominated to a Club first and learn from the team there?

Grab some used long Clubs and hit the range myself?

I'd be grateful for the benefit of your experience on getting going as a social and leisure player, but looking to improve and challenge myself too

Thanks.

sprucemoose · 21-01-2025 06:22PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058390493/absolute-beginners

dont bother with a fitting for now

get some decent second hand clubs or borrow some to start - ask someone with a bit more experience to give you some advice/opinions before you buy if you can.

can definitely hit the range by yourself to get started but would recommend getting a few lessons to start off - bad habits can form surprising quickly and can be hard to get rid of. some of the bigger driving ranges and pretty much every course will have some form of instruction available, google will be your friend here

best of luck, you'll likely be addicted fairly quickly

awec · 21-01-2025 06:29PM

I'd start by getting a cheap set of second hand irons, you should be able to get an old but decent set for relatively little outlay.

What height are you?

spacecoyote · 21-01-2025 06:57PM

Lessons early probably the best bet. 2 or 3 will set you up with some fundamentals. Grip, posture, alignment.

Given you've a hurling hurling/tennis background, the grip will potentially be the most significant (given hurling grip and standard golf grip are flipped).

Various clubs and ranges do "Getting into Golf" lesson sessions. They are often group sessions which can ease a bit of the pressure...if you're not the only one hitting a few rubbish ones 😁

Other than that, don't have any fear. Everyone starts somewhere and we've all gone through it.

Given you've a reasonably sporty background you should be able to pickup the fundamentals and get into reasonable shape quick enough hopefully.

Hard to know in terms of clubs. If you could get a lesson you could ask the pro for any suggestions in terms of shaft stiffness, etc... so at least you'll be pointed the right direction.

Then as the lads say above, there are plenty of options in the second hand market to get a decent set.

Not sure on your location, but the guy in Celbridge driving range has a shop on site. He sells all his stuff on Adverts too. It's a good location as you have a golf shop selling second hand clubs, with a range attached so you can try them out

Larbre34 · 21-01-2025 08:09PM

Cheers fellas, I appreciate the advice.

I'm 6'2, but short arms, long legs, live in Dublin 14.

TrueDub · 21-01-2025 09:21PM

I'm not far from you (D18) and have an old set of woods, irons and putter that I'm no longer using. They're old and a little battle-scarred, but you're welcome to them for nothing if you'd like. They're off to the tip otherwise.

Larbre34 · 21-01-2025 10:26PM

Thats a very generous offer man, I'll give u a PM

coillcam · 22-01-2025 01:40PM

Get a used basic set of clubs. If unsure try tapping up some friends or colleagues to help with purchase - they may even have a spare to lend you at the start.

Then it's pretty much start hitting golf balls. Lean on your mates/colleagues who are available, go to the range with them and get some pointers on the long game.

Lessons are massively helpful during the early days. It will eliminate bad habits and give you a solid setup. If you understand a proper grip, ball position, stance and rotation, you are flying it. Everything else will follow naturally from there. Anyone who can hit a hurling ball or tennis ball solidly will pick it up handy. You have the natural body coordination sussed and it transfers over nicely.

Short game is different and all about situations as you've many variables. Too long to go into for now but you will want to learn a simple chipping method and a standard bunker shot. Short game and putting are important for scoring but you'll learn more about that as you go.

Putting is 90% between the ears once you get into it. Just start the ball on your intended line and then it's a matter of figuring out the speed. You'll get better with green reading over time, I wouldn't stress on this tbh.

Basic common sense course strategy is the fastest way to lower scores. Lots of content online but the general gist is don't lose balls or take on Hollywood shots, aim to the wide safe areas and mostly you won't even hit directly at pins. It's not about being as long or close to the hole as possible. It's about taking the fewest shots to end up in the hole.

Try not to be too hard on yourself when things aren't working out. Be it bad shots or not making progress on a particular skill. It can be very frustrating for even the best players but know that it will happen often to everyone. That feeling when you pure an iron out of the middle of the face or nip a wedge in close is incredible. You'll know it when it happens as there's simply nothing like it.

Don't wait too long to get out and play on a course, the best way to improve is to get stuck in. Good luck on your golfing journey and check back in a year to see how far you've progressed.

spacecoyote · 22-01-2025 02:24PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123084383#Comment_123084383

A hurling ball you say...

😁

soverybored1878 · 22-01-2025 08:38PM

All this advice is great and I can't add anything. All I say is, welcome to the club. Golf is amazing and is incredibly addictive. It's that relentless, never-ending search for perfection that'll keep you coming back. You'll have good days and bad days (don't let those get you down).

Don't be put off by thinking you aren't good enough to play with other golfers you don't know. The more you play with others, the more you'll improve. We all started somewhere.

Just get out there and enjoy it!

Absolute beginners

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