Where did you start playing?

[Dr. Strangeclub]

I started here:

http://www.sheringhamgolfclub.co.uk/home.htm

My father, a USAF pilot, had been transferred to Sculthorpe RAFB, in 1954. We lived in West Runton, Norfolk, about 2 miles or so from this course. My mother had just taken up the game. I was eleven and I would hit shots on a little (3-hole?) practice course outside the clubhouse while she took her lessons. Sometimes, I would walk around with her when she played and I would hit the occasional shot, but I didn't really "play".

I think when I was twelve, my father took us on a trip into Scotland, so they could play the really nice courses. We stayed at the Gleneagles Hotel. (Yowzah!! Now THAT'S a nice hotel! Americans were pretty rich in 1950s England, even captains in the air force...Holy accommodations, Batman! ) They had this indoor heated swimming pool that was eNORmous, so I spent all my time swimming while my parents went on golf safaris. One day while we were there, my father came into my room and told me I had to come play golf. I wanted to swim, but back then we did what our parents told us to, more or less, and off we went to St. Andrews. My first full 18 holes of golf was a misery of blue hands, chapped cheeks and a runny nose, cold and bleak and wet and windy and horrible. But he was right, that I would thank him later! It's kind of cool to have played your first full 18 at the Royal and Ancient, and he knew it would be!

[saevel25]

I would say my first golf experience was at http://sites.google.com/site/theelmscc/ , 27 holes, very nice course. The greens are small and always in great condition.

[Shanks A Million]

http://www.thegolfcourses.net/golfcourses/FL/331.htm

American Golfers' Club, designed by Robert Trent Jones, 1958.

When I was a small child, we went to the driving range here. That's where I first swung a club.

[scottevans77]

I played my first 9 holes ever here.
http://www.golflink.com/golf-courses...course=1370856

Had only been to the range one time, went there to use the range and they were out of range balls so my grandfather in-law decided we would just play the back 9. I played horribly, but I've been hooked ever since.

[OCdude12]

I like this thread, makes for some good memories.

http://www.mvgolf.com/

Spent a lot of summer days here as a kid. They had a junior card you could get that you would pay $8 for the first 9 holes and $5 for the second nine. Some of the holes seemed so long as a kid. I remember the 2nd hole as a "long" par three that has a creek in front of the green, measured around 185 on the card, downhill, but it was a big deal when you decided to buck up and hit the driver to go for the green, otherwise it was a safe lay up before the creek. Haven't been out there in probably 8 or 9 years, I can only imagine how small the place would seem now.

http://www.golfsangeronimo.com/course-info/

This was the other course we spent countless hours at. Also an unbelievable deal for juniors, $10 for 18 holes until you were 17 or 18 years old. After our round we'd call our moms to come pick us up and in the time it took for them to drive to the course, bout 15 minutes, we'd look for golf balls in the bushes in front of the first tee. Sometimes we'd come out of there with 35-40 golf balls stuffed in our pockets, along with many cases of poison oak.

[senorchipotle]

started playing at this little jewel in the heart of east texas... http://www.hollytreeclub.com/view.asp?id=156&page;=2447

worked at this place in high school, i really learned to score. it used to be a member owned golf club, but sadly it was bought out by some developing firm who bumped beaucoup dollars into it, put houses around it, and started charging a hundred dollars a round. i knew it as briarwood, now it is this... http://www.cascadesoftexas.com/golf_courseinfo.shtml

[Par Fore]

Gainesville Municipal Goatranch in Gainesville Tx.......no website.....little town doesn't have internet yet....they just started using those old white block cellphones last year....

[cepausm]

Picked it up at the golf course next to the military base in Augsburg, Germany. All the americans got to play for next to nothing. Below is a link to the google maps location, I don't think they have an official website.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sour...02547;&t;=h&z;=16

[Dr. Strangeclub]

Wow, some of you guys started on really nice courses! I didn't play much on "nice courses" until I was in college.

Hey, Big Perm! I used to live in Dallas, so I played a lot of courses around there -- I think there was one in Plano...wasn't there? Two even?

Golf in Dallas was BRUTAL in the summer! A golf cart just made it hotter (they hadn't invented the golf cart roof yet), the dry 105 degree air blowing in your face felt like you were sitting in front of a giant hair dryer with a giant heat lamp over your head while you were rolling along. Umbrellas were strictly for shade.

I can't remember for sure, but it might have been in Plano where I shot the weirdest 9 holes of my life, playing in the Rockwell International Golf League (we played a different course each week). Six birdies, three double bogeys, no pars, no bogeys. A very strange round. Very strange.

[James_Black]

I started here and it's still my home club.
http://limerickcounty.com/

It's been turned into a muni while the club is being sold.
It's still a great course, would be tough even for the pro's.

[etlreams]

I started hitting a ball with some garage sale bought iron set at a local park by my house when I was 7 or 8. http://maps.google.com/maps?rlz=1T4A...N&hl;=en&tab;=wl

The park has the coolest layout to it – I would make up holes in my mind.

Started playing on courses when I was 12ish. Fred Richards and Braemar in Edina, MN - and Rich Acers (now gone) in Richfield, MN

[Bullitt5339]

I played my first rounds at Cedar Lakes Golf Course on Ft. Sill, OK. Played for a couple years, and then moved and got married, had kids and back surgery. Just got back into the game last fall seriously.

[zeg]

First time ever (other than Putt-Putt) was here: http://www.taylorspar3.com/ It was under a different name at the time (~18 years ago). I'm pretty surprised to find it actually has a website these days.

[Dr. Strangeclub]

It's still a great course, would be tough even for the pro's.

Hmmm...sounds familiar somehow. I can picture Gene Sarazen and Jimmy Demaret, Demaret in a sleeveless shamrock green sweater and matching shoes, Sarazen in a wool vest, both in natty plus fours and matching green ties: "Well, Gene, here we are in beautiful Ireland, in scenic Limerick." "That's right, Jim, and you don't have to be poet to love this place! Today, it's a match between Christy O'Connor of Ireland and Jay Hebert of the United States, at the Limerick Golf Club. It's going to be an exciting match on a great old course!" "Yes, Gene, and it's right here on SHELL'S WONDERFUL WORLD of GOLF! We'll see you on the first tee, right after these messages!"

[SVTGolfer]

I started small... A nice executive 18 hole course. I still play there once a week. Its great for short iron practice!

http://www.birchhillsgolf.com/

[royemunson]

I started playing a par 3 course called Lunken Airport in Cincinnati Ohio. I hated golf but went to spend time with my dad. after 5 years and a lot of rounds at the public courses in the area b/c they only cost me $3 to play plus getting the chance to play the country club i caddied at all day I was shooting consistently in the 70's and doing well in tourneys. glad i went out that day and played.

Joe

[Woters]

I first started playing here when aged about 8. It was only the 9 hole par3 course called Skerries, but this is one of the best golf courses in the world, links golf at its best & has kept me hooked ever since.

And yes I have managed to play the main Dunluce course too, awesome track, the only course in the UK to have held the Open Championship outside of mainland Britain. Didnt shoot the best score of my life but cetainly had the time of it!!

[ks8829]

I played my first round of golf at Golden Gate Park 9 hole course about 24 years ago. My first hole in one was on the 9th hole at Golden Gate park and I shot even for the 9 holes, starting off with a double boogie.