06-10-2003, 02:09 PM
If you know anyone who plays seriously, have them go over grip and basic swing with you before you go out the first time.
Make several trips to the driving range before you ever play on a course. You really want to be at the point where most of swings make contact with the ball before you play a course :) Seriously though, I think I would count this as a point of etiquette that you should not venture onto a real golf course until you've hit a few hundred balls.
At the driving range, start with the 5 or 7 iron. I'd push a tee almost all the down and hit off that at first. Woods are kind of difficult to get the hang of.
You don't really need a wedge right now. If you actually enjoy the game after a few times out, a wedge would be the first extra club to add to your bag.
As far as time goes, 9 holes should take 2-3 hours. 18 holes should take 5-6 hours. When you decide to play on a course for the first time, I would look for a cheap course and play 9 holes. Around here that would cost about $10 (U.S.) per player. You do not want a lush, beautiful golf course with elevated greens, defined rough, pristine ponds, and glistening sand traps. What you want is a big flat hunk of land that someone put greens on and turned into a cheap golf course with as few obstacles as possible :) Depending on where you play, you may have to reserve a tee time in advance.
Have at least a dozen balls in your bag, probably more. You should only lose a few (depending on the course) but you don't want to run out. For tees, just buy a bag of them and it should last you a long time. Go for the cheap stuff... a new player will not notice the difference for the really expensive gear.
Etiquette, hmmm: Be willing to let faster people behind you "play through", unless you are usually being held up by the groups in front of you. Don't shoot until the group ahead of you is well past the area you are aiming for. Try to keep a good pace, but there is only so much you can do about that.
That's about it. Respect the rules of golf, but be willing to cheat a little if you get stuck (if you hit the same hazard more than once, pick up and move on before you lose too many balls and waste too much time).
Make several trips to the driving range before you ever play on a course. You really want to be at the point where most of swings make contact with the ball before you play a course :) Seriously though, I think I would count this as a point of etiquette that you should not venture onto a real golf course until you've hit a few hundred balls.
At the driving range, start with the 5 or 7 iron. I'd push a tee almost all the down and hit off that at first. Woods are kind of difficult to get the hang of.
You don't really need a wedge right now. If you actually enjoy the game after a few times out, a wedge would be the first extra club to add to your bag.
As far as time goes, 9 holes should take 2-3 hours. 18 holes should take 5-6 hours. When you decide to play on a course for the first time, I would look for a cheap course and play 9 holes. Around here that would cost about $10 (U.S.) per player. You do not want a lush, beautiful golf course with elevated greens, defined rough, pristine ponds, and glistening sand traps. What you want is a big flat hunk of land that someone put greens on and turned into a cheap golf course with as few obstacles as possible :) Depending on where you play, you may have to reserve a tee time in advance.
Have at least a dozen balls in your bag, probably more. You should only lose a few (depending on the course) but you don't want to run out. For tees, just buy a bag of them and it should last you a long time. Go for the cheap stuff... a new player will not notice the difference for the really expensive gear.
Etiquette, hmmm: Be willing to let faster people behind you "play through", unless you are usually being held up by the groups in front of you. Don't shoot until the group ahead of you is well past the area you are aiming for. Try to keep a good pace, but there is only so much you can do about that.
That's about it. Respect the rules of golf, but be willing to cheat a little if you get stuck (if you hit the same hazard more than once, pick up and move on before you lose too many balls and waste too much time).