Where to start

[Rambosion]

Hey Guys,

 

so having consistently watching all the major tournaments each year without ever properly playing myself, I now want to start playing golf. 

 

I have a set of Taylor Made R7 irons and was thinking of booking in with the local pro for a few lessons (last time I went to the driving range I could barely make contact with the ball) do you think this would be a better option to learn to swing properly? I would go to the driving range but I know i’ll leave ending up frustrated and embarrassed due to my sheer lack of natural talent lol. 

 

 

[krupa]

You will definitely get more out of a lesson than you will by yourself at the range.

[Valleygolfer]

Welcome to the sandtrap and your new addiction. I personally think it depends on how you learn. A lot of beginner information can be found here and you can get a good baseline started. Having a knowledgeable pro can do this as well. How do you generally learn things? Do you have good body awareness? Coordination? Athleticism?

Muddling through the range with no direction is definitely taking the long way to getting started.

 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2018 by Valleygolfer

[Foot Wedge]

Welcome to the site and to golf.  We are not responsible with any future problems you may have with your budget or significant other.  All jokes aside, if you're just barely starting to swing a club, there are some youtube channels out there that can explain the fundamentals of the set up, grip, and swing that you can start practicing.

Where these videos stop offering too much help is in trying to solve your swing issues. (and we all have them)  All the little tips and tricks they offer are not one-size-fits-all.  Sure, some of them may be titled 'do XYZ to fix your slice' or something that narrows it down to your particular issue, but they don't address why you're swinging that way.  It may work for some, but the author of that video hasn't seen your swing. 

That's where lessons come in.  One of the things I've learned here is that you don't have to have a GOOD swing to have a CONSISTENT swing.  We're all surprisingly consistent, so a good instructor will look at your your tendencies and give you the right drills and knowledge to help you improve your swing.  It's much better to do this early than have to break bad habits later on.  I've learned this the hard way.  Good luck and enjoy the ride!

[dennyjones]

Start with lessons.   They may seem expensive but if you decide that golf is for you, you'll appreciate that you have the basics.   Watching YouTube videos may give you some ideas, there are more swing thoughts online that will utterly confuse you because they are so different.   If you look at different videos, one will tell you to do something while another will completely deviate from the normal swing thought.  

By all means, start with lessons.   

[Patch]

Welcome to TST. 

As others have mentioned; lessons, lessons, and more lessons. If, and only if your teaching pro knows what he/she is doing, and you can learn from that teaching. Don't be shy. Ask questions if you don't understand something being taught. You are paying the bill. This makes you the instructor's employer....sort of. 

Get yourself a notebook, and keep copious notes of instruction, and anything else important to your game. This, for later reference when needed. Trust me, it will be needed. 

I will assume you already have decent clubs.

Once you get some instruction under your belt,  play, and practice as much as your time will allow. 

Once your golf journey is started, plan on it never ending. 

 

[cooke119]

As said above, lessons. But also read a few books, not so much to get the swing down, that is what lessons are for, but also to learn about golf itself, simple rules for proper play, e.g., person farthest from the green hits first; don't walk on anyone's line on the green; my pet peeve don't stand directly behind someone while they are teeing off; etc. "Golf for Dummies" may be a good start if you haven't read anything yet. Anyway, just a suggestion and welcome to the game.

[b101]

Welcome! As others have suggested, I'd go the lessons route - if you're struggling to make solid contact, just working with a pro is a good way of getting started. Like a number of others on here, I'm a big fan of the evolvr (evolvr.thegolfevolution.com) service that was developed by the guy who set up this forum, as the advice you get is seriously good and you know it's accurate. That said, it does require some self-discipline and really effective practice (but that's a good thing!) and isn't necessarily for everyone. Great if you want the best instruction out there at a very reasonable price though!

Once you've got the hang of basic contact and generally keeping the ball in play, I would recommend just finding somewhere cheap and playing as much as you can. There's no substitute for getting out there; it's why we all chose to pick up a club and gives you all the possible scenarios, as well as what to work on when you are on the range.

Basically - have fun and make sure that when you do practise, you're practising with a purpose. 

Otherwise, enjoy the Masters this weekend and do contribute to the site as much as you can - you get out what you get in 

[dave s]

Since we're just moving into spring and playing season, I would suggest looking in your area for a beginner group lesson package.  Some places have like a 6-lesson introduction to golf package that helps explain things that aren't obvious to golf.

Beginner classes usually cover cover putting, short game, full swing classes for irons and woods.  Some conclude with a 9-hole round to put into play what has been taught.

Welcome to TST

[dbuck]

Another vote for a lesson or two, at least.

Golf is a hard game. A qualified instructor can get you off on the right foot; it is much easier to learn good habits than to break old bad ones. The main problem with self teaching is that what you think you are doing is not necessarily what you ARE doing.  It is especially important that the basics of grip, stance, alignment, and turn be taught and learned correctly at the outset.

[Moxley]

Welcome to TST , and this wonderful game. Another thought is about your garden - Do you have enough space to practice some parts of the game? This is a help for me , and can be extended ( a little) with limited flight balls or nets

[3jacker]

See the pro.

Learn a proper setup, Nail the fundamentals like grip, stance, weight distribution.  Anyone can do that, but they need another set of knowledgeable eyes.

Do that right, and you will shave YEARS off of learning to hit a golf ball.

If you go to the range and just start beating balls,  you will ingrain bad habits that are very, very hard to break.  Trust me, I'm living that hell right now.

[Nutsmacker]

Go out and play.  See if you like it before pouring money into a pro's pocket. 

[Shorty]

1 hour ago, Nutsmacker said:

Go out and play.  See if you like it before pouring money into a pro's pocket. 

But pouring a little bit of money into a pro's pocket may determine how much you like it. Better to start with SOME idea of what you are doing. Bad habits from self-taught players can be very hard to eradicate. They can also be the reason for falling out of love with the game. 

[Carl3]

The suggestion of lessons is fine, but if you have even some modest athletic skill you could add some individual practice as well. What I would suggest is trying to hit a 9i or 7i to a target perhaps 100 yards out at the range. Also take a sand wedge and practice chipping and pitching toward a pin on a practice green. Learning to make consistent, repeatable contact and directing it toward a target is key. Over time increase the distance of your practice target. Once you can consistently hit a ball 120 to 150 yards on the fly to a target, then take your game to an executive course. Maybe that is at the end of the summer or sometime the following year. 

Enjoy!

[mcanadiens]

Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop.

The King.

Seriously though. Best of luck to you. Lessons are a good idea, so you don't turn into a hard case like me.

[Nutsmacker]

1 hour ago, Shorty said:

But pouring a little bit of money into a pro's pocket may determine how much you like it. Better to start with SOME idea of what you are doing. Bad habits from self-taught players can be very hard to eradicate. They can also be the reason for falling out of love with the game. 

True.  I guess it kind of depends on the person's athletic ability.  If there is very little coordination, etc. than yea...get some lessons.  But if the person in question was/is an athlete, and can make contact with the ball....I would get out on the course a couple of times.  Heck, that is how I did it.  I never really got any lessons.  I probably could have benefited and still could...but I just prefer to spend the time playing.  It is more fun then doing drills on the range with a lackluster teaching pro....which unfortunately seems to be a large chunk of the lower end pro's out there.  

[Rambosion]

Wow, what a fantastic community that’s on offer here, didn’t expect so many replies for the typical noobie thread, it’s much appreciated.

 

in terms of athleticism, well I’m physically fit enough but my swing coordination is abysmal, so maybe I’ll need a pro to have a look at that as I guess I’m simply just not moving my body correctly. 

 

 in terms of what I have now, I have a set of TM R7 irons and a crappy putter, is it worth me investing in a half decent 3wood prior to a lesson or do you think I should see if they offer this on a rental basis?

 

Have enquired with some of the local clubs to sort some lessons, a little nervous about looking a fool but you’ve gotta start somewhere I guess.

 

Noticed a lot of you are from the US, there is no such thing as good weather over here in the UK, lol!

 

thanks again all.