Is it too late for me to get seriously into golf?

[JohnGalt]

Hello all,

I am new to this forum but have been lurking for a bit.  I am 18 years old and would like to consider getting somewhat "into" golf.  My dad has always been a huge golfer and has won many tournaments, but i have only recently decided to try and hit the links.

I went golfing with my friends for fun a few weeks ago in the 105(ish) range, not quite sure about the score because we didn't take it all too seriously.  I was surprised how much I enjoyed myself and my interest has been growing through watching the tour on tv.  I'm not saying I have high hopes or dreams, but would it be possible for me to break 90 consistently?  I have hit the range everyday the past two weeks for a couple hours and am thoroughly enjoying myself.

I spend most of my time chipping and putting but I have seen tons of improvement in my irons. The thing that is most frustrating to me is my driver....I slice it all the time and I know the fact that I can't hit the fairway on a regular basis will be extremely detrimental to my game.

My apologies for the long post....I just have so much I would like to discuss and learn from you all.  I know talking heads over the internet will only go so far, but there seems to be a lot of guys with some experience on here.  My main question is this:  Do you think it is possible for me to not be completely humiliated if i attempt to get into the golfing world?

Also, I read the other 18 year olds posts....I didn't find it helpful though because his goals were kind of nonsense.

Thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing all of your replies, good or bad!

[arogolf]

You are never too old or too young to start golf. Number one, invest in some lessons or a golf camp to get the fundamentals down, number two, read ben hogan five lessons (and or a handful of other classics) and three get fit for clubs. It takes some time and a learning curve, but try and get the basics down and go from there. Golf is all practicing good habits.

[uttexas]

My main question is this:  Do you think it is possible for me to not be completely humiliated if i attempt to get into the golfing world?

Thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing all of your replies, good or bad!

There is no way to escape some humiliation learning golf. Enjoy learning and have fun. My advice would be to find a chipping green and a par 3 course near your home and practice a lot there.

[newtogolf]

My thoughts exactly.  There will always be that "Win a Free Trip for a hole in 1" Par 3 with a pretty girl sitting at the table watching you slice, skull or hook your tee shot into the water that will make you want to crawl inside your golf bag, but you get used to it.

Originally Posted by uttexas

There is no way to escape some humiliation learning golf. Enjoy learning and have fun.

My advice would be to find a chipping green and a par 3 course near your home and practice a lot there.

[TourSpoon]

I started at 17 and made some serious progress just from practicing on a regular basis. I would consider taking some lessons to save you some aggravation.

[clubhousehero]

well you sound like me when i started, but a few years younger.  I have been playing and practicing for 3-4 years now and shoot in the 80's pretty regularly now.  It took a lot of hard work but it can and will happen if you practice and practice smart.  Like someone else said, read ben hogans "5 fundamentals" and i like phil mickelson's "secrets of the short game" dvd.  And continue practicing your chipping and putting.

If you can't hit driver leave it in the bag and hit irons off the tee.  you'll score better, i do!

So yes, you can shoot in the 80's and maybe even 70's.  You have your whole life to get better just keep at it!

[JoeC36]

go for it. I didnt start until i was 20 and im do alright for myself and have a great time.

[Unforgiven93]

My dad didn't start playing until he was in his low 20's and he went on to become a really good golfer, who consistently shot mid 70's for many years.  I would say you should definitely start playing, it's so much fun.  I'm 17, and love it.

[PockyStick]

Have some common courtesy and be polite to other people and no one will bother you about playing bad.  Don't be ashamed of playing with random strangers... it is pretty easy to get along as you will be spending a good amount of time with them with a common interest.

[mattttt25]

Let dad coach you.

[shades9323]

Originally Posted by JohnGalt

Hello all,

I am new to this forum but have been lurking for a bit.  I am 18 years old and would like to consider getting somewhat "into" golf.  My dad has always been a huge golfer and has won many tournaments, but i have only recently decided to try and hit the links.

I went golfing with my friends for fun a few weeks ago in the 105(ish) range, not quite sure about the score because we didn't take it all too seriously.  I was surprised how much I enjoyed myself and my interest has been growing through watching the tour on tv.  I'm not saying I have high hopes or dreams, but would it be possible for me to break 90 consistently?  I have hit the range everyday the past two weeks for a couple hours and am thoroughly enjoying myself.

I spend most of my time chipping and putting but I have seen tons of improvement in my irons. The thing that is most frustrating to me is my driver....I slice it all the time and I know the fact that I can't hit the fairway on a regular basis will be extremely detrimental to my game.

My apologies for the long post....I just have so much I would like to discuss and learn from you all.  I know talking heads over the internet will only go so far, but there seems to be a lot of guys with some experience on here.  My main question is this:  Do you think it is possible for me to not be completely humiliated if i attempt to get into the golfing world?

Also, I read the other 18 year olds posts....I didn't find it helpful though because his goals were kind of nonsense.

Thanks in advance and I look forward to hearing all of your replies, good or bad!

It is never too late.  Y.E. Yang didn't start golfing until the age of 19 and he is a major champion!  You breaking 90 shouldn't be a problem.

[Golf'nBiker]

I didn't start playing until I was 54..I'll be 56 in AUG!  If I shoot above an 85, I'm a bit 'unsettled' w/my play.  I agree, if Dad has that much experience, take advantage of it, I'm certain he'd enjoy spending time w/you on the course/range, I know I would w/my son.  Also, I disagree w/getting fitted for clubs.  After approx 8 months of playing, I got fitted..or so I thought, however, I had no sort of repetable or consistant swing, and now I have a set of PING G10's sitting in stogage.

[Leftygolfer]

No, absolutely not.  I started at 22 and got down to an 8 at one time.  I'm playing pretty bad right now, but in 08 I was pretty consistant shooting low 80s almost every round and shooting in the 70s a number of time.  If your athletic, that is a big help (I'm not) and you could be a lot better than I've ever been.

You just have to play and practice alot.  Lessons help.  Addiction helps the most.

[ND Fan]

This is like asking a crack dealer if it's too late to try some rock?

[AmazingWhacker]

No way!  My uncle started playing golf after he retired and was a single digit within 5 years.  I have heard it said that it takes 3-5 years to build a great golf swing and it sounds about right to me.  You don't need to hit it Bubba long to have a good time and play great golf on most courses so I would say if you're in good health you can learn golf at any age.

BTW - check out Shawn Clement on YouTube.  I'm not saying he's the be-all-end-all or anything and he may not be right for everybody . .but he sure helped me a ton.  I was the mayor of Humiliation City before I encountered his videos - now I'm more like a trusted advisor to the mayor.  Or maybe even his witty butler - like Benson.  I'm getting there, though.

[Stretch]

18 is definitely not too late for golf. It is, however, far too early for Objectivism.

[darkhunter139]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

My thoughts exactly.  There will always be that "Win a Free Trip for a hole in 1" Par 3 with a pretty girl sitting at the table watching you slice, skull or hook your tee shot into the water that will make you want to crawl inside your golf bag, but you get used to it.

Haha yeah I have pretty much accepted this is going to happen now.  I use to worry about it a lot but now I have realized it is unavoidable and just go with it.

[Blades4me]

John

Humilidy is a intergal part of golf, and life for that matter. If you don't learn how to deal with it, it will drive you crazy. Also, a little humilidy is a good thing; operative words here are "a little".

We were all hacks, again, its part of the game; you gotta start somewhere. It will take time and lots of practice, but if you stick with it you should be able to break 90 w/o much trouble. It helps if some of your friends golf, especially if they also want to get better.

One of the things I Iike most about golf is, its not easy.( If you want easy go snowboarding, it doesn't get much easier than that). So when you see someone who can control their ball and such it isn't any stretch of the imagination that they are pretty good. When that is you, then you know how much work it takes.

The scoring is with the putter and short game, basically from 100 yds and in and that is where you should put 3/4's of your practice time. As for the driver, well there isn't any rule that states you have to tee off with the dirver. Try your 3 metal, heck when I'm having a hard time with my driver I'll go to my 3 metal, I've even gone down to my 2i hybrid b/c I knew I could keep the ball in the short grass with it and could get at least a par from that hole.

The 3 things to concentrate on are stance, alignment and grip. After that tempo and balance are very important and are your friends. Consider something like a 3 lesson package so you don't ingrain a lot of bad habits. IMO, at this stage of you golfing career I'd just play as much as you can. Start to see what your misses are, get to know the distances of each of your clubs and just get familar with the feel of everything. Golf is like fly fishing, its something you will spend your life learning cuz there is so much to it.

Good luck, enjoy the game.

On the aside; I learned how to golf back in the early and mid 60's and was a good junior golfer. After I got out of high school I stopped golfing cuz I had a very bad temper. I started golfing again when I was 53 and just can't get enough of it, I'm 62 now. I can finally deal with my temper in a constructive way, which of course has me made me much more pleasant to be around. Jim Thorpe was once asked by a interviewer what he thought was the most important thing in golf. His answer was, "to be good company". I can't think of any better advice.