A couple beginner questions

[mad5427]

Hello everybody. I'm very new to playing the game of golf and obviously to this forum. I've enjoyed watching the game my whole life, just now recently am in a place where I can afford both time and money to play it. I played 2 rounds late last fall and a round a few weeks ago. I wanted to be as accurate as possible in my stroke count and went from a 140 to a 128 and this past time I shot a 121. Not good, but not bad for a person who is learning how to swing the club still. I had previously only gone to the ranges a handful of times.

I took a lesson last fall and am going to start more regular lessons in the next couple weeks. I am fortunate that my area has one course that's a 9 hole par 3 and another course that is 27 holes of par 3.

I know that a driver is useless for me at this point. I still have a very slow swing speed as I'm just trying to make good contact and go straight (more important to me than distance). My newbie questions are as follows:

What clubs would be most useful for me to work on at the driving range? I was thinking 3 or 5 wood, a couple irons and my pitching wedge, but your input would be appreciates.

What clubs would a beginner want to use on these par 3 courses? The longest hole on any of them seems to be around 200 yards. Again, my distance is low due to slow club speed. I know that will improve in time. I plan on going to the range a couple days a week and playing 9-18 holes every couple/few weeks as I get more comfortable with my swing.

Any suggestions on the best way to utilize my time at the range would be appreciated as well.

My future instructor, I'm sure, will be able to answer these questions and then some, but I figured this would be a good way to get many more suggestions and input. This also could be an interesting way for you guys to reflect on what you did as a true beginner. I'm in no hurry as I feel I have the rest of my life to enjoy the game and would rather start slow and do things right.

Thanks in advance and thanks for the forum. I can see there is a lot of great info in this place.

Mike

[Eore]

I would say use a 5 wood, 5, 7 and 9 irons, a wedge, and a putter

bring all of them to the par three courses, if you have a slower swing speed you will need them all

on the range work on IRONS more than woods, and take slow, half swings until you can make decent contact most of the time

i was in your shoes last year, and got my handicap at 28.5, this year my goal is at least a 15. you will improve quickly

[Shindig]

Hello everybody. I'm very new to playing the game of golf and obviously to this forum. I've enjoyed watching the game my whole life, just now recently am in a place where I can afford both time and money to play it. I played 2 rounds late last fall and a round a few weeks ago. I wanted to be as accurate as possible in my stroke count and went from a 140 to a 128 and this past time I shot a 121. Not good, but not bad for a person who is learning how to swing the club still. I had previously only gone to the ranges a handful of times.

Those are darn good starting scores. I have friends that have been playing a few years and didn't get to 121 yet.

I took a lesson last fall and am going to start more regular lessons in the next couple weeks. I am fortunate that my area has one course that's a 9 hole par 3 and another course that is 27 holes of par 3.

There are drivers intended for slow swing speeds. As for contact, once you start making decent contact, talk to us again about such drivers - you'd be amazed how much one can help you once you can make decent contact.

What clubs would be most useful for me to work on at the driving range?

I have a full bag - and then some - worth of clubs. I spend most of my range time with my 7-iron through wedges. I'll hit some mid-irons, some long-irons, hybrids and woods, but those are maybe eight to ten balls tops out of a 70 ball bucket.

If you can make consistent contact and ball flight with some subset of 7-iron through wedge, you can build your game around that. If there's some club where you know for sure what its distance and direction will be, you'd be amazed how many strokes you can save by playing to it. A buddy of mine once shot in the low 100s - I think his score was 103 or something - with nothing stronger than his 7-iron. Hit everything once you have it, at least a few times, but focus your time on the 7-iron through wedge(s). And spend time chipping and putting if your course/range allows it!

What clubs would a beginner want to use on these par 3 courses?

Use whatever clubs fit. My 200-yard shot is a 3-wood off a tee. What's your 100 yard club? If there isn't much trouble (forced carry, heavy rough), you can play the 200-yard hole with two, say, 9-iron shots (or whatever your 100 yard club is). Not optimal for your best score at the moment, but it takes the really big numbers out of the equation.

Any suggestions on the best way to utilize my time at the range would be appreciated as well.

So, when I began, it was summer 2006 and I had purchased a set of irons a few months before. I had been to the range once or twice and played a par-3 course once or twice, but that was about it. I had a summer job that let out around 4pm, and I had my choice of fighting traffic to get back home or going to the range at an executive course. I took a lesson here and there but was at the range and the putting green almost daily. Harvey Penick, a legendary instructor, used to say that if he had it his way, a beginner would start with chipping and putting before putting too much emphasis on the full swing. If you can get used to getting the ball in the hole in two shots from greenside instead of three, or two shots after an approach to the green, your scores are going to drop almost no matter what you do until you're greenside. So, if you have putting + chipping area, utilize those. Practice 3, 5, and 7 foot putts, and practice 15-20 foot 2-putts. See how many in a row you can sink from the short distances. See how many you can 2-putt in a row from a distance, putting one, making the second putt, and going back and repeating. See how many chips out of 20 you can put within a 3 foot radius of the hole (your putter is about 3 feet long, so you can use that to measure). On the range - and let's face it, the range is fun, so we want to spend some of our practice time there anyway - practice frequently with the 7-iron through wedges. Get a consistent swing and nice tempo, figure out where the ball is going with each swing - distance and direction. Write it down if you can't remember it. If you're swinging them well, give the 5-iron a few swings, then go back to the 7-iron. If the 5- went well, give a hybrid, long iron, or 5-wood a try. Eventually, your long clubs won't feel significantly different from your 7-iron in the swing and you'll hit them all beautifully. And let us know if you have any more questions or want clarification! Welcome to the board ; we're glad to have you.

[Avid Golfer]

What clubs would be most useful for me to work on at the driving range?

In a lot of books and videos by tour pros and their instructors they usually recommend using a 8-iron or 6-iron since those clubs fall toward the middle as far as club length, swing plane, and lie angles.

In the end stick with the clubs you feel the most comfortable with swinging. If you are uncomfortable with a club you are going start making compensations in your setup and swing that may not be beneficial.

What clubs would a beginner want to use on these par 3 courses?

It will depend on your length, but being a beginner you will likely need your 3-wood on the hole(s) that are around 200 yards in length.

Any suggestions on the best way to utilize my time at the range would be appreciated as well.

First make sure to lie down clubs to help you get proper alignment and ball position. You want to make sure your basics (grip, posture, alignment, aim, ball position, and balance) are as sound and repeatitive as you can get them before you hit balls.

Always pick a specific target to aim at, and try to find an intermediate target along the same line (if you need to toss a tee down for an intermediate target). As you start to hit balls take a page out of many of the tour pros book on warming up. Make mini-swings from hip high to hip high hit shots to whatever distance they happen to go, after you get comfortable and in a rhythm make the swing a little longer (like shoulder high to shoulder high). If your mind starts to wander, you tire, or you start to loose focus take a break. Some of the best practice you can do is away from the range. Practice your setup in a mirror, or glass reflection, and compare it to the setup of good players and tour pros. Take time to get setup properly for each shot, but when it comes to the swing don't make things too complicated in movement or thought process. If you can do that you should progress quite quickly.

[tm22721]

Clubs were not the essence of my learning curve.

If I had to start over again I would do it in this order:

1) learn 'PGA' - posture grip alignment - from an instructor

2) teach myself the dynamics, ie pivot and lag until I have crisp ball contact and good ball flight

3) learn risk management, ie lay up on the par 4's but try to par everything else. You don't need any club longer than a 5 iron to get to low 80's.

And record all of your flaws/fixes as you go along.

[r7 425]

welcome to the forum...i have a piece of advice for you--go to a pga tour event and watch these guys-tv doesnt do golf justice..you will learn soo much there--Best Wishes and good luck man

[mad5427]

Thank you guys very much for the info and advice. This is exactly the types of responses I was looking for.

I played 9 holes on one of the par 3's yesterday and realize that I need to spend all my time with irons just getting consistent contact. I've scheduled a lesson for this weekend and am planning on spending the next few weeks going to the range, taking the lessons and getting more comfortable. The goal is that once I feel comfortable, I'll go back a play another 9-18 on one of the par 3's. I'll see how that goes and repeat. The 9 holes is the same price as a large bucket of balls, so I figure I'll mix it up and alternate doing range work and testing what I'm learning on the short courses.

Also, each time I go, either to play the course or hit at the range, I plan on spending a little time putting and chipping off the practice areas.

Anybody have any ideas of what I can do at home to practice?

[crawf061]

I might be the only one, but I feel like playing Tiger Woods on the xbox actually helps me to understand the game.

I feel like it taught me alot about course management (when to chip instead of pitch, etc) and good mindsets for putting. Obviously, playing a video game will never really teach you how to play the game. It can just offer some insight.

Even now, when I'm having a hard time reading a green, I will pretend there is a grid on it with little dots flowing downhill.

[Avid Golfer]

My dilemma is this; I am looking to join a golf club and I have two in mind. One is the local country club where I can be an associate member, pay an initial $400 and then play a mandatory $350 more in greens fees plus an additonal mandatory $140 in food service. The pro of this is I can be on the course virtually any time as it is a small club. The second is a playing pass for $700 which includes the range, cart, and greens fees for an entire calendar year. The con of this is for this price it is only good starting at 4:00PM and it is usually crowded. I could join the country club and buy a range pass at the other club for $75 which is good all year......any suggestions?!?!?!?

Are the $350 and $140 a monthly charge? (I've always thought those mandatory food charges are pretty stupid ideas put in effect by greedy clubs.)

Joining the county club, and buying a range pass at the other course seems like a waste of money (balls at the country club are free with membership correct?). I'd say it depends on how often you think you'll play and practice, and how much money you make. If you make a decent income, and plan to play a couple times a week (at the least) than $490 a month may not be a big deal. If you look at the comparision from a price standpoint over time in two months it will cost you more at the country club than it will for a year at the other course. $5880 for a year (not counting other fees they will charge you out of no where - handicap fees, tournament fees, holiday employee christmas present fees, etc) is quite a bit different from $700 a year.

[UberGolfer]

First recommendation I could make is DONT TOUCH YOUR DRIVER, let your 3 wood become your best friend. While you are still learning the game, the Driver will just become a huge frustration. The 3 wood will be more forgiving, and for now, you will hit it farther than a driver.

As far as practice is concerned, i would suggest working on your short game as much as possible (100 yards and in). From there, mastering your mid irons should be on your agenda.

Things to stay away from are, like i said DRIVER & dont worry about your long irons.
That is my opinion at least!

Cheers!

[crom44]

No those fees I mentioned are for the year. As I said it is an extremely small country club and the don't have an official "range." They do have a place to hit and retrieve your own golf balls. This price is only for the associate membership. The full membership is $250 per month. I have talked to some other people who bought the playing pass at the other club and they have told me that it isn't worth it because it is overcrowded. I have played the course twoce and I noticed that since it is public, less people take the time to repair ball marks on the greens, and replace their divots. (Both of which annoy me greatly, it doesn't take that much time to fix either of them and it keeps the course nice for others.) The reason I thought about the range pass there is because they have a nice tee box to hit from, a large putting green, and a seperate chipping green with two greenside bunkers. I do appreciate the thought, it have made me think through this more.

[gbk56]

Hello everybody. I'm very new to playing the game of golf and obviously to this forum. I've enjoyed watching the game my whole life, just now recently am in a place where I can afford both time and money to play it. I played 2 rounds late last fall and a round a few weeks ago. I wanted to be as accurate as possible in my stroke count and went from a 140 to a 128 and this past time I shot a 121. Not good, but not bad for a person who is learning how to swing the club still. I had previously only gone to the ranges a handful of times.

I started out very similar to you and played on a par 3s for practice and a regualr course on weekends. I practiced using the Driver, 5 wood, 5 and 7 iron, and pitching wedge. This is because this was about the lenght of eahc of the holes on the par 3.

Driver got me close to about 200 yards (probably more like 180). Plus you should learn to get comfortable with the club and swing it. (4 holes) 5 Wood got me between 150 and 170 yds. (4 holes) 5 Iron got me between 140 and 150 yds. (4 holes) 7 Iron got me between 130 or 140 yds. (4 holes) PW around 90yds. (2 hole) I think these clubs gave me a good varity of distances to work on. When you are on the range I would record or remember your distances for each of the clubs so that when you are on the course you will know which clubs to use. On the course I would use the clubs I practiced on the range unless you I was at a really inbetween distance, then I used another club. You may want to use different clubs depending on the distances on your course. I usually practiced 7 iron and Driver and then used the rest of the time with other clubs. My best club was the 5 wood, though.

[golf_junkie27]

Two drills you may want to try in your house or yard:

1) Drop a ball and address it with a mid-size towel (Replacing your club). Take your normal swing, as though you were hitting the ball, and listen for the sound of the towel snapping at the point of contact. You can develop some consistency this way.

2) Using a club, take a full swing. Try to listen for the club head speed in your left ear. If you're a lefty, visa-versa. This will force you to stay down and through contact. The drill also promotes a complete finish. Many times, you will rush your finish and not make pure contact because you want to see the ball. This will help eliminate that flaw. I'm still doing this drill as I will never be perfect.

[Kiin Yang]

When my friend was here in the UK he actually got to scratch whilst studying for the PGA @ Birmingham university and actually played a few qualifiers for his card. He is now in Korea, he always told me to one day use the odd number irons and the next time I go to the range use the even numbers.

I've always followed his rule, never understood why though, but it has helped me a lot in my iron play, Im very consistent with all my irons. From my driver to my fairway woods, if I did not hit a good shot off the tee my irons always helped me. My short game has always been my speciality. I rely on my irons to recover alot and from what my friend taught me I am very grateful to be able to hit my irons straight even if my friends hit their fairway/drivers further. I've found that "playing the course" rather than attempt every shot "as a end all and be all" has made me appreciate that I don't need to hit my driver or my fairways all the time when I can reach the green in almost the same possible shots as my friends.