Post your story ... how did you get into golf ??

[rwfastrax]

My baseball coach took me my first time...rental clubs, etc...Didn't really get hooked until many years later.

[sacm3bill]

Originally Posted by inthehole

As for me - I'm 47 and  was guilted into playing a company golf outing (didn't even want to go - was pretty much pressured into it)  last year about this time & thats all it took -  got the bug BAD !!   Since last September, I joined a club, conservatively estimate I've played 70-80 times to the present (I"m playing at least 4x a week - about as much as humanly possible and still hold down a job), with alot of range sessions mixed in.     Spent alot of time reading books & magazines, watching the golf channel, and online resources like this forum have helped me learn the fundamentals of the game...

Wow, that could be word-for-word my story as well (other than a 2-year age difference). Our section was celebrating a product release and we had an outing at a local course - each of us were given the option of a group lesson or playing 9 holes. Since I had never touched a club, I chose the lessons. They started us off with putting, then chipping, then the full swing. The first time I hit a 6-iron straight, I was hooked. (I had thought I was smacking it good, but it was probably carrying about half the distance it does now.)

So funny how it was never even on my radar before then (none of my friends or family were big golfers), and since then I've been obsessed.

[1par2win]

Originally Posted by Stewie007

I originally got into golf with my father some 15 years ago or so. Played pretty consistently for about 5 years and got to be pretty good. We mostly played the county course where I grew up. It was a pretty decent course for Western NY getting near the country side. Was just a small cliquish town. After we moved away I pretty much stopped playing. When we moved down to NC I was all but done. Bought some new clubs to try to get back into the game, but it didn't really do much for me. That was about 7 years ago.

Before anyone rolls their eyes at cliche, it isn't how it seems. I had cancer and went through Chemotherapy this year. When it was finally all over and we were visiting the in laws, something just hit me. We were sitting in a Tavern and I looked up to see what was on the TV. Naturally, it was golf, and I got this strange need to go play golf. I became obsessed and have been playing every weekend with multiple trips to the range each week. The doc told me it'd be good to help me get my energy and endurance back without going overboard. I can't really explain the obsession. It wasn't some cliche inspirational story or some claim that Cancer taught me to cling to life or something cheesy like that. I just wanted to play golf. It was a cold cut and clear desire, rather than an guided decision.

Most strange........

This^^^ I grew up caddying for my dad and grandfather but never played myself. Just a way to make a few bucks as a kid. Never thought much about the game and when I got out of the Navy I was driving by a golf course near my parents house and literally felt like I was pulled into the parking lot. I sat there watching a few guys on the range and promptly went out and bought a out-of-the-box set from a local golf store. I can't explain it other that it was kinda like some sort of possession. This was nearly 20 years ago and haven't looked back since. I can't explain it to most non-golfers but it was almost like the game picked me and not the other way around. Either way, it's a part of me as my DNA. Granted I had a background in the game and already knew etiquette and the rules but it never germinated and until that one day out of the blue driving by the golf course...