Thinking of starting your golf journey? There’s a right way to get started, and we’re here to help you through it.
I checked my watch and was surprised at the time. That can’t be right, it’s been 6 hours? And yet, I felt like I wanted to get back on the course the very next day.
It was my first time playing on the fairway, with just an hour of actual practice on the range. I thought I was going to hate it, but as it turns out, I had just found an obsession that was going to consume me for the next four years of my life, and counting.
No other sport saw the same rise during the pandemic as what the sport of golf saw. During a time when practically everything in the country was shut down, most especially sports, golf clubs were the only ones that were the first ones who were allowed to start operating. Because of this, a lot of weekend warriors, semi-athletes, and actual athletes started trying the sport, myself included. You can just look at the meteoric rise of club shares around the country as evidence of the popularity of the sport. Golf ranges are normally full at their peak times as more and more people are getting into the game.
The way it goes is pretty similar for most people. You get invited by your friends who have been playing the game already to the range or one of the many virtual golf places around the metro to “hit some balls”. You show up, and you find out that you need to buy gloves first, which will be the first of your many, many, (many) golfing purchases. They hand you a pitching wedge (unless you guys have had a few drinks already, then they hand you a driver), and they tell you to just hit the ball. You take a swing and look to see where your ball went.
Your friends laugh and point to the ball on the mat. You curse at yourself. How hard should it be to hit a ball that’s not moving? You take another shot and it goes maybe 10 yards to the right. Your friends give you a few pointers on your grip and backswing and then, you finally hit your first good shot.
And if you’re like me, that’s all it takes for you to get hooked.
You start watching YouTube golf tutorials, you learn what “short game” means, and you start planning how you can win your first tournament. I mean how hard could it be, right? Well, if you haven’t found out yet by now, you are about to find out that golf might be the most technically difficult sport to be “good” at. In fact, the vast majority of recreational golfers are at best, decent enough to not cause a traffic jam in the fairway.
Still, if you’re the type who likes the challenge, and of course, can set aside half a day for a round, then it really is one of the most addictive things you can get into.
But how should you get into it? Golf is already expensive with public courses charging anywhere from PHP 1300 to 5,000 per round. You call this the “green fee”. On top of that, you have to pay your caddy a fee and if you want to use a golf cart, that’s usually around PHP 800 to 1000 per round. All in all you can spend around PHP 3,500 per round of golf. It’s not cheap.
But if you are still with me, here are some pointers on how to start.
1. Look for a good golf pro
Yes, you can learn from YouTube but nothing beats at least a second set of eyes to check your form. The golf grip is one of the weirdest and most unnatural feelings in sport.
The first time this was taught to me, it felt so alien and unlike anything that my hands had done before. The best golf pros have a knack for making things simple to understand. But trust me when I say that it’s hard to unlearn something wrong. So it’s best to learn things the right way, the first time.
I’ve had a few coaches in my four years playing this game. I highly recommend Kevin Lachica and Venjo Reyes, but do your own research and see which pros are near you.
2. Look for second-hand clubs
If you’re just starting out in the game, there really is no need to buy brand-new clubs, especially if budget is an issue. A brand new set of clubs can set you back anywhere from PHP 50,000 upwards.
There are plenty of second-hand sets to find on a bargain online. Or better yet, go back to your friends who got you hooked on the game and ask them if they have any old clubs lying around (chances are, they do). When I started out, I got a hand-me-down set from my friend which I used for close to a year before I switched to a different set.
When I changed clubs again, I gave my old clubs to someone else I got into the game. As mentioned many times already, golf is not a cheap game, so ask around if your friends can give you some of their old sets (since it was their fault anyway that you got hooked).
3. Practice often
As with any skill, there’s no getting around the repetitions that you need, if you want to get better. That’s why getting a good pro is important because they will set you up with good routines that will make your practice in the range more structured which will make you better. You know a golf pro is good when they give you homework to do when you practice on your own. Find a range or a virtual facility where you can work on your game away from the fairway.
4. Play as often as you can (afford)
No matter how much you practice in the range, nothing beats playing the game. So don’t be afraid to go out there, and yes, sometimes make a fool of yourself. We’ve all been there. Heck, I still make a fool of myself more often than not. But as you will learn soon enough, golf is a game of misses, and the good players are the ones who can control and predict your misses.
So play, have fun, and don’t take it too seriously. It’s the only way that you can really get better, provided you practice the right way.
5. Wear the proper gear
You can wear whatever brand you want but make sure that it adheres to golf etiquette. This means collared shirts at the minimum and golf shorts or pants. A good pair of golf shoes is also important and I found this out the hard way when I ended up slipping a lot during my first few months of golfing in the rainy season.
Golf fashion is wide and varied so feel free to express yourself, as long as you are functional and follow etiquette.
6. Learn golf etiquette
Speaking of etiquette, nothing screams “noob” more than a player using multiple balls or talking while another person is hitting. Golf is a gentleman’s game and it comes with many rules. But nothing is more important or all-encompassing than showing good etiquette.
This means keeping quiet while another person is hitting putting, not walking across another person’s line in the green (the path of the golf ball going into the cup), and in general, not taking too much time when it’s your turn to play. Time is a crucial element in the game especially since it takes around four to five hours per round, so never be late for your tee time and try your best to keep pace of play up.
7. Most importantly, have fun
Golf may seem intimidating but it’s truly a lot of fun. Plus, you get to experience nature while you whack a ball around. It’s the perfect blend of serenity and intensity, and it’s a great way to get your steps in, especially if you walk the courses. I get at least 10,000 steps whenever I walk any of the public courses in Manila.
Also, it goes without saying that playing this sport is a privilege, with the high costs associated with it. So if you do get to play, enjoy your time on the course, because that in itself is a blessing.
Banner image from Courtney Cook on Unsplash.