When did you get into Golf?

[laxbballgolf]

1st summer after high school. I chopped around every so often as a young kid, but I didn't count that. The bug bit the summer after high school (lots of free time that summer, haha).

[Boyder]

When I was in my 20's, some fishing buddies and friends at work got me interested, much to my Dad's dismay as he tried to get me started 10 years earlier ...
Left the game for about 20 years and just recently came back with a vengeance.
Current handicap in the low 20's and dropping (hopefully!!)

[jamo]

I first played golf when i was about 2 or 3, though it mostly consisted of putting.

[murphmjm]

At what time in your life did you get into golf? While the pole relates to this question only, please indicate your handicap in your written response as well...just curious as to correlation (if any) to starting age and skill level...

If your looking to maybe get some kind of correlation my sister started at age 2 or 3 and is currently 13 with a handicap of 1.2~ She does pratice for at least an hour a day and takes lessons all the time though.

[WUTiger]

I started caddying in sixth grade summer (1963), and played my first golf the following year.

My next younger brother Sam traded the trashman one of our tricycles for a bag of assorted golf clubs, most from the 1940s. Using these clubs - included a driver that turned out to be a weighted training driver - I scored a 19 on my first hole: A 410-yard par 4. What saved me was a 22-foot putt to end the pain - short game was a strength early on.

Switched to a Sears seven-club starters set, and then advanced to some PowerBilt women's woods, and men's TopFlite irons from circa 1960 - pretty good irons really; got men's Wilson woods a couple years later, and played Wilsons and TopFlites until I swapped out for stiff shafts at age 23.

Gary Player winning the U.S. Open at nearby Bellerive in 1965 solidified my interest in golf. A little guy beat out the big guys!

Never had a "real" golf lesson until I was 22. My dad thought it was a sissy sport, OK to caddie for $$, but who needed lessons?

Although my current HDCP is high, I shot 77 two different times by age 27. If the repeating swing just comes back...

[Razz11]

First started playing 2 summers ago when I was 20. Growing up I was always interested because my father and grandfather played a lot and were both very good. (My father was the high school state champ back to back years in the early 1980s...) Anyways I was big into ice hockey and baseball growing up and was rather good at them I guess. My dad wouldn't let me touch a club because he didn't want to "mess" up baseball. Ended up playing college baseball for a year and a half and have since moved on. My best friends were big into golf and have been playing since they were little kids. (Two of them are training tour pros at the University of Idaho now) I dunno what made me start playing; I just have one of those addictive personalities that when I want to do something I will do it and usually will do it religiously until I am burnt out or love it. One day I went to the driving range with one of my friends and hit a few balls and couldn't stop. (Read: Literally couldn't stop) I think I was at the range for at least a bucket of balls and a lot of putting/chipping for 5-6 days a week and would follow buddies around and hit a few shots here and there when they went for the rest of that semester. Bought some low-end Adams irons and played any time that I wasn't at work back in my hometown for the summer. The next summer I filled my bag with some better fit clubs with the correct shafts and did it once again. I finished this last season as a 10.6 handicap and will see where it ends up after this coming season. This is my last free summer then it is off to a real job after the Masters program and I probably won't be able to play as much, but I will sure try. I sure wish I would have found this game earlier in life, because I really feel that it is one of the few things that I truly love doing.

[Leftygolfer]

I started when I was 22 and I am 30 now. I was horrid when I started but for some reason I caught the bug.

[doof_dizzler]

My mother got me started at age 13. We lived a few blocks away from a fairly large sports complex, with a rec centre, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, and jogging path and pitch & putt course winding through the trees. My choices were between taking golf or karate lessons. I chose golf, obviously, and have played on and off ever since. Really got back into it 2 years ago when I separated from my former spouse, over 100 rounds each of the last 2 years. The guy who taught my lessons was a CPGA touring pro, he had spent the previous few summers traveling across Canada to compete in CPGA events. He had split the travel costs for a couple years, driving around in an old car full of golf gear with a guy who has gone on to amazing success on the PGA tour (Steve Stricker). When I met him, his wife was in the family way and had insisted that he quit touring for next to no money and settle down to work as an accountant and just teach golf. I've taken plenty of lessons since, and I still respect the start he gave me in the game. I spent most of that summer with a 9i, PW & a putter, playing as much as I could at the pitch and putt. Those were very fun times in my life!

[KyGolfer1988]

Got into to golf when I was around 17 didn't play that much took a pretty good break to focus on college but recently got back into it pretty heavily.

[sean_miller]

My mother got me started at age 13. We lived a few blocks away from a fairly large sports complex, with a rec centre, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, and jogging path and pitch & putt course winding through the trees. My choices were between taking golf or karate lessons. I chose golf, obviously, and have played on and off ever since. Really got back into it 2 years ago when I separated from my former spouse, over 100 rounds each of the last 2 years. The guy who taught my lessons was a CPGA touring pro, he had spent the previous few summers traveling across Canada to compete in CPGA events. He had split the travel costs for a couple years, driving around in an old car full of golf gear with a guy who has gone on to amazing success on the PGA tour (Steve Stricker). When I met him, his wife was in the family way and had insisted that he quit touring for next to no money and settle down to work as an accountant and just teach golf. I've taken plenty of lessons since, and I still respect the start he gave me in the game. I spent most of that summer with a 9i, PW & a putter, playing as much as I could at the pitch and putt. Those were very fun times in my life!

Sounds like E-town.

[JetFan1983]

I remember the exact day: May 1st, 2008. It was the day after my 25th birthday and my Dad and I for some weird reason decided we wanted to try golf. We went to the range and I was instantly intrigued and had to find out more. I have only played five times in the past year due to injury so I will be extremely thrilled and grateful when I get to tee it up sometime this spring. That will be a glorious, glorious day.

[GaijinGolfer]

I got into golf at age 19. I saw a golf tourney on TV, thought it looked like fun and the rest is history.

[apex53]

My dad had always wanted me to play golf from the time I was old enough to walk... Only problem was I hated it, couldn't stand golf at all... But I always heard about Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus from my dad, about the way they played the game and handled themselves on the course... When I was 12 I went to the Colonial National Invitation for the final round because my best friend had two badges, and mainly because we knew that the cutest girls in our class were going to the tournament that day... As it turns out Nicklaus won the tournament and I got to see him in person... I'll never forget standing on the left side of the 14th fairway at Colonial CC and cheering for Nicklaus as he walked to the green, he turned and looked our way and gave us a smile and wave... That sealed the deal for me and I told my dad that night I wanted to play golf... I've been addicted ever since... That was over 25 years ago... current handicap is 3.

[bopanic]

i was very lucky to have a step father who was very into golf. he married my mom when i was 5 years old and i started taking lessons at age 9. i played every summer as a young man, and even played high school golf. for some reason i slowed down on playing during college. guess i had too many other things on my mind! but ive been back into golf for the past couple of years, and plan on getting very serious about lowering my handicap this season!

[Fastrack]

I thought golf was non-athletic and more for social and I spent more time with tennis, racquet ball, and jogging. Three years ago when I feel moving slower (45 years old) on tennis court, my buddies convinced me to start golf. I started with private lesson twice a week, driving range every day, and played on a course once a week for next three months. My handicap started going down rapidly. I still want to believe that my handicap is going down, but may not happen. These days I am working on quality shot making. Just like remembering from one of member’s signature, "I have been wasting my time…now I am playing golf".

[Travtex]

Just last year at age 35. My significant other encouraged me to take up the game, as I was looking for a huge void of time to fill. Having decided that I'd broken enough bones and torn enough ligaments through the martial arts, she was quite supportive of the new golf obsession.

I immediately went out to the range and jacked up a shoulder, haha.

[Deryck Griffith]

I started 4 years ago and have never looked back!

[shaun]

I guess I was an "older child"! I started playing at 14 or 15. I got into golf after playing a round with some (non-golfer) friends and hired clubs. We were all pretty serious basketball players at that stage -- playing club basketball as well as playing for the local district representative team -- but I really loved golf. I think my parents bought me a used 8 iron the following day, and I hit balls on most nights in a nearby park for the next couple of months. Eight iron was way too much for that park! -- the first shot that I really hit flew right over the large trees bordering the edge of the park, over the roof of a house, and landed on a road. After that narrow escape, I went to a larger park. A month later, after I'd convinced my parents that I was serious about golf, I got a set of clubs and a junior membership for my birthday. I played almost everyday until I finished high school, making the club's pennant first team when I was 17 or so, but then played far less frequently after I moved away for university. I got back into the game seriously about two years ago. I'm now 26. Not that you asked.