Question:
Steph……Always remember this day……and Good Luck to you!!!!!!! Bev By perseverance the snail reached the ark!!!
Response:
I just played my first round of golf and WOW…
That first round of golf, like sex, is the most memorable if it isn’t too unpleasant. My first time on a course I hit a 224 yd par 3 within one foot of the hole (4th hole, 2nd par 3). This gave the feeling that I will be invincible in golf. Needless to say, I believe I have only hit that green once more on that course since. Nevertheless, the memory of that beautiful shot on my first time on an actual course will forever be one of my fondest golf memories. A shot like that is what keeps playing to this day. MJT
Response:
I just played my first round of golf and WOW…that was more fun than I think i’ve had in my adult life (well maybe except for one thing ;-o) . A freind who’s golfed before went with me and we went to a par 3 course. She asked if i wanted to play 9 or 18 and I said nine becuase i wasn’t sure what this was going to be like at all haha. Man now I was wishing I’d said 18 because i sure didn’t want to stop and the nine holes went by so fast i could’nt bleieve we were done already! I narrowly avoided disaster several times with my slicing 3 wood (ALMOST went in the water once haha, landed right behind a tree once, ALMOST in the woods another time), but generally kept the ball moving in the right direction. Felt so different than hitting on the range.. i mean i wasn’t thinking that much about swinging just getting the ball to the hole….had some shots that really felt awesome (at this point it doesn’t take much to make me feel good haha), one five iron that went real pretty and straight and one curving putt that went in, and one long putt (well maybe 20 feet..not sure thats "long" but for me it is haha) that went in. I had one three foot putt for a PAR but i choked LOL!….I was afriad that on a course i might get frustrated etc, but instead when i screwed up i just thought about the next shot and it was all so fun. I love chipping the most….I seem to have a better chance at chipping it close enough to the hole to make a putt, than i do of getting a real long putt close enough to get it in the next time. I am now in love with my PW. I need to buy a Sand Wedge as even this little par 3 has sand, to my surprise..luckily i didn’t end up in it this time though. My friend was real good at helping me to get in the habit of keeping aware of what else wsa going on on the course, to notice if we were holding anyone up (we did let a single play through us) and whether we were about to possibly be hit by a ball (which I almost was LOL). Anyway it was great…I got three 6’s, three 5’s and three 4’s. Right in that order too haha! NOthing to brag about for sure, but no cheating by improving lies and such. I never hit one green in one shot though…the greens are a lot smaller than i thought they would be…This little course is great for a newbie…you can play by yourself during the week, there were not many people there at all……I just got a new job and will be moving away though soon to Ohio for a couple of months and then to California, where my boyfriend is a avid golfer, and boy i can’t wait to be out there and be able to play even in the winter! Anyway thanks for the responses here to my original post and just wanted to let you know how much fun i had in my first "round" haha..man i’m REALLY hooked now! stephanie
Response:
Thanks alot for the responses! I feel more confident now that I’m on the right track 
…..and I’ve been thinking about the par 3 course thing and realized that if i can hit my 3 wood pretty much like i do at the range, it should end up in general vicinity of the green and maybe i won’t have many full iron shots anyway. There is a par 3 course right down the road from me that has very few people on it during the week (they will let you go by yourself), and my schedule is such that I can go on a weekday morning…have lined up a freind to go with me who will hopefully keep me from doing anything boneheaded ettiquette-wise LOL. I have read a lot about it but never been on a golf course. I have lesson this morning which will be on chipping/lpitching… can’t wait hehe …thanks again for the comments, they are appreciated and i have hope that sooner or later if i keep practicing i’ll be able to hit my irons halfway decently! stephanie
Response:
Stephanie Hi there,
Hello… Stephanie About a year ago I tried to teach myself to hit a golf ball,
Well I started just over a fortnight ago, good fun isn’t it. Stephanie and had some success although never got very consistent…
I think this must take years….and years….and years…. Stephanie Got a good set of clubs and started taking lessons. I’ve had two lessons so far, and for the past week and a half have been practicing every day, mostly with a 7 iron.
I’m jealous. I’ve got a half set of pinseekers and doubt I could afford lessons. Stephanie Keep arms connected to chest etc.
No. Arms connected to shoulders, they fall off otherwise. Stephanie I’m almost afraid that by practicing I might be making it worse…
How are we going to get better without practice? Stephanie so my question is, is this normal just to have trouble making solid contact with the ball, is it a hand/eye coordination thing that will get easier just from doing it….
I found keeping my eye on the ball until I hit it very difficult at first but it seems essential. Stephanie ….I’m getting worried because during my last lesson the instructor had me hit a 3 wood and I have little trouble with that…
Woah…a wood…I’ll have to get round to that….I seem to slice 5 irons and 3 irons really badly about 50% of the time, I shudder to think what damage I could do with a wood. Stephanie I can hit that pretty reliably about 170 yards off a tee and the instructor told me that after my next lesson (which is tomorrow, i can’t wait!), which will be on chipping and pitching, that I needed to go and play on a par-3 course.
I’ve played 5 rounds on a par three course in the past 2 weeks and if I were you I wouldn’t worry too much. In my (admittedly very limited) experience most people going round a par three course are beginners/ very casual golfers… isn’t that what these courses are for. I took in the mid 50’s strokes to go round first time ( with a couple of friends ). I’ve been round a few times on my own and manage it in about 40 now. I think having that hole to aim for does wonders for the concentration and will help no end. I know it’s embarassing to stand there and tee off with other people looking on ( luckily the course local to me is not very busy during the week and the rain, which is quite warm for the time of year, keeps people away ) but you can always let them play through. Besides as a single ( I’m assuming by the tone of your message you will be playing on your own, forgive me if I am wrong ) you can take twice as many strokes and still be as quick as a two player game. Ignore everybody else on the course, most of them seem to be too worried about looking prats themselves to watch what you are doing. Stephanie I have been practicing putting every day too and don’t feel that i’m totally hopeless in that area haha… But I feel it might be absurd to go to even a par-3 course if I can’t hit my irons with any kind of regularity or predictability….any other recent newbies to golf want to share thier experiences with me via email?
This seems a friendly group ( mostly ). Do it here, I think they’ll love you for it. I guess a lot of people starting out in golf will subscribe to this group and can only benefit from reading the experiences of other of us ‘newbies’. Stephanie I really love it and will never give up, was just curious as to if my experience is normal. Can’t wait to feel competent enough to play the game and someday i want to be good at it if possible…also i’ll be moving to CA before winter so….ALL YEAR ROUND hehehe……thanks a lot
Over here in England I’m looking forward to all year round golf as well….it’s just the thought of finding a white ball in all that snow that’s worrying me. Relax huh. It’s just a game after all. All the best. Nathan. Even in dreams good works are not wasted. <Pedro Calderon de La Barca
Response:
I’m not discouraged so much as concerned LOL. I’m almost afraid that by practicing I might be making it worse…so my question is, is this normal just to have trouble making solid contact with the ball,
Stephanie, Yup, it’s normal! I only started last October, and didn’t go out onto a golf course until February or so (of course, weather had a bit to do with it, I live in DC Metro area). Hang in there! is it a hand/eye coordination thing that will get easier just from doing it….
I don’t think it’s a hand/eye thing so much as it is a tension/weight shift thing. If you are striking the ball at all, then you’ve got the appropriate hand-eye coordination skills. do you guys think of hitting the ball when you swing or do you just think of swinging and not specifically of the ball…just swinging and the ball happens to be in the way….
I do a little of both. I find that if I don’t focus on the ball a little bit, then my mind tends to wander off. However, I spend a LOT LESS time focused on the ball as compared to when I first started. A good pre-shot routine is essential to learn right away. I’m getting worried because during my last lesson the instructor had me hit a 3 wood and I have little trouble with that…I can hit that pretty reliably about 170 yards off a tee and the instructor told me that after my next lesson (which is tomorrow, i can’t wait!), which will be on chipping and pitching, that I needed to go and play on a par-3 course. I have been practicing putting every day too and don’t feel that i’m totally hopeless in that area haha… But I feel it might be absurd to go to even a par-3 course if I can’t hit my irons with any kind of regularity or predictability….
Hey, don’t worry about this. You’ll fit right in with the rest of the crowd on a par-3 course! Really, I think you have great distance and are headed in the right direction. There’s nothing like playing a round to bring some things into focus. However, I will tell you that the best thing to do as a beginner, is to learn to keep pace. If you find that you are taking way too many strokes, pick up the ball until the next hole. But remember, you’ll have paid your money, and you have every right to be out there to enjoy the game (if you can!). Have fun! Eric
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practicing I might be making it worse…so my question is, is this normal just to have trouble making solid contact with the ball, is it a hand/eye coordination thing that will get easier just from doing it…. do you guys think of hitting the ball when you swing or do you just think of swinging and not specifically of the ball…just swinging and the ball happens to be in the
Yes, this is normal. It takes a while to get the hang of it. When I first started, I could hardly get the ball off the ground. Two years later, I’m doing fine. I’m reaching my goals. I’m not "good" yet, but I’m getting there. As far as the other thing goes – if you swing the club properly, you *will* hit the ball. So don’t worry about the ball. If you’re "ball focused", you’ll tense up at impact and screw up your shot. Hang in there, — "Consider this rule of thumb: To the extent that philosophical positions both confuse and close doors to further inquiry, they are likely to be wrong." -Edward O. Wilson
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Can’t wait to feel competent enough to play the game and someday i want to be good at it if possible…
It’s possible, alright. If *I* can get good enough to have fun playing, then *anyone* can. ;-) Don’t concern yourself too much with "hitting" the ball. Think instead about feeling the weight of the clubhead SWINGING. That’ll get you started thinking about your natural swing rhythm, which will lead to other important discoveries over time. Some people are "naturals," and pick it up pretty quickly. Others (like me) take years to start to "get it." The most important discovery I made somewhere along the way was that the athletic tendencies we learn from other sports (to HIT the ball!!) are counter-productive to an effective golf swing. They create tense muscles, and tense muscles don’t function the way you need them to in golf. Randy
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If you are just starting in golf, what you need is practice, practice, and then some more practice. Many touring pros hit hundreds of practice balls daily. Also, vary your ball position forward or back until you are catching the ball solid. To hit a ball properly off the ground, you can think of hitting ‘down and thru’ it. Hit the ball first and take some grass after the ball if you want to. Don’t try to help the ball up into the air. Your club loft will do that for you automatically. I think you are doing well. Have fun and good luck. Larry
Response:
Hi there, About a year ago I tried to teach myself to hit a golf ball, and had some success although never got very consistent…I just hit balls in a park with a 9 and 5 iron….then winter set in and I didn’t do it anymore. But I’ve been wanting to learn for a long time and a few weeks ago decided to just start over again and try to do it right. Got a good set of clubs and started taking lessons. I’ve had two lessons so far, and for the past week and a half have been practicing every day, mostly with a 7 iron. Taking lessons I think is so great, I was doing it all wrong when i was trying to teach myself. So my instructor has not overwhelmed me with technical details, but just the basic swing/weight shift and hip turn deal. Keep arms connected to chest etc. When I practice swing it feels great and smooth and the same every time, and I brush the ground, but when i try to hit a ball, it is always a mishit, usually topped to some extent. I had one day a week ago when I actually hit about 20 in a row that felt "right"..straight and high and nice, effortless…only 120 yards with 7 iron but i thought that was just fine….I thought I had finally "figured it out" LOL!. Since then though i’m having a devil of a time..every day i practice and i go slow, take practice swing at something on the ground, make sure i hit it, step up to ball and it always feels horrible, even if it does go in the air (which maybe one out of 10 does) it doesn’t go as far or feel "right" like those that i hit that one time last week. My instructor says that I’m not that far off as the random flight of the balls would suggest, that just a "little" bit off makes such a big difference and not to be discouraged. Well I’m not discouraged so much as concerned LOL. I’m almost afraid that by practicing I might be making it worse…so my question is, is this normal just to have trouble making solid contact with the ball, is it a hand/eye coordination thing that will get easier just from doing it…. do you guys think of hitting the ball when you swing or do you just think of swinging and not specifically of the ball…just swinging and the ball happens to be in the way….I’m getting worried because during my last lesson the instructor had me hit a 3 wood and I have little trouble with that…I can hit that pretty reliably about 170 yards off a tee and the instructor told me that after my next lesson (which is tomorrow, i can’t wait!), which will be on chipping and pitching, that I needed to go and play on a par-3 course. I have been practicing putting every day too and don’t feel that i’m totally hopeless in that area haha… But I feel it might be absurd to go to even a par-3 course if I can’t hit my irons with any kind of regularity or predictability….any other recent newbies to golf want to share thier experiences with me via email? I really love it and will never give up, was just curious as to if my experience is normal. Can’t wait to feel competent enough to play the game and someday i want to be good at it if possible…also i’ll be moving to CA before winter so….ALL YEAR ROUND hehehe……thanks a lot stephanie