ag359

sorry, i wasn't clear. I meant a few feet into the backswing... m11 - thanks for the article link. Will need to read it a couple of times to get head round it, but it looks like what i need. do you agree with what he suggests?

on my iron takeaway, when the club shaft reaches the horizontal, should the front edge of the club face be pointing directly vertically? have been getting very confused about this recently...

With apologies for dredging up a rather old thread, I thought I'd update it rather than start a new one... Anyway, since that fateful but enjoyable first round of, ahem, ~180, I spent a lot of hours at the range (actually at an indoor simulator, but similar to a range in reality) before going back on the course. I think I've improved a bit, and I'd really like to record my swing and post it for people's views at some point. Anyway, I eventually dared to go back out on the course a couple of weeks ago, and to my pleasant surprise shot 117 and 108 on consecutive days. Nothing to write home about, but a vast improvement, and hopefully not too shameful for my second and third rounds of golf! One question...as well as tracking my score I tried to keep track of my number of putts. My round of 108 comprised of 45(!) putts and 63 non-putts. To me, this seems like a very high ratio of putts to non-putts, so presumably the putting is the key area for me to focus on. Am i right?

I take it that's a 'no' then! These things are popping up all over the place in the UK, so I thought they'd be as popular worldwide. Obviously not.

Anybody have any views on these? I am a bit limited for golf facilities where I am (or will be shortly) living, but there is a decent looking golf simulator place. How do these compare to the 'real thing' (i.e. ranges and courses) for practice purposes? If it makes a difference, I'm an almost complete beginner, so at the moment am just trying to get the hang of making consistent solid contacts, rather than anything too technical... This particular place appeals because it is not too expensive, is on my way home from work, and provides taylor made clubs to play with (I don't yet have my own set, and wouldn't want to be lugging them to work with me if i did). any views appreciated...

I'm based in London (although temporarily in Singapore). If anyone is able to recommend somewhere that would obviously be greatly appreciated. Thanks for the general advice - looks like I'll have to have a bit more of a think before I take the plunge...

13?!! man alive... erm...none. soon to be rectified hopefully.

That's helpful - thanks for the reply. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "shaft stiffness" - how would I know what I need? Just a case of personal preference, or is one type better for beginners?

I know this is very subjective, but am nonetheless interested in hearing opinions from you enlightened bunch. I am hoping to buy a set of clubs shortly. I am a complete beginner, so am really not looking to spend a fortune (essentially, the cheaper the better) at this stage. As such, I am not particularly bothered about the latest names and brands. Can anyone recommend any cheaper manufacturers? Failing that, perhaps some advice on what kind of things I should be looking for in a cheap set of clubs... A quick scan of ebay throws up some full sets of clubs that are very cheap, e.g. http://http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BRAND-N...QQcmdZViewItem What's the catch?!

Klaymon - it's a good point, and ideally I would rather have my true score. Having said that, I wasn't going to argue about it with the chap i was playing with, so I just tried to keep a tally of my true score as I was going along. By the way, what do you mean by "fluffing" their lie?

Hey guys - apologies for the delay in response (contrary to popular assumption, it did not take me a full week to finish the course; rather, my internet connection has been down). Well - the first round was a lot of fun! A bit of a nightmare scoring-wise, but I think I probably ended up with something around 180 (actually recorded around 140 on the scorecard, but my playing partner was a bit too generous with the mulligans/drops, despite my protests, and there was one hole that I didn't finish (an island green that I didn't manage to hit in five attempts!) so I'm estimating a bit). Still it was (apparently) a pretty tough course, with a slope rating of 134 and playing from the white tees, so I'm pretty happy. Highlights - two genuine bogies (no mulligans etc), and hitting the middle of the green with my tee shot on a par three (subsequently three-putted, but never mind...) Am hooked!

Thanks for advice everyone. Am playing at 7am tomorrow. Really nervous!

well thanks for the support guys - I will make sure I enjoy myself! And Shindig, thanks for the tips. However, I just know that however hard I try I won't be able to ignore the numbers ('fraid it's just my nature!). Im hoping that I won't completely humiliate myself!

OK, so I decided to take up golf a couple of months ago. Since then I have had a grand total of five 1 hour lessons, and maybe one practice session at the driving range between each lesson. It looks like I might have an opportunity to go round a golf course in the next couple of weeks (assuming, amongst other things, that I can borrow some clubs etc). If I do get a chance to play a round, what would be a realistic target for me? To give you some idea of my ability, I would say that I am of average natural ability but at the moment, if I hit 10 shots on the range with a short iron, 2 will go roughly where they are intended to go, and the rest will be scattered in any direction imaginable! I am also yet to have tried hitting with a driver, so I would probably have to leave that in the bag.

oh, and a bit of football (soccer) in the winter