I went out to the range this afternoon to try a few things I have been reviewing and bumped into someone who is just starting out in golf. The enthusiasm was palpable and it got me to thinking about when I decided I wanted to learn to play golf.
Sadly it was late in life - I was 27 when I picked up a golf club for the first time. I do remember I was hooked instantly. Maybe it was a good thing that I decided to learn to play golf so late in life because I may well have left school early if I started as a youngster.
Hang on what am I saying?
How could it have been a bad thing to start while I was at school? I may have had enough talent to turn pro - what a life I might have had.
Back to my story.
What would I do differently today in my bid to learn to play golf?
Hindsight is a wonderful tool isn't it?
I think the first thing I would do (assuming of course I could rein my enthusiasm in) would be to find the best golfer at the club and caddy for him/her for a month or two.
There is no way the guy I met at the range today was going to do that. No siree! He played this morning, practiced this afternoon and is playing tomorrow and Sunday! If he has a girlfriend I feel sorry for her!
The next thing I would do is spend every available hour on or around the practice green chipping and putting the afternoons away. And yes I would get into the bunkers and learn how to play out of them too!
Another good way to learn to play the game is to ask the local pro if you can "hover" whenever he is giving a lesson. Why pay for something when you can get it for free? I would even bet such willingness to learn would get you a free lesson.
Of course all of this practice and knowledge gathering would be totally frustrating if you couldn't go out on the course to put it into practice and at some point I would succumb - probably day two of my well intended resolution!
Golf has that sort of effect on you!
Another way to learn to play golf quickly is to grab the score card every time you play (and especially during the time you are caddying for your good player) and keep the scores. This is a really beneficial exercise. There is nothing more frustrating than playing golf with people who have been playing for years but still don't know the various methods of scoring!
If you want to learn to play golf then learn all that there is to learn - not just the fun part of hitting the ball.
Study the golf swing and especially the players that make it look easy. The guys with the easy swings, the simple, economical and consistent ball striking swings are the ones to imitate.
Forget about trying to smash the ball. Learn to keep the ball in play with a short functional swing and you will soon be able to power it out there - with control.
Listen to the commentators when they talk about professional golfers who have swings that "very little can go wrong" with. That's the swing you want. The golfers that come to mind are Luke Donald, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Hunter Mahan and the like.
Players like Bubba Watson, Jim Furyck and Tiger Woods have complex swings that require extremely good hand-eye co-ordination. I would not suggest you try to copy them.
Why learn to play golf?
Because it is a game that all ages, sizes and sexes can play for a very long time. I have played with kids and I have played with guys over the age of 80! Imagine that - a sport you can play into your 90s!
Handicaps make us all equal. There isn't another game to match it as far as I am concerned.
Come on do yourself a favor - take the plunge and learn to play golf. You will have a lifetime of fun, a never-ending challenge and a lot to look forward to each week.
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