A few years ago, I decided to get out on the course. The sun was out and the wind was “light”. I’m from Wellington, where every day is windy.
I had an old set of clubs which I picked up from a mate who no longer required them. Until that point, I thought of golf as being for semi-retired people who had too much time on their hands, or those who wore those “interesting” patterned cardigans.
My mate booked me in for a seriously crash course on hitting the ball, grip, stance, putting and anything else that he thought would come up.
After the first few holes, I hated it. I couldn’t understand why anyone would hit a ball into a bush, only to dig it out and hit it into the same bush again 20 metres away, or into a river off a tree. After a few holes, however, I was more in tune with my surroundings and I fell in love with it. This is why:
- You’re out in the sun (most of the time).
- You’re out with your mates.
- You’re getting some fresh air.
- You’re able to get in a fair walk in. Depending on how bad good you are, you would probably walk around 6-7kms over 18 holes.
- It’s “you vs you”. There are no outside influences on your shot or concentration, only what you are focused on.
- You eventually get everything to “click” to hit that big dog drive or perfectly placed chip. This makes all the trouble from earlier totally worth it.
- The 19th hole.There is absolutely nothing better after a long day to unwind with your mates and chew the fat.
Have I convinced you to give golf a try yet? If so, here are my tips to help you get started.
- Don’t go out and buy a brand new shiny set of clubs. Instead source yourself a second hand set from a local shop or online. You might not even like playing, so you wouldn’t have wasted a lot of money on them.
- You don’t need a full set. Grab yourself a set with a driver, a putter, a few irons, a couple of wedges and a hybrid. Too many choices makes things too difficult.
- Watch a few videos on YouTube on stance, set up, grip, swing.
- Go out to a driving range and hit a dozen balls each time with the same club. Repeat this until you have some sort of flow.
- Do a quick read of the rules.
- Book yourself a tee time with some mates at your local club.
- Go out -> hate it, love it, relax, enjoy yourself!
If you’ve got any love/hate golf stories to share, I look forward to reading them in the comments below.
Dikesh Dayabhai, Account Manager, Clicks Melbourne
