When did you start Golf?

[Smallfry]

I started what I was 9 or 10 years old. I would walk along with my parents as they were playing and on a couple of the holes they would let me drop a ball from the fairway and play the rest of the hole. I remember the course we played still had sand greens!! And im not even old. It was a smalltown course though.

I have been off and on since then, with the longest stretch w/o golf being about 2 years or so, and that was just recently.

[Birdiemachine22]

I was 19, started the summer after freshman year of college. Addicted ever since.

[BigAl5150]

I started when I was 6 or 7 just hitting a few shots with my dad when he played at our local muni. When I got a little older, I received a brand new set of Northwesterns and played with those until I took over my dad's set of McGregor Jack Nicklaus Golden Bear Signatures (still have 'em). My birthday present every year was a membership to our local 9 hole course for a whopping $25! (those were the days).

[GolfnGriff]

started when I was 9 years old. I was playing baseball and was having fun but I lived in a country club and friends of mine were always playing golf. Once I started I didn't stop. Played in high school and made all state my sophomore year. Then got a girlfriend and my golf game went to crap. Darn you LG... Played sporadically in College but now I try to play as much as I can... Usually once a week.

[overswing]

i started at 10. im now nearly 14 and play off a 9 handicap. low round is 75 (+3) and now 9 hole is par,and i have one ace and an eagle.

[Jeepthrills]

I actually could have voted two ways. I started playing as a kid. I took lessons and occasionally went to the course. However, when I was about 14 I grew quite a bit and started playing more basketball. I improved rapidly and started playing daily. It got tougher to get to the course since I didn't drive and we could always get a basketball game going so golf fell to the side. It's probably not so bad since basketball paid for a couple years of college for me.

I picked up the game again after graduating college. My brother got me into it again and my father-in-law was a serrious player as well. Somewhere about 10 years ago golf passed basketball as my love. Now I'm hooked. I just wish that I could have those 6 years back in the middle.

[WilsonWedgeMan]

started about 6 years ago....ave about 2 or 3 rounds/year....that's why I still stink up the course.....but I love it.

[RayG]

Started when I was 11. Yikes, 34 years ago! My Dad took me to the range for a year until I had some kind of consistency and was able to play without costing him too much money in lost balls. A bit of a natural at it I guess since I never shot 100+ and rarely shot 90+. And my Dad actually never has beaten me. I used that first set of forged Northwestern Chi-Chi Rodriguez Model until I was in my mid 20's and shot even par with them. Decided I could use a bit of improvement over those and since then only shot par once. I guess I'm fortunate, that living here in the NE, I can go several months without playing and stll pick it right back up and not lose much. Never had any real formal instruction other than that pro who screwed my grip up and messed with my head. But I guess I'm like a lot of folks who CAN shoot in the mid 70's one day and just as easily shoot an 84 the next. One day the driver is bombing and straight but the irons are flying all over the place. Or the driver is letting me down and I'm drilling irons like they had radar- too bad I'm hitting on in 4 after hacking out of the trees. And some days I'm putting it all together and someone will say "Hey, you got a great round going!" CRASH & BURN! Thanks pal...Putting has never been an issue- pretty decent at it with a 3 putt maybe once in 2 or 3 rounds.

[Jarno]

I started hitting when I was probably 11-12 on the old farm, just swinging as hard as possible.

But I've been trying to get better for about a year and a half, and so far shaved about 15-20 strokes off, with out one lesson just pointers from the club pro's.

[Xt1ncT]

I started a couple of years after I left the RAF, I think I was about 23. Some of the guys in my football team played golf in the summer when they weren't playing football, so I started as well. Got down to about a 25 handicap plaing just summer golf. Then broke my ankle playing football, so that put an end to that and I decided to start playing golf properly and joined a club, that was when I was 29 - 7 years ago. I got down to a 14 handicap in the UK, and when I came out to live here in New Zealand I really worked hard on my game and got down to 7, but went out to 11 this year when I joined a much harder course.

Like most guys here, I'm pretty passionate about my golf.

[Clubswinger21]

yeah, i was a late bloomer too. Got my first set of clubs a month before my 19th bday, and now im 22. I fell in love with the game with the 1st pured 260 yarder, and unfortunately i liked it alot more than my friends. So the last 2 summers i probably golfed 4 times a week, got new clubs and now im a respectable 5 handicap. Long term goal is to eventually become scratch.

[NCGolfer]

I started caddying for my dad and hitting a few balls when I was about 10 or so. I really enjoyed it and started playing seriously when I was around 12.

My parents would drop me off at a local public course and I'd play 36 holes every day that I could. The summer between 8th and 9th grade I broke 90 and 80 for the first time. I played through high school and college. Once out of college I didn't play as much as I would have liked... for financial reasons.

My game dropped off a bit and just in the last few years I've really worked it back into shape and probably better now than it ever has been...with still a lot of improvement to go. With a new family member, that will be an even bigger challenge!

[avmech]

9 years ago, at 41

[aquacooled]

2 years 8 months ago.. 9.8 handicap..

[evossman]

I started playing when I was around 8 but never really focused on it or tried to get better outside of playing on the course.

Now I'm 24 and loving the game. I live in Hawaii so I can play year round on some challenging island courses and enjoying every minute of it. I wish I could quit my job and just play golf!

[EatDrinkSleepGolf]

I started way too late, when I was 22. When I was younger, my Dad suggested to me to play, I always thought it was an old man's game........I guess I'm an old man now :)

[PowerPenguin]

I've been playing since October 2004, when I was 14. I started to take it seriously in March this year and have got down to a 12 handicap (UK)

[EatDrinkSleepGolf]

I've been playing since October 2004, when I was 14. I started to take it seriously in March this year and have got down to a 12 handicap (UK)

WOW, that quite an accomplish kid, keep it up