I’ve never golfed before in my life, but I want to start. Should I just go to the driving range for awhile? Do I need my own clubs or do they usually have them?
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I would watch a bunch of beginner instruction videos on YouTube. Basically any videos that break down the swing with simple, digestible tips.
This one seems good:
Also rec calling the driving range and ask them if they have club rentals - not all ranges offer this. If you get the bug and you’re really enjoying hitting golf balls, I would invest in a set of clubs as quickly as possible. You’ll quickly recoup the money spent vs. renting clubs every time you want to hit balls.
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Thanks. I want an outside hobby so I’m sure I’ll enjoy it with buddies. What should I look for in a set of clubs? Can I get a starter set for sub $500? Any brands I should avoid?
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Amazon had a bunch ranging from $180-$400. They vary with how many clubs they include. If you’re the type to stick with things get a set with more clubs for versatility. It’ll be a good start and if you stick with it they’ll be fine. Can always get fit for nicer clubs that’ll match your swing if you get hooked.
I would recommend getting a lesson or 3 at the start, will help immensely cause you won’t develop bad habits that are tough to break later
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Some friends wanted me to play golf recently, but I don’t have any clubs and hadn’t played in 20 years. So I went to play it again sports and bought a used seven-iron and a used 3 wood for a total of $11. Then I went to the driving range and practiced. I borrowed clubs from a friend for the round we played. I guess my point is that you can get a couple really cheap clubs to practice with at the driving range before you decide to invest in a full set.
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This seemingly reputable website recommends these clubs as the best beginner set.
These are $150 cheaper, I think because there are less clubs in the set.
I bet something like the above would be a good intro to the game for you. Once you make some progress and develop “your swing”, I would normally recommend then getting a real club fitting at a place like Golf Galaxy or whatever local golf retailers you have as options.
Many golf courses or driving ranges will have “demo days” where reps from all of the big brands show up with a million different clubs for you to try out. This is a good way to get exposed to many different options, as well as learn about golf club technologies. Probably as simple as Googling “golf club demo day” + your city/town.
If you do invest in a set and decide to build your game, it would also be smart to take 1 or 2 lessons to get some real swing feedback and a handful of tips/areas to focus on. Then, you can have your handful of swing thoughts to think about and then just hit 10 million range balls until you make some progress and are ready for more advice 
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I want to try it too. Never golfed in my life and won’t have a chance to when we leave the states.
Anyone in Sacramento area plays golf and can give any recommendations?
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I used to live in Carmichael and sneak on to Ancil Hoffman golf course all the time. Go check it out. Has a big park area, and there’s access to a beautiful stretch of the river
Much better to get a seconhand set of pings or something than a new set for the same price. get a set of irons and a seperate sand wedge, putter, and 3 wood. You don’t need a driver until you can hit your 3 wood consistently a good distance. If you can’t consistently carry a 3 wood 220 or so yards you’ll hit it farther than a driver anyway. Get a set with regular or stiff flex steel shafts and as long as the grips are in good shape you’ll be fine.
Golf clubs themselves are a bit of a scam, they make very little difference to your game, and they last years. As long as it looks good to you at address nothing else matters for a beginner.
Anyway, yeah take a lesson or two maybe, hit the range until you can hit it well enough to play fast enough to keep up. Nobody really cares if you play bad, but playing slow is just rude.
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Played from the whites in solidarity w a beginner in my group, but fuck it +6 is still +6!
Lots of target golf off the tee, especially on the back 9. This was at Scottish Highlands in Salem, NH.
That double on 5 is still eating at me as it was completely avoidable. Easy to say in hindsight.
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Played just earlier, too. Last 9 of 14 played overall, I had 5 pars and 2 boges. The 2 others, I recorded as skull and cross bones lol
played the last 5 holes 1 over. scored better than I struck the ball, apart from a few shots… owing to chipping close for saves on a few occasions
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Like overnight seemingly my simulator numbers went from 5-10 degrees outside in path to 5-0 degrees inside out path. This is with a 7 iron, which is considerably easier for me to hit this way compared to a driver, but I finally feel what it’s like to be on plane and come in from the inside rather than the big old out to in slice i had. It should promote draws which is what I have been after.
Can’t quite get the clubface square every time but I am getting close. This is by far the most solid my swing has ever been. Lessons really pay off. Been practicing REALLY fucking hard since covid because there’s nothing else to do. Glad it is paying off!
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It’s a trip how that can be. Now you can see swing mechanics on a continuum, and hopefully utilize the less-extreme… unless you can hone those, too, for the odd occasion a shot calls for it.
You can see a difference in Bryson’s 1st two swings here. Pretty noticeable actually. Address and everything.
Simulators are magic.
I was a mediocre ball striker for years, and then I joined an indoor practice facility to fix my ailing swing.
First, I tried using a video camera and got my swing looking much better, but this resulted in hitting it much worse.
Then, I nixed the camera and focused on the monitor. Literally within the course of a single session, just focusing on the feedback from club path angle, club face angle, and ball side spin, my swing transformed to where I was striping almost every shot.
I spent about a week on the monitor grooving this swing, and then went out to play to see if it would hold up on the course.
It did. For one glorious season, I was a great ball striker. I had a streak of about 25 rounds without a score above 80. Only my slumping short game kept me from being right around scratch.
Then, the facility closed down, I got injured, then sick, causing me to be away from golf for a few months. When I returned to the game, I had lost the feel and never was able to hit the ball that well again.
TL;DR
I improved more spending a couple weeks using a launch monitor than 10 years prior almost every day on a driving range.
Golf is a crazy game.
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Got a late range session in for the first time all year on Friday night after dinner. Banging balls there always makes me feel good because the range is slightly downhill and always downwind. Pretty much just have to get the ball up in the air and it’ll go straight and far. I’ve made friends with the pro so I can hit off the grass even though there’s a couple signs that say Mats Only.
I could use a short game lesson because my chipping/pitching is atrocious. I can flop the ball pretty well and am decent out of the sand because it’s more of a full type swing vs the touch/skill you need to pitch/chip. If I could somehow tighten that up I might be a decent player.
Played ok I guess. Couple of bonehead decisions after poor tee shots coupled with shitty putting killed any chance of breaking 90.
Man i have the opposite problem. I can scramble from 60 yards and in all day but my ball striking is terrible with other clubs.
I had my wildest par ever the other day - 200 yard par 3, and I shanked one about 90 yards right into a telephone pole, it ricocheted into the fairway next to the cartpath and left me about 70 in. Stuck my approach to about 8 feet and drained the putt.
Our random we paired with was at least a scratch golfer and he couldnt get over it. I told him I do shit like that all the time hahaha. Which isnt even that far off, I have a lot of wild pars like that. Mostly because I can get up and down from a pretty good distance with my wedge play.
Nice.
Yeah, my wedge game from like 99-40 yards is pretty solid because I can make hard swings even if only 3/4 the way back with my 56 or 60 degree depending on the shot that is needed.
It’s the touch shots around the green where I lose a bunch of strokes. Like a simple pitch from 30-25 yards you should be able to knock to gimme distance consistently and I just can’t get it. I try so hard to get that “clicking” sound for those shots and only manage to get it like 1 out of 10 times. I think it’s because I try and get to handsy with it and don’t use any of the big muscle groups. I’m just not talented/don’t practice enough to use my hands like that.
Yea I am typically all shoulders and a little legs for those types of shots. My instructor used to chastise me for using my legs, but I told him it’s just a feel/timing thing and my results are so good he lets me do it now. But I am almost all shoulders on that stroke.
Typically I set up with 80% of my weight on my front foot, give it a forward shaft lean, take a few practice swings to see where on my lie I’m making contact with the ground. Then I set the ball up at approximately that spot. All shoulder stroke, keep my forward shaft lean, making sure to strike DOWN on it and don’t try to sweep it (have to tell myself that every time).
Works out of the bunker too as long as I make sure to follow through all the way on the shot.