[boyimace]

Okay I took up golf a few weeks ago, finally managed to learn the swing and on my second 18th round ever, I shot 72 on the first 9 holes then a 52 (its a 9 hole course) is that any good? I'm currently building my bag, have a 2nd hand set of Ben Sayers Irons, a MD Golf Putter, 3 Wood and Hybrid Wood. Have on order Ben Sayers M1 Driver and some Nike balls.

What I wanted to ask is is there anything else I should have, what are the utility woods and what instructional books/dvd's are worth it, don't want to fork out for lessons yet, is there any instructional aids (like the David Leadbetter thing) that work?

Okay thanks

[johnscarlet]

Before you buy any gadgets , buy lessons

John

[PhilNUK]

definitely get lessons with a Professional at a course nearby. It will be pricey but well worthwhile! I had lessons in the early 90's wit ha professional at a local club and it cost me £12 for half an hour. I was about 13 at the time.
It taught me so much in half an hour. I really perfected my swing too.
I had about 4 lessons before being skint and running out of birthday money. I would have carried on for ages if I could.

[Greg]

I'm currently having a few lessons and they cost me £18 for half hour. Well worth it and definitely better than getting decent kit first. These instructional aids/books are all very well and good but no comparison to having a one on one lesson with a pro.

I'm still crap though, but now I've had a few lessons, I'm slightly less crap than I was

[boyimace]

Okay thanks guys, looks like i'll be forking out for some lessons then !!

[Big_Pun]

find a book about putting to help u there. otherwise, you'll need a few lessons to get your swing sorted first. then you can buy clubs according to the tempo and style of your swing. but knocking off 20 shots from one round to another is a good effort. better than i did first time!
and don't use Nike golfballs. they've only got the name, nothing else. when strating, the best balls to use are Top Flite xl balls.

[chrisw]

Disagree about Nike balls... I've used them for a couple of years now and think they're pretty good - I use them mostly for practicing and find them to have a nice feel and they go pretty well - I'm playing off 7.

Get lessons and put loads of hours in at the range. The temptation is to go and play all the time, but getting the muscle memory of a good swing is very important... and also spend as much time learning to put as possible.

[M-C-P-M]

Right, first thing how old are your irons? if they are more than, say, 10 years get rid of them, the old blade irons are not for the likes of anyone over 10 handicap!
a more modern cavity backed club is what you should start with, when you have lessons the pro will tell you that anyway.
As for what sort of golf ball you use 99.9% of us keen weekend golfers wouldn't know the difference between a pro V and a commando get down to a 10/15 handicap and and you'll start to find out what the balls will do.
Definately have some lessons, and practice and when you practice start with your short irons SW PW and work your way up to the big stick but remember "drivings for show putting's for dough" you can rescue a bad game if you can putt. But most of all enjoy

[Big_Pun]

i think golf balls are a personal thing. i'm playing of 3 now and still love the Top Flite xl's. just depends on what you prefer hitting, as well as a mental thing. i think titleist balls put me off cos they're so expensive, so i play a lot more defensively with them so not to lose them, whereas i'm not to worried about losin the top flites and so play a lot better.

[domtheone]

Originally Posted by the_caretaker

Right, first thing how old are your irons? if they are more than, say, 10 years get rid of them, the old blade irons are not for the likes of anyone over 10 handicap!

Yep. I have a set of blades and the irons (below 5iron) are very hard to use, especially if i'm not playing well (current handicap around 10ish)

Originally Posted by the_caretaker

As for what sort of golf ball you use 99.9% of us keen weekend golfers wouldn't know the difference between a pro V and a commando get down to a 10/15 handicap and and you'll start to find out what the balls will do.

This is true. Once you get going though you won't want to touch a Commando ball though .

Nothing like the feel of a Pro V1 though at nearly £3 a time you'll end up in tears if you dump one in the lake

Huge difference in cheap/expensive balls when it comes to control (say holding it on the green) too but I guess that'll be of little interest until your regulary finding the greens from your approach play.

[lostinspace]

Don't forget a pair of daft trousers. They seem to make people play better

[Henry]

Definitely buy lessons. So many people spend money on clubs, balls, gadgets, books & videos when actually they'd be better spending the money on lessons.

Getting a pro to sort you out with a decent set up is essential. It will save you so much heartache in the long run and is the best investment you could make.

Once you've done that buy one of those Rescue Fairway/Utility Woods, they're ace!

Balls can make a difference. I've got a mate who plays off 2 and he wouldn't use anything but a Pro-Vi. His dad's off 3 and he will use just about any scabby old thing - so who knows!

[Phil Hinton]

Been trying to play for about 2 years now and only now am I starting to get consistant. I would echo the views to get yourself some lessons, the best money spent when starting out.The last thing you want is bad habits that are hard to change after time. Also the biggest difference to my game recently was a set of new clubs I had fitted for me at my local American Golf store, they sorted me with the right club weight, steel shafts due to the power I generate through the swing (had Calloways with graphite shafts which I bought second hand, these were dumped straight away) and they watched my swing etc to determine the correct club. Ended up with Mizuno MX17 irons which were not overly expensive (about £250) and I am hitting the ball a full club better than I was, and straight as well which brings on the confidence. Just need to sort myself with some steel shafted woods as I can hit a mates 3 wood steel a good 250yds straight, but finding a set in todays graphite world is hard. Still have a 24 handicap but I am so much more confident that my recent scores have improved by 10 strokes each time. I'm playing Slayley Hall tomorrow, so no doubt my confidence will drain on the championship grade course.

I am certainly getting the bug for it now and getting more lessons!

[huntere]

Originally Posted by domtheone

Huge difference in cheap/expensive balls when it comes to control (say holding it on the green) too but I guess that'll be of little interest until your regulary finding the greens from your approach play.

Yes indeed and thats why "beginners" should avoid performance golf balls. Pro V1's (and any other 3 peice ball) will take a lot more spin and therefore control BUT put cut spin (= slice) on a Pro V and the effects will be much more damaging than on a Top Flite.

Also irrespective of losing them, a miss hit Top Flite will withstand the impact far better than a Pro V. The best I have found ProV will last is about 27 holes - and thats without serious mi****s. A Top Flite will double that.

Remember the good old Balata's: one bunker shot - even well hit - and ball dead!

Irrespective of lessons, clubs etc try and play to your handicap. If starting call it 28. That way you have a shot on every hole and 2 on 10 of them. So a par 4 you play a as par 5. Too many people don't use it and waste shots trying to play like Seve. It takes the pressure of you and your scores will tumble down.

[boyimace]

Cool, thanks for all the info, i'm booking a block of lessons and even got addicted to Sky Golf Channel and the Sky Pro Shop Channel, I'm starting to dream about the K1 Speed!! (Anyone got one? Any good?)

[scrapbook]

Originally Posted by boyimace

and even got addicted to Sky Golf Channel

Keep an eye open for the 'Big Break'

[Tomtt]

Golf is a wonderful sport! I'm an addict too, but am an average golfer myself. In my view, golf is probably the most technical sport, but when you hit that sweet spot (infrequently in my case), it's a great sensation! One of the best part of golf is the 19th hole though!


re: K1. Question to ask yourself is do any of the top pro's use this club? I believe it's best to save your £169 on lessons.

[chrisw]

Don't buy a thing from those TV shops - go into any decent pro shop and you will not see any of the tat they sell on the TV in a shop...

Another good tip, and this may sound really obvious, is watch where the ball goes when you hit it... the number of new golfers I play with who have no idea where there ball finished is amazing - it won't improve your golf, but will stop your playing partners getting in a huff with you!

[boyimace]

Haha ok guys, i'm leaving the k1 speed alone, can't hit a driver quite right now anyway, i'm not quite hitting the sweet spot and its going grass cutting most of the time, but my irons for some reason are pretty good, even my 3 iron isn't too bad. Thanks for all the responses I'm going to the range now, think their grass is getting long

[Crocodile JD]

A mate of mine went for the K1 we all had a knock with it and unaninously told him to send it back. Great marketing but not a great club.

Croc

[boyimace]

ta croc, i've been playing with a taylormade driver and ben sayers and and have decided to go for the Ben Sayers, big loft and offset too, perfect for me right now and dirt cheap.

[hornydragon]

I am considering taking up golf and have seen that the local council are doing a set of 10 lessons 1 hour a week for £60 now it might not be wonderful 1:1 coaching but its about all i am prepared to pay ATM and i think it should be a good intro into the game

[CFC1]

Horny, fancy meeting you on this forum... That's exactly how I started. You will learn the basics (grip, stance, ball positioning etc) and they will stand you in good stead to consistently hit better shots. This in turn will keep you interested and keen to play more!

[hornydragon]

Originally Posted by CFC1

Horny, fancy meeting you on this forum...

well £6 an hour seems pretty good to me and its a chance to meet some people have a laugh etc the missus is always telling me to get out and off the PC more.............Doesnt say if i have to have my own clubs or balls or owt (was hoping not)

[CFC1]

Originally Posted by hornydragon

Doesnt say if i have to have my own clubs or balls or owt (was hoping not)

When I did the course, they provided clubs (though I had to procure a couple for myself, cos I play left handed and they didn't have any of those!). They will provide balls.

Ring them up to confirm. If they don't, try to borrow a few, rather than buying at this stage, cos you will need to be properly measured up/fitted for a set, if you get serious....

[Greg]

£6 an hour seems pretty cheap to me. Currently paying £18 for half an hour. Although this is for one on one training. Had one on Saturday just gone and he's managed to cure my slicing problem. Well pleased. Still crap, but at least occassionally it does go forward and straight.

[rags]

Wonderful game - I have been playing for over 10 years now. Initially made the mistake of buying a cheap set of blades which I played with for a year before getting some cavity clubs - what a difference !! I was middling everything (or at least it felt like it).

I have been playing off 10 for nearly 2 years now but just cant seem to drop down to single digits.

[huntere]

Originally Posted by rags

I have been playing off 10 for nearly 2 years now but just cant seem to drop down to single digits.

Be careful what you wish for!

I got cut to 6 last year and have really struggled - only played to it a couple fo times!

Can't decide now whether to let myself drift back to something a little more manageable day to day or have some lessons and go for it and see if I can get my name in bold - at least once!

After today I could give it all away - it was bloody tough - back tees into the wind but I'm sure I'll be lured back!

[Big_Pun]

wots the worst thing anyone's done in anger on the golf course? when i started a few years back, i was a very angry kid and broke clubs, swore, did everything if i had a bad shot (or 50!) However, since then, i've been as good as the Pope on the course until last friday when i broke my favourite club (titleist vokey 60 degree lob wedge) , and in anger picked it up to throw it away. Unfortunately, i managed to catch the shaft of my club on my arm and ended up slashing it open. Although, i must say, the service at Mount Vernon Hospital in Northwood, though bland and rather dampning, was quick and efficient, so hats off to them

[booyaka]

Originally Posted by GregHook

he's managed to cure my slicing problem

don't you worry - it will be back!!!

Currently fighting the dreaded slice myself of the tee!

Started playing about 15 years ago as a kid but played more regularly in the last 4 years or so - down from 19 to 11 but struggling to get down under this as i don;t have time to practise as much as i like.

Defo lessons are a must - but you must be willing to work at the things you are taught otherwise it's useless!!!