How did you get into golf?

[Ghostwedge]

On 7/28/2022 at 12:22 AM, bobfoster said:

Ha! one of my best employees (and a dear friend) lives in Alabama. Told him about this and he said us northerners were boring - the guys with guns weren't even trying to shoot golf balls while riding on tractors. Sent me a video (that I'd seen before and really love - the modern south ... shoot bullets at the moon!)

 

 

 

Know a guy who calls that "hillbilly rap" 😅

[rd1959]

On 7/29/2022 at 10:39 PM, jordan2240 said:

Oh yeah.  Had one open a few miles from where I grew up.  It was a huge hit for a short time until the novelty wore off and people got tired of having to place an order for everything and wait for it to come out of the warehouse.  I suppose it prevented shoplifting, which perhaps was supposed to keep prices down, but they apparently weren't low enough.

We had Service Merchandise in our city. Same type of store.

[jordan2240]

2 hours ago, rd1959 said:

We had Service Merchandise in our city. Same type of store.

I recall having one of those nearby as well.  We also had a Jewelcor, which was the same format but mostly jewelry.

[Short Bucket]

When I was 10 our family built a house just down the street from the 15th hole at Colonial Country Club in Ft. Worth.  That was 1961.  In May of '62 the Colonial N.I.T. was being played and I had a friend from my Little League team ask me if I'd like to go to the tournament. We went and, since his family had a membership at Colonial, we got to roam around the golf shop and go back into the dressing room where the players were.  Well, there's a short hallway to get there and who but Arnold Palmer was walking toward us.  He smiled at us and said, "What can I do for you boys?"  I gave him my pairing sheet and got his autograph.  I thought, this is cool. 

 

Later that day or maybe the next, I can't recall, I was on the 15th fairway and watched Jerry Barber slightly mishit his approach shot and saw the ball go into the ankle deep water near the green.  I waited until the gallery following his group moved on, then took my tennis shoes off and fished for the ball with my feet.  It was a new, bright white Spalding Dot with just the hint of a crease in it from the previous shot.  

 

That summer, my dad bought me a left handed 7 iron (I threw right, batted left in LL) with the red putter grip you'd see at the local Putt-Putt.  We had a huge field behind the house and I wore that ball out for I don't know how many days.  For those that remember these things, there was something called S&H Green Stamps that issued these stamps at the grocery store checkout stand, which could be redeemed for merchandise.  We had a ton of those stamps laying around the house, so I filled up enough booklets to get a dozen balls.  For my birthday, my parents bought a limited set of clubs and a Sunday bag from Montgomery Ward.

 

For the following two summers, I remember riding my bike with my skinny bag over to Worth Hills Golf Course to play under a one-time payment of $37.50 summer pass for kids, which my mom purchased.  Maybe the best two summers I ever had.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2022 by Short Bucket

[Mcfly]

I was ten years old, at the swimming pool at Noble Park in Paducah, Ky.  My mom came and got me and said we’re going to play golf with her friend Charlotte and her son Curt.  That was 1968.  First time I played golf. That was about 11,000 rounds ago.   

[HoosierHacker89]

Playing golf is a privilege I do firmly believe that. My start in the game was almost out of necessity. I was a troubled teenager in middle school. Getting kicked out of class, suspended, failing classes, nearly getting held back, always arguing with my stepfather, and a big stoner. I was headed down a dark path if I didn’t get my act together, and God put a lot of change into my heart. I got to high school, and I decided that I was tired to getting in so much trouble and failing classes. I joined a few clubs and made new friends when I started high school. My parents were poor, and they were horrible with managing money (frankly still are). My parents divorced when I was 3 or 4 years old, so time I spent with my dad was always so precious to me. He LOVES to play golf, and dad always wanted me to go to college. I joined the golf tee for something to do to keep me out of trouble,  get free golf and get to spend more time with my dad. I’m 33, so Tigermania was at its peak during my youthful years. Between seeing Tiger play on TV and getting to hang out with my dad more I was hooked. 17 years later and I’m more obsessed with the game than ever! My son is 6 months old, and I am so excited to get to introduce him to the game in the next few years. 

[Wonder Bread]

I grew up on a country club and my yard backed into a par 4s green.  I started playing when i was 5, working there when i was 10 shagging the range by hand.  My older brother worked there before me.  My parents were members and both played. My Grandfathers both played etc...

 

The 86 masters happened.

 

I never had a chance

 

 

Edited September 15, 2022 by Wonder Bread

[Wonder Bread]

On 8/3/2022 at 9:19 PM, HoosierHacker89 said:

Playing golf is a privilege I do firmly believe that. My start in the game was almost out of necessity. I was a troubled teenager in middle school. Getting kicked out of class, suspended, failing classes, nearly getting held back, always arguing with my stepfather, and a big stoner. I was headed down a dark path if I didn’t get my act together, and God put a lot of change into my heart. I got to high school, and I decided that I was tired to getting in so much trouble and failing classes. I joined a few clubs and made new friends when I started high school. My parents were poor, and they were horrible with managing money (frankly still are). My parents divorced when I was 3 or 4 years old, so time I spent with my dad was always so precious to me. He LOVES to play golf, and dad always wanted me to go to college. I joined the golf tee for something to do to keep me out of trouble,  get free golf and get to spend more time with my dad. I’m 33, so Tigermania was at its peak during my youthful years. Between seeing Tiger play on TV and getting to hang out with my dad more I was hooked. 17 years later and I’m more obsessed with the game than ever! My son is 6 months old, and I am so excited to get to introduce him to the game in the next few years. 

 

 

This is what its all about.  Great story and proof that Golf is bigger than the game.

 

 

[PhilsFanDrew]

One of my college roommates was an avid golfer so I had joined him at the driving range a couple times.  He said for never having played I could play 18 and not look out of place.  Even so I didn't really have much interest.  I only went with him if I was bored and had nothing else to do and I mainly just wanted to bash the driver as far as I could. The 2nd to last weekend before the spring semester my junior year was going to end one of his dad's friends backed out of a scramble they were playing in.  He asked me to come fill in.  At first I said no but when he explained what a scramble was and that it was already paid for and I'd get to eat and drink beer all day I was in.   I think we used maybe 1 of my drives, and 2 approach shots but I did hole 2 birdie putts for our team.  Either way I had fun and definitely wanted to take it up once I finished school and started earning real money to be able to afford it and that is what I did. 

[RainShadow]

Like many, through my dad. Played a bunch from about 9-12 years old. But Baseball and swimming  were more my interests. Dad was a type A guy, and maybe a little too intense for kids. He kinda burned my youngest brother out, which is a shame because he was really pretty good. 

Didn't play much in my teens, though. I was surfing, skateboarding, beach volleyball, party and girls.......

Started playing for real in my late 20's.

I like individual endeavors, so it suits my introverted self...

[platgof]

Guys at work. The boss kicked our butts all the time. I bought a mixed-up set of old clubs for $25, and still have some of them now. The 6 iron was my favorite. Had a cheap course on post and also one downtown in the old section. I wore those clubs to death. I had no natural talent and had to dig it out of the ground like Hogan said to do it. Read dozens of books, mostly Harvey Penick. It has been a long, hard road, and expensive to boot!

[ChipDriver]

I had a great and life changing first date!

 

My story: I met a great girl and she was visiting from out of town.  We worked together briefly and we decided we should go on a date...and she asked if we could go to a driving range?   I had relatively no exposure to golf before - but if a pretty girl asks you for something...you say YES!   🙂   So we go - and I was as bad as you can imagine, but she was awesome.  We have a great time laughing and teaching me/learning.    I loved that she had a real interest in something I'd never tried - and she seemed really happy to play and was excited with the game.  Love at first swing??? 🙂   Must have been b/c later during dinner I asked her to marry me - she said ok.  Just hit 25 year anniversary in 2022!   Fast forward - we learn the game together; played everywhere together; still play together, and even joined that club where we had our first golf date (watched a US Open and I'd never even played golf yet).   Golf has been one of the common threads to everything in our lives.

 

Here's to GREAT first dates!  🙂 

 

 

Edited September 16, 2022 by ChipDriver

[OnTheBag]

Some great stories here.  I grew up in rural Appalachia in a dirt poor, mill town family.  Although way too young to officially work, I was doing odd jobs at the local muni for cash (whacking weeds with a sling blade, painting, etc...)  The Super and GM liked me so I was allowed to play at twilight with lost and found clubs and balls I'd picked out of the weeds.  I was hooked.

 

I started caddying at a CC in my teens and the rest is history.  Got good enough to win a few mini-Tour events in the late 70's and early 80's but was never really good enough, just delusional.  

 

I still love the game to this day.

[nitram]

The Cliff's Notes Version: I was a junior in high school and one day after practice my baseball coach told me and another junior to hop in his pickup and he drove us to the golf course. He dumped us off and told us to do EXACTLY what this old Choctaw man said. We did so for the next 7 days, staying until dark, and sometimes afterward. We had a classmate who was an outstanding golfer. The rules (at the time) required a 4-man team for anyone to play in the state tournament. Us 3 juniors along with a senior were the 4-man team. My first tournament was a high school district tournament with borrowed clubs and I shot under a hundy. We qualified for regionals and state where our good player was the medalist in both. This started my journey in golf and I've been better for it for over 40 years.

[Soloman1]

I had a teacher freshman year in high school who got a thrill out of humiliating me in front of everyone because I stuttered terribly.

 

I took up golf because it’s a solo game. I didn’t have to talk to anyone for the rest of high school. Nothing felt better than taking a bag of balls to the range, going off to one end and listening to them collide into a pile in the morning dew.

 

I stopped stuttering the day I graduated from high school. And thus you also know the origin of my name here . . .

[Copious Large]

Phil Mickelson.

[OKMrazor]

Had two college courses I needed to go back for before I finished my second major... put it off for a couple years as I was already working, then headed back for summer session between jobs. (This is all pre-internet curriculum). Didn't know anybody in school anymore and everyone felt younger (a whole 2 or 3 years - big at the time) so I figured I'd pass the time learning golf.

 

Buddy from my hometown who was a college golfer and he lent me his old set of Titleist blades with x100 (IIRC) shafts when he heard my plan.  Had never swung a club prior, and there were no tee-times on the University course - you'd wait your turn - so there was always a line of experienced golfers to watch me fumble through my first summer of solo, un-coached tee-shots.  Don't know how I got through it looking backward. 

 

 

[soregongolfer]

I started slowly at the height of Tigermania, but I was an avid slow-pitch softball player at the time.  I found myself both getting injured and tiring of teammates who wouldn't show up when it was hot outside.  I got down to a 6 handicap that first year and was hooked.  I quit softball and have stuck with golf ever since.  Not one regret either.  

[Ironzol24]

The in-laws were avid golfers before they had their kids, would regularly trek from all over the southeast playing courses on the weekends. They have since started playing again the last 3-4 years. A couple months after my wife and I we got married which was on the back-end of COVID I said I wanted to try it out so got some old Ping I3s from the father-in-law and the rest has been history. Got my wife into it too and now the 4 of us regularly play and I am hopelessly addicted. 

[fr3sh]

My dad always played golf. As a kids, my brother and I raced motocross. Our races was usually on Saturday. We would go to the driving range on Sunday's and hit balls. As I got older it slowly became a obsession.

[bbanksp]

Timuquana CC. Jacksonville, Florida. 1970's. head pro- Bobby Duval. Asst pro-David Eger. David Duval was too young to be good. Hot dogs- Laurie in the halfway house. Range balls you paid per bag-ripoff. 

[SE Gamer]

Grandpa brought me to the course super early in the mornings when I was around 5. Loved it pretty much from the start. He was a heck of a player. But the thing I remember the most about his game was how quickly he played. No fiddling around. Hit it and start walking!

[Sawgrass Guy]

Moved from Nurnberg, Germany to Ponte Vedra Beach, FL when I was 12. Never even heard of golf before I moved to Florida. I lived across the street of TPC Sawgrass and got a job mowing greens there when I was 16. 

 

Free golf and free practice at one of the best courses in the world. 

[jackmfarrow]

Our father got my brother and me into it as kids. Its led to a lot of great shared experiences. Thanks pops

[Ifelloffladder]

My dad used to take me to par 3 courses since he needed a playing partner as he was addicted and just started to golf during that time. I remember just getting the ball into the air, even though they were all slices, and getting close to the green using my little driver on a 100 yard par 3 holes was awesome. Fast forward 42 years and I'm still slicing.

[bobfoster]

On 8/3/2022 at 9:19 PM, HoosierHacker89 said:

Playing golf is a privilege I do firmly believe that. My start in the game was almost out of necessity. I was a troubled teenager in middle school. Getting kicked out of class, suspended, failing classes, nearly getting held back, always arguing with my stepfather, and a big stoner. I was headed down a dark path if I didn’t get my act together, and God put a lot of change into my heart. I got to high school, and I decided that I was tired to getting in so much trouble and failing classes. I joined a few clubs and made new friends when I started high school. My parents were poor, and they were horrible with managing money (frankly still are). My parents divorced when I was 3 or 4 years old, so time I spent with my dad was always so precious to me. He LOVES to play golf, and dad always wanted me to go to college. I joined the golf tee for something to do to keep me out of trouble,  get free golf and get to spend more time with my dad. I’m 33, so Tigermania was at its peak during my youthful years. Between seeing Tiger play on TV and getting to hang out with my dad more I was hooked. 17 years later and I’m more obsessed with the game than ever! My son is 6 months old, and I am so excited to get to introduce him to the game in the next few years. 

Amazing story. Love hearing this stuff. I've served off and on on the Boards of several local First Tee Chapters (I'm a good fundraiser). Golf is much more than a sport. It can change people's lives.

[DoughBack18]

On 6/12/2022 at 8:05 AM, jordan2240 said:

I grew up in a blue-collar steel town in Pennsylvania (not so ironically called 'Steelton').

My mom’s side of the family is from Steelton and she’s of a similar era to what you describe. I’m sure we rubbed shoulders at a St Anne’s spaghetti dinner at some point!

 

I can’t trace my initial roots in the game to a single time or instance. At some point I just started going to the range with my dad (whether by force or choice, I cannot remember). And at some point I got some cut offs that I’d whack around at the range. Christmas when I was 12 I got a starter set of Spalding Executive EZX’s and tried out for the golf team the next year. That was when I really got into the game and haven’t looked back since!! 
 

I grew up at the local public courses around Harrisburg… Sportsman, Sunset, certainly blue collar places. But had friends who were members at Blue Ridge and Colonial, and definitely took advantage of the opportunities to play there! 

[jordan2240]

46 minutes ago, DoughBack18 said:

My mom’s side of the family is from Steelton and she’s of a similar era to what you describe. I’m sure we rubbed shoulders at a St Anne’s spaghetti dinner at some point!

 

I can’t trace my initial roots in the game to a single time or instance. At some point I just started going to the range with my dad (whether by force or choice, I cannot remember). And at some point I got some cut offs that I’d whack around at the range. Christmas when I was 12 I got a starter set of Spalding Executive EZX’s and tried out for the golf team the next year. That was when I really got into the game and haven’t looked back since!! 
 

I grew up at the local public courses around Harrisburg… Sportsman, Sunset, certainly blue collar places. But had friends who were members at Blue Ridge and Colonial, and definitely took advantage of the opportunities to play there! 

Cool.  Are or were you familiar with anyone in the panza family?  That's my mom's side.  My last name is Jordan, not my first.

[DoughBack18]

On 10/30/2022 at 9:42 AM, jordan2240 said:

Cool.  Are or were you familiar with anyone in the panza family?  That's my mom's side.  My last name is Jordan, not my first.

Absolutely, my moms side are the Imbrognio’s. Small world!!

[scott406]

I started to play when I was around 6. My Dad was obsessed with golf, still is.  We played golf when the family went to Disney World type obsessed. So naturally when I was a teenager I revolted and didn't want to play.  Mom and Dad also got divorced.  When I got into my 20's, I told my Dad I wanted to come and play with him.  He said go and see the local pro and get some lessons before you come and play with me.  The Pro was running a special, $25 a lesson, buy 4 lessons get the 5th one free. Best $100 I spent on golf.  The rest is history.