06-10-2003, 02:58 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-10-2003, 03:02 PM by Occhidiangela.)
The cheap stuff is fine, your swing can carry you to a 10 handicap if you build it reasonably well and putt with even modest competence -- using cheap clubs. Take it from one who knows. :) Used sets, sets of models that have closed out and are on clearance are all effective ways to get decent clubs without breaking the bank.
I can't emphasize that enough. Do not go and buy a whole bunch of clubs, what you have is good enough to start with. Take the time, and the 60-100 dollars, to find a pro and get him or her to teach you:
Proper grip.
(Ben Hogan's book, and Harvey Pennick's book are also excellent sources of how to do that, as is Jack Nicklaus' 'Golf My Way'. )
Proper stance. Proper body position Proper fooot and leg action.
The golf swing is a matter of winding and unwinding a spring. You store energy, anchored by your feet, then release it as you swing the club. The back swing stores the energy, the down swing, which DOES NOT START WITH THE HANDS, releases it. (A subtle weight shift and letting your hands drop down into 'the slot' about waist high are usually what create the most effective ball contact. BUT GET A PRO TO HELP YOU.) Each golf swing should be built to the person. Mine wont help you, (it don't help me much) Trevino's could not help Palmer, and Tiger Woods' swing cant help David Duval.
How to get from the top of the back swing to the release point to the follow through, and the need to swing through the ball, and all that fundamental detail, is why a teaching pro is critical.
My only golf regret is that I did not take lessons the first day. After two plus years of hacking about, I took lessons, and have been undoing the damage ever since, 18 years later. :) I have studied the golf swing in detail, too much so, and sadly stopped playing in 1997 for a few years due to both injuries and lack of affordable courses. I am back at it, and on the long road to recovering my best handicap, an 11. I am at 18 right now.
About clubs.
The best thing to do is find used clubs, and buy them. Your starter set is fine to start with and good to learn to hit with, but yes, you do need a sand wedge, and a pitching wedge, and pretty soon. A 9 iron out of a trap requires that you open the face a great deal and hit about 2 inches behind the ball with a full follow through. A sand wedge makes the whole evolution easier.
How big are you? If you are between 5 foot eight and six foot, chances are a standard set will take care of you. The golf clubs need to fit you. If you are really short or really tall, consider getting or finding clubs with a flat, for short, or upright, for tall, lie. (That refers to the angle between the ground and the shaft with the club head resting on the ground.
Oh yeah, once the pro gives you lessons, practice, even if only once per week, but practice what he taught you. Practice thoughts are best focused on 'what to do' rather than what not to do. <=== Read that again. Don't take it up without lessons from a professional, and don't 'accept tips from friends' unless they are very low handicappers or went to college on a golf scholarship . . . unless all you want to do is flog (it is golf backwards for a reason) about and dig big holes in the ground and break windows in the parking lot and drink beer. Those are all fun to do also, been there, done that. :)
Proper grip, stance, ball and body position are without a doubt the things you need to learn way early so you don't have to un learn them.
I love golf. I hate golf. Golf is great, but it is way more fun if you have an inkling about what you are doing. A very modest investment in lessons will save you thousands in club costs (buying a better game) in the future.
Paid political announcement: golf is meant for walking. If at all possible, walk the 18. It will keep the muscles warm for your swing, and allow you to enjoy a touch of exercise while you hunt the white spheroid.
Best of luck, golf is great, but like Diablo II, it can be addictive.
PS: if the belly aint pointed at the target in the follow through, chances are swing needs work. Learn what pronation and supination are (the rotation of your arms about their long axis) and why that is the key to solid contact.
I can't emphasize that enough. Do not go and buy a whole bunch of clubs, what you have is good enough to start with. Take the time, and the 60-100 dollars, to find a pro and get him or her to teach you:
Proper grip.
(Ben Hogan's book, and Harvey Pennick's book are also excellent sources of how to do that, as is Jack Nicklaus' 'Golf My Way'. )
Proper stance. Proper body position Proper fooot and leg action.
The golf swing is a matter of winding and unwinding a spring. You store energy, anchored by your feet, then release it as you swing the club. The back swing stores the energy, the down swing, which DOES NOT START WITH THE HANDS, releases it. (A subtle weight shift and letting your hands drop down into 'the slot' about waist high are usually what create the most effective ball contact. BUT GET A PRO TO HELP YOU.) Each golf swing should be built to the person. Mine wont help you, (it don't help me much) Trevino's could not help Palmer, and Tiger Woods' swing cant help David Duval.
How to get from the top of the back swing to the release point to the follow through, and the need to swing through the ball, and all that fundamental detail, is why a teaching pro is critical.
My only golf regret is that I did not take lessons the first day. After two plus years of hacking about, I took lessons, and have been undoing the damage ever since, 18 years later. :) I have studied the golf swing in detail, too much so, and sadly stopped playing in 1997 for a few years due to both injuries and lack of affordable courses. I am back at it, and on the long road to recovering my best handicap, an 11. I am at 18 right now.
About clubs.
The best thing to do is find used clubs, and buy them. Your starter set is fine to start with and good to learn to hit with, but yes, you do need a sand wedge, and a pitching wedge, and pretty soon. A 9 iron out of a trap requires that you open the face a great deal and hit about 2 inches behind the ball with a full follow through. A sand wedge makes the whole evolution easier.
How big are you? If you are between 5 foot eight and six foot, chances are a standard set will take care of you. The golf clubs need to fit you. If you are really short or really tall, consider getting or finding clubs with a flat, for short, or upright, for tall, lie. (That refers to the angle between the ground and the shaft with the club head resting on the ground.
Oh yeah, once the pro gives you lessons, practice, even if only once per week, but practice what he taught you. Practice thoughts are best focused on 'what to do' rather than what not to do. <=== Read that again. Don't take it up without lessons from a professional, and don't 'accept tips from friends' unless they are very low handicappers or went to college on a golf scholarship . . . unless all you want to do is flog (it is golf backwards for a reason) about and dig big holes in the ground and break windows in the parking lot and drink beer. Those are all fun to do also, been there, done that. :)
Proper grip, stance, ball and body position are without a doubt the things you need to learn way early so you don't have to un learn them.
I love golf. I hate golf. Golf is great, but it is way more fun if you have an inkling about what you are doing. A very modest investment in lessons will save you thousands in club costs (buying a better game) in the future.
Paid political announcement: golf is meant for walking. If at all possible, walk the 18. It will keep the muscles warm for your swing, and allow you to enjoy a touch of exercise while you hunt the white spheroid.
Best of luck, golf is great, but like Diablo II, it can be addictive.
PS: if the belly aint pointed at the target in the follow through, chances are swing needs work. Learn what pronation and supination are (the rotation of your arms about their long axis) and why that is the key to solid contact.
Cry 'Havoc' and let slip the Men 'O War!
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete
In War, the outcome is never final. --Carl von Clausewitz--
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum
John 11:35 - consider why.
In Memory of Pete