How do you go from starting to playing on a course?

[golfingnooob]

Before you started playing on an actual course, did you spend X amount of time in the driving range perfecting your swing (using all woods and irons) and some time on a putting green, then just play?

Did you just go at a time when not many people are playing and learn on the course, or did you just jump straight in, even if you might have been holding people up?

Edit: and what is the best time to play on a course for a beginner (any day, even weekdays)

[Dabzy]

I used a small 9 hole course just 15 mins drive away, so, when I started, me and a mate used to go there... 7 par 3's and 2 par 4's... It also has a decent driving range, so that, and a baby course sorta got us underway, after about 2 months, we decided to join a proper golf club, and, well, looking back, it did help loads...

Though, it was expensive to play there, £10 for 9 holes (Not including driving range tokens), sometimes we were there 3 times a week, so, it actually made sense to join a proper club as a member as the cost came down dramatically (I play 4 times a week, 3 weekdays, and one on a weekend, £20 a round if your a none member... I pay £60 per month, so, the saving is huge)

So, my opinion is, yes, get to the range, but really, you will have two golf swings, a range swing and a course swing... So, its imperative you actually get out on grass and give it a wallop, even if your not playing very well, as you'll benefit it in your swing, as well as your pocket.

I've been to hell and heaven a number of times with my golf swing, you could be playing well, walk on the course and hit more shots then someone who has just played their first ever round, so, dont be shy in making a balls of it [Pardon the pun], always remember theres crap players on the course too (Might be me, lol), and, most of all... Just enjoy it, even if you hit a pearler and it hits the skinniest tree on the course square on and flies back over the top of your head into a stream. :D

Dabz

[Lihu]

The best time for a beginner is to play super twilight on a municipal 9 hole course. First, it costs less. It is also more relaxed. You might get hooked with better golfers as well. It is also more fun, and keeps you interested in golf. Some members might object to this, but you should get out on the course as soon as you can hit most of the balls well enough. You learn more as you play. You should also take lessons, if you are not already doing so.

[tiger187126]

there is no set amount of range time to get you out on the course, but there are a few things that you need to understand:

1) you must be able to functionally hit the ball the majority of the time. doesn't matter if you skull it down the fairway, but you need to keep the ball moving down the course.

2) learn when to let go of a ball. if you put one 20 yards into the woods, just go and drop one. nothing is worse than watching a guy shank two off the teebox and then spend 20 minutes in the woods looking for them. buy cheap balls and don't get overly attached.

3) pace of play. if you find yourself double par and still not on, just pick up and move on. if you're playing with someone else, mix some best ball into your round. you'll get experience of hitting from different parts of the course and won't be bogged down with bad lies the entire round. when i started out if i had a couple bad shots i would just drop <100 yards out and practice my wedge/putter game.

4) the difference between playing for score and practice/learning. the rules of golf don't have to strictly apply to every round you play. when you're starting out your score really doesn't matter, so who cares if you shot a 150 following all the rules? just go out and have fun and eventually you'll start realizing, "hey i shot par there!" obviously if you're playing competitively or want to get serious, learn and obey the rules. most of the time doing stuff like fluffing, footwedging for better lies, taking shady drops, etc. will only hurt yourself in the context of your handicap. i'm sure we all know a guy who is a 10, but seems to shoot outside his typical number when he plays with someone who pays attention to him.

5) play forward. seriously. if you have to go driver then 3 wood on every par 5 then you're just giving yourself less opportunity to score and taking some of the fun out of setting yourself up for birdies with short clubs.

6) understand etiquette. who's away, no walking across putting lines, when it's safe to tee off, how to yell fore, quiet on the tee box, etc.

7) have fun. if you're not good, don't worry everybody was here at some point. don't get mad, that just makes you worse. laugh when you chili dip. throw a catch-phrase out when you slice. relax and enjoy the scenery.

you don't have to listen to some or all of these, but this is just my experience.

[nevets88]

Play the shortest course possible and go from there. For example

1. 9 hole par 3 with no hole longer than 75 yards.
2. 9 hole par 3, no length limit
3. A short 9 hole course with par 4s
4. 9 par 3/4/5 hole no length limit
5. 18 hole muni, ~5000 yards

Yeah, pretty anal huh? But you get the idea.

[JaapB]

The club were I play have besides the normal 18 holes another 9 holes that is the par 3 course. Those holes are ideal to start learning to golf and also good to work on your short game, 9 holes par 3 costs around 40-50 minutes to complete so if you want to work on your short game that course is ideal for that.

I didn't play very long on the par 3 cause i got my club hcp pretty quick, think it took me total of 3 weeks to get access to the 18 holes course.

Once i could play the course alone i try to do that often, since a lot of people play with 2 or 3 ball you can easaly play 1 ball and don't have to worry about people behind you who think you play slow and if for some reason get a group behind you simply let them true so you can play alone again without worrying about others.

[Dwhite21]

My wife and I started playing this year as well.  We started at a 9 hole Par 3 course then moved to a 9 hole executive course (Par 36 I think).  We have an 18 hole course that has a Player Development Card.  For $30.00 a month each, we can play unlimited Twilight golf for $12.00 each for the cart fee and unlimited range balls.  We have started playing this course on Sunday evenings.  It seems to be less crowded during this time.  You might check out the courses in your area and see if any offer a similar deal.

[MEfree]

My first round ever was the Father-Son Tournament when I was 9 yo.  I forget how old I was, but before being able to play on my own, I was required to play 3 holes with a guy from the greens committee to make sure I knew proper golf etiquette.

Keeping pace is more than just being able to hit a ball with a minimal amount of skill, you need to learn to become efficient with things like where to leave your clubs/cart, preparing for your next shot, grabbing a few clubs and walking to your ball when a guy you are riding with is on the opposite side of the fairway, etc.

Try learning swing, etiquette and efficient golf from someone who actually knows what they are doing as opposed to a friend who is only slightly less clueless than a newbie.

[Hardballs]

Doesn't matter when you play, just hit the ball, keep moving! And stay out of my way! Buy cheap balls, if ya hit the trees, dont look for it, just drop one, keep moving! And stay the hell out of my way! And if you've taken 4 putts and still haven't sunk it, pick it up, keep moving and.... You get the drift! Good luck and enjoy!

[APrince]

if you are feeling intimidated, just stay on the range, but at some point you just have to go play on the course. You could always play the range as if youre playing par 4's and long par 5's in a sense; calculating the distances of what the hole would be, what your next shot would be and which club to follow with. start with a driver, then go to a fairway wood  (hopefully youre hitting off the grass and not carpet) then irons, wedges etc.

I know its not the same and you'll always have a decent lie, but it would help you get use to transitioning from one club to another working on different setups. i use to pretend there was over hangs and dog legs etc back in the day.

[APrince]

Originally Posted by APrince

if you are feeling intimidated, just stay on the range, but at some point you just have to go play on the course. You could always play the range as if youre playing par 4's and long par 5's in a sense; calculating the distances of what the hole would be, what your next shot would be and which club to follow with. start with a driver, then go to a fairway wood  (hopefully youre hitting off the grass and not carpet) then irons, wedges etc.

I know its not the same and you'll always have a decent lie, but it would help you get use to transitioning from one club to another working on different setups. i use to pretend there was over hangs and dog legs etc back in the day.

sorry, i forgot to mention to end your day putting. cheers

[Hardballs]

find a willing partner who plays a bit and beg him to take you out for 9 holes, he'll probably say no cause your useless, but buy him drinks or let him sleep with your wife until he can't refuse, once you've been and done 9 you'll find it's not as daunting as you might have imagined, every golfer knows you have to start somewhere and don't get embarrassed if you hit some awful shots, just laught it off and enjoy it, because EVERYONE does it, and most importantly.. Stay out of my way!

[JaapB]

And don't assume that everyone who are on the golf can actually hit their balls good 9 out of 10 times. Even those who have 20-30 hcp have their bad days when they shoot a lot of their balls in the trees and cant make a good pitch or putt.

I know the first week when i started playing the 18 holes i didnt want to play with others cause i thought i would hold them up, ofcourse if you miss the ball 5 times without hitting it you would hold people up but if you still do that you should still be on the drivingrange.

If you play with others just keep some things in mind:

1 hit your ball quick, meaning pick your club look at where you want to aim your ball at, most of the time it won't go that way but that doesnt matter and hit it and start walking again.

2 Don't piss of your playingpartner by saying how bad you hit that ball or ask each time what did i do wrong, you have a pro for that..

3 If you need to hit your own ball more then 3 times without reaching the ball of your playing partner just pick it up, walk with your playingpartner let him make his shot then walk again and drop the ball at the next spot where his or her ball lies. That way you can still make some shots and don't hold that person up. Same goes if you want to pitch, chip or putt. Just hit it a couple of times then pick it up.

4. Like the other person said in the thread if you hit your ball in the trees just leave it there and play a new ball, just buy some cheap lakeballs if you don't want to spent a lot of money on balls,

5. If you see people behind you just let them through but that is also something your playing partner should keep an eye on as you probably need all the time to fix on your own game.

Just have fun, everyone started the same as you so most will understand and have patience.

[Hardballs]

The first time I went on a full size 18 I teed up on the 1st par4, my playing buddy's had all played a bit and took me out, they told me to tee off first so I did, there was another 4 ball waiting to go out after us so I had 7 pairs of eyes burning into the back of my neck, I felt anxious, nervous, inadequate, inferior, and a bit sick! Decided I would hit the ball as hard as I could, never used a driver before! With an almighty back swing I threw the club head at the ball,..... I missed completely and span round 360* much to the amusement of everyone watching, I regained my composure and set myself up, ... Only to miss it completely again! After everyone stopped laughing I was told to slow down and not try so hard, so I did,.... And hit a 70yrd slice straight into the trees! We still laugh about it now ...10 yrs later!! So Just go out, enjoy it, taking the piss out of our bad shots is part of the fun!