Health & Wellness

Girl’s Guide to Golf: How to Get Started (& Why Guys Are So Obssessed With It)

June 8, 2012COMtnMom

My father has loved golfing for years. When my brother entered his teen years, he got a job at a Pro Shop and joined our dad on the greens.

Later on, working in an office in my 20’s, I found half the male population obsessed with this same sport and used to wonder to myself, “What is it with guys, and golfing? What’s the big deal?”

It seemed a little silly to me. And it certainly seemed dull and uninteresting. I really couldn’t figure out what the draw was?

Until I finally tried it for myself a few years ago, and I now find myself hopeless hooked. This is one of my absolute favorite outdoor activities! Allow me to explain why. But first …

Why are Guys So Obsessed With Golf?

I’m sure there are deeper sociological reasons at play here than what I’ll even pretend to understand, when it comes to this topic.

It’s true the golf course for many men still appears to be the equivalent of a Man Cave at home. Women don’t (generally, as often as men, at least from my parents generation) golf. “Honey, I’m going golfing with the guys…” You know, that type of thing.

I don’t want to talk about that in too much depth. It irritates me.

What I can speak to, however, is what I personally have discovered to be so enjoyable about the sport of golf. We need more women out there on the course, so check this out…

Why You Should Take a Swing at Golf

There is a science to it

I quickly discovered there is way more to this sport than I realized. Golfers aren’t just randomly grabbing woods or irons (different clubs) out of those golf bags. They are numbered, with different lengths, and different angles to each head. You can learn how to select which to use, based on the shot you are about to make. It’s not dull at all!

Knowledge alone can make you play better

This is one of the aspects of golf that I found intriguing. How far, and how well, you hit the ball is not strictly a matter of strength. It’s all about having a good technique (your swing), selecting the right club, and allowing the club to do the work for you. I find this cerebral aspect to the game particularly challenging and enjoyable.

It’s an excuse to be outside

I’m embarrassed to admit how I underestimated this enjoyment-factor of the game. Golfing a round of 9 holes can take about 1 1/2 hours. What a great way to spend some time out in the sun! And the courses are always varied, (green!) and beautiful.

Good source of exercise

Ok, I seriously doubt this is one of the reasons why guys are obsessed with golf. But for us girls, it’s always a nice incentive. Especially for beginners – golf at an Executive Course (it’s shorter). Then you can skip the cart rental, and walk!

Golfing in Fall with the Family — My parents and daughter on a course in South Dakota. Call ahead if you have a child tagging along - many courses only allow golfers on the greens.

Girl’s Guide to Golf: How to Get Started

So if you’ve been curious to try golfing – where should you start?

1. Take some lessons.

A girlfriend of mine approached me with the idea of taking a series of 3 lessons from a Golf Pro at a local golf course, and sharing the instructor and cost. This worked really slick, and turned out to be a fantastic idea.

So we took the lessons together. He would show us a technique. One would practice, and he would give the other one direct tips/advice. Then we’d switch. It was more than enough attention, and it was much more affordable (and frankly, less intimidating) to share the class.

Once you start playing golf, you will quickly start to develop your swing, and later on it’s very difficult to change it. Having a good swing, and knowing what you’re doing on the course, goes a long way in golf.

I know many women who dabble in golfing, but don’t enjoy it. When that is the case, there’s a good chance it’s because they’re lousy at it – so it takes forever for them to complete a game, they slow their entire group up waiting for them, and they get frustrated and exhausted by how many strokes it takes to finally get that little ball onto the putting green. You don’t want that. It’s not fun.

So do yourself a huge favor, and start out right. Have a Golf Pro teach you how to do it correctly from the beginning. It will make a huge difference, and you will never regret it.

2. Get yourself some cheap gear.

Until you know that you like it, or get really good – buy some cheap clubs. Unless you become a fairly advanced golfer, your choice in clubs is not going to make that much difference in your game or playing abilities.

My Golf Pro explained to us that the engineering technology has advanced to the point where even the cheap clubs at places like Walmart are light and of decent quality. Start with those, or maybe even find yourself a used set. If you are tall, grab a men’s set instead of a women’s set – the only difference is the length. I’m 5′ 10″, and use a men’s set.

You will also need a golf bag. If you plan to walk at all (which I love, and recommend) you’ll want one with a comfortable carrying strap. They make some with a backpack style strap, which distributes the weight evenly across your back. This is my personal favorite.

They also have a kickstand which should spring out automatically when you place your bag on the ground, leaving it stable and propped up, allowing you to select your club when you’re ready to swing. Make sure your bag does this smoothly and readily.

3. Research courses to keep your costs down.

Golf can be expensive. If it’s too unreasonable for your budget, it will prohibit you from going. You do have options to cut down on costs, however.

Walk instead of rent a cart. Golf 9 holes instead of 18. Time-wise, this is often more realistic, anyways!

Be sure to call and shop around amongst your local courses to compare green fees (what they charge for golfing 9 or 18 holes), how much cart rental is, and whether they run any “Twilight” specials (starting your round after a certain time, usually 4 or 5 PM). There is a huge range in prices. Municipal courses, for example, are often much less expensive than private ones.

4. Make a tee-time and hit the greens!

A “tee-time” is your reservation for when your golfing party gets their turn to start golfing at the first hole.

You pretty much always need to call ahead and make a tee-time reservation. They will ask how many in your party. If it’s more than 4, you’ll need to split up into two groups, with two tee-times, a few minutes apart.