How Did You Start Playing Golf?

[pitbull808]

Some of you may have seen my thread in the putter forum about getting clubs for my girlfriend who is just a beginner at golf but with my influence, becoming a golf nut too. I was wondering how did you start playing golf.

 

For me it all began many years ago when I was eight. My father had just taken up the game a few years earlier and like many of us it "consumed" him. He turned our back yard, my "playground" into a putting green and chipping area. It left me with a whole new playground. I quickly began putting with a cut down hickory shafted Otey Crisman putter. Next thing you know I had a few cut down clubs and later grew into a set of Ladies Patty Berg irons. The rest is history....I'm a full fledged adult golf nut. :clapping:

[Evil R1]

Last year my brother purchased a new set of golf clubs and gave me his old POS set of clubs (D,3W,3,5,7,9,SW) and bag. I played about 3 rounds last year and while it was fun, I wasn't feeling golf too much.

 

This spring we went out to San Diego for business on our downtime we played Golf at Coronado and EastLake, and I had a blast. Played about 3 more rounds and I deciede it was time to get a new set of clubs. I took a lesson to get somewhat of a swing down and to get sized for clubs, next thing I know, I'm a golf nut. I signed up for a group of 5 x 1 Hour lessons, and then a group of 12 x 1 Hour Lessons.

 

I even got my wife in on the action now. She's been taking lessons from the same instructor and got a new set of clubs. Now we play golf together almost every weekend and having a blast.

 

Thanks,

[shortgame1]

Some of you may have seen my thread in the putter forum about getting clubs for my girlfriend who is just a beginner at golf but with my influence, becoming a golf nut too.  I was wondering how did you start playing golf.

 

For me it all began many years ago when I was eight.  My father had just taken up the game a few years earlier and like many of us it "consumed" him.  He turned our back yard, my "playground" into a putting green and chipping area.  It left me with a whole new playground.  I quickly began putting with a cut down hickory shafted Otey Crisman putter.  Next thing you know I had a few cut down clubs and later grew into a set of Ladies Patty Berg irons.  The rest is history....I'm a full fledged adult golf nut. :clapping:

35573[/snapback]

 

 

 

Well I got started through my dad, we found that we could spend time together even though we both were working and had busy schedules. we often played captain and crew tourney's with my uncle. this was an awesome way to get back with my dad since we were apart for about 8 years. I just wish I would have taken up the game earlier. sad part is my dad has a bad back and has given up the game. :cheesy:

[droobies]

My father got me into the game as well. He got me a jr. set of lefty clubs when I was probably 10 years old or so. I played a bit, but wasn't really interested in golf until I graduated from highschool. By that time there was a definite rift in my relationship with my father, simply because of differing interests and my location relative to his. Once I turned 21, I played maybe one round a year, and since the beginning of this year, we try to play once a week, if not a bit less than that. It's amazing that a little game can reunite a father and son like it has with me and my dad.

[Golfchicago]

My dad introduced me to the game. I remember when I was a little tike I would swing his clubs in the back yard. I never had a passio for the game then. In my freshman year in high school, my dad started taking me to the range. Some strange addiction happened. I couldnt play enough. I remember my first round of golf I shot an 150 exactly. By the end of the summer I was shooting in the mid 80s. My dad spent a lot of time with me at the range helping me with my swing and just being there. It is a great memeory.

Frank

[shoe295]

I started watching watching Shell's Wonderful World of Golf after my grandfather bought us our first TV (a long long time ago) and was fascinated by everything about the game. Pestered my folks until they bought me a junior set of clubs; wood, 3,5,7,P. Dad took me to a par 3 course and taught me the rules (hit it where it lays) and etiquette (hit it, chase it, hit it again, fix a ball mark on the green) and how to hold the club. My mom used to drop my brother and I at the par 3 for the day every other week or so. When we moved to Wisconsin a season pass was $20 for a junior. I played 45-54 holes a day on a 9 hole track.

 

After college I stopped playing for a long time, but got back into the game 10 years ago. This is the only game I can still play and I still have a great deal of enthusiasm concerning anything golf. Of course I've never done anything once in life nor have I ever owned just one of anything, which makes this a truly amazing obsession. :clapping:

[rrordona]

6 years ago, I was working for the University of Washington in the Athletic department handling scholarships. During that time, I got to know all of the coaches pretty well since I dealt with all the sports/athletes. One day, the mens head coach put a deptartment bulletin to the staff that the teams were going to close the range down and put on a clinic for anyone interested in golf. He told me to come by so I showed up and after a few pointers was hooked.

 

As a kid my dad tried to get me out but I was more interested in soccer etc. I sure wish I took him up then. I now have 2 boys of my own of which my oldest is 5. He's got some clubs and has shown interest so I'm pretty excited about that.

[golfernut78]

my grandfather had tried to get me to play was i was young 9-10 range. i goofed around a little with my grandmother's old set of spaldings (the 1, 3, 4, and 5 woods had wood heads). couldn't do much but hit the 9 iron. never did anything with it. in college i would go to the driving range with my frineds, but no real interest.

 

after graduation, my boss had me take it up for work. i work for an architecture firm that specializes in designing country clubs (clubhouses, not the golf course). went out and bought a 11 piece wilson black jack set, added a wilson putter, and 2 wilson harmonized wedges and gave it a shot. $250 investment. figured i would love it and upgrade later, or hate it and have something to collect dust. 2-1/2 years later, and ben hogan's five fundementals book, i've completely upgraded the bag, have shaved 50+ strokes (first round i shot a 158, yesterday i shot a very bad 102). all i do is hope that the next project will get me out on course i would have no chance playing other wise. i love the game and everything about the game.

 

i've never invested in lessons. lessons have always taken the fun of things for me and made them serious. golf is for fun, not for living for me.

[bwhitish]

Okay Im going to get a little sad here. My Dad gave me my first set of Northwesterns when I was about 11. I remember many a Sunday afternoon watching Jack and Gary and Arnie battle it out. Some very fond memories for me. Especially going with Dad to Peters tournament every year in Portland. I only wish we could have played more together.

[kiwidave]

It was about 2 1/2 years ago and I'd never played a round before, maybe a few whacks at the driving range but that was it. I was a rugby lad, but then I blew my knee pretty bad, dislocated, torn muscles and I was sidelined for like 6 months.

 

I had nothing else to do in the weekends so my mate suggested I tag along with him, drive the cart, keep the beer cold etc. Next thing I'm hooked. A year later I beat him for the first time off the stick. He keeps asking to go back to rugby but I haven't played a game since. Down a 3.3 h/c at the moment and loving it.

[cpa49707]

I didn't pick up the game till I was 29, kind of late to pick it up. My beer budies were going golfing a couple of times a week and I was into fishing, then my motor went down and had nothing to do one weekend, so they convinced my to go golfing with them, Well I went but I went kicking and screaming. Next thing you know, the boat is gone, i have more clubs then fishing poles and lures. I'm a golf nut now. I have gotten back into fishing mainly because the father-in-law is getting old and we don't like to see him fishing by himself anymore. However i will be putting up the clubs here in another couple of weeks and picking up the shotgun.

[JHR]

I started when I opened my first company, I was partners with a guy that said you will need to take up golf for my customers. I thought that is the dumbest sport, I could not watch it, and I thought no way will i like a sport that i can not knock the crap out of someone. Well I bought my first set of clubs, Ping Zing 2's and It has all been downhill ever since.

[tpgrrr1]

My father started me playing in 1976 after taking me to the U.S. Open at Atlanta Athletic Club. I've been hooked ever since :D

:D :clapping: :cheesy: :D

[RSchaffer29]

saw Tiger woods

 

asked my Dad to go to the driving range

[oLaNuTTs]

well...growing up watching my dad play at olomana and what ever other courses i cant remember...i never thought i would ever try golf...considering i was always into physical sports like FOOTBALL!!!but then again...about 3 years ago i decided to pick up the sticks and swing away...still learning new things every round...and trying to play with better people so they can be an influence and help me improve...pitbull808 is beginning to be an influence...hahaha...hes a good guy with a great game...good luck to all of you guys...and im gonna need all the luck i can get...

[todd1100]

As far back as I remember, my grandfather would take me out to the driving range a few times each week during the season(Pittsburgh). He had the owner cut down a few clubs he didn't use and just let me start swinging away.

When he retired, we all moved to Florida(age 9), he joined a country club and got the family membership just so I could play golf with him every week. I never knew my dad growing up, so my grandfather more than made up for that. He was my dad, my basaball/football coach, golf coach, best friend,...ok thats enough.

Starting to get way too emotional here. God Bless him though, he passed away on my sons 3rd birthday in 1998 and never a day passes that I don't think about all the great times we had together. I truely was blessed to have known my grandfather for 31 years.

[pm hacker]

I picked up the game about 4 1/2 years ago to spend more time with my dad. :fool: I wish I had started earlier.

[simmoboy]

i took up the game 2 years ago when my dad decided he wanted to go out for a hit one day and i decided to go with him just for a walk. by the 3rd hole i was begging him to let me run back to the pro shop to hire some clubs and pay green fee's so i could play with him.

[Big-Wiesy]

My dad started me off when I was 2 yrs old. He was a golf nut and would take me to watchin him in the driving range and on the putting green and would even fall asleep on the green. Then He gave me 2 little clubs which I still have but I never really got hooked onto it. My brother started playing with my dad when he was 11 but I was more interested in becoming a cricket and AFL star. Then My brother gave up and then a couple of years ago when I was in New Zealanad visiting my dad and bro, Tiger was playing the NZ Open and was in the headline everywhere so I asked Dad to take me to the range and let me have another try. Ever since than I became addicted and a starting to become like my Dad with hoing clubs and always wanting the latest and greatest.

[great1putt]

Some of you may have seen my thread in the putter forum about getting clubs for my girlfriend who is just a beginner at golf but with my influence, becoming a golf nut too.  I was wondering how did you start playing golf.

35573[/snapback]

Uncle in the Air Force was stationed at Maxwell Air Base in Montgomery AL took me to play their East course when I was 14. He and his 2 buddies were roughly bogey golfers. I had saved my money and my uncle and I found a set of used Northwesterns (irons and persimmons) and went to J.C. Penney and got me some shoes (yes...it was enough years back that the shoes had kilties on the tops!!!)

I went out in 43 and back in 41 and the pals accused him of bringing in a ringer to take their money on team bets :fool: . It just came naturally to me and I didn't try to kill it instead I just tried to keep it "between the lines". I had always played baseball and although I had a slice starting out I figured out how to play left and let it come back to the center at hte driving range that morning. I had hit golf balls at a driving range owned by Mark Mike (PGA tour in the 70's) previously to actually stepping on a golf course so I did have a general idea of where it would go.

[Placebo]

As a very young child my Grandfather, who is now 92 and not doing very well, used to invite our family to a timeshare cabin he had by Graeagle on the Feather river in northern California. The cabin was on one of the fairways of a very nice private golf club. My grandfather was at the time quite the golf enthusiast and told me time and again I should take it up while I was still young. Of course I didn't listen then and regret it now. I still have some very good memories caddying around that course for him and finding dozens of balls to add to his bag. I learned one very important golf etiquette lesson during those times. I forget which hole we were on but my grandfather was about to strike the ball on a tee shot and I blurted something out right before he made contact. I have no idea where the ball went but I'm sure he shanked it as the butt-chewing that followed made sure I would never do that again. And to this day I havn't.

 

I am 40 now and started playing almost 2 years ago after my girlfriend bought me a set of clubs for christmas. I love it and get get out on the course enough!

 

Great thread idea! Thanks Pitbull

[Merlin_T]

My daughter (real natural swing ;)) was playing with her mother (& mother’s boyfriend – very nice guy ;)) 4 years ago. She was 10 years old then and I always wanted to play. I decided to start 3 years ago, so I can have an activity in common with her. Excellent move! I had great precious time with her :cheesy:

 

I also worked two summers on a golf course when I was 14-15 years old (pick up practice balls).

[mcbush25]

Well I got my start when a buddy of mine and myself took his grandfathers old clubs to the local par three course and played a round. Once I played for the first time I was hooked. I bought a full set of Wilson's and my bag hasn't quit changing since.

[pinseeker]

To make money and try to beat my friend in something?

In the 1970's I grew up in Bethpage, Long Island (my parents still live there). Trying to make money we would hop the fence to Bethpage park and pull balls out of the only two lakes they had. Green and Black courses. We would then sell them to the golfers on the 5 courses. Titleists, Dots, Top Flites, Blue Max, Macgregor Tourney got us 50 cents a ball. Others we would sell for 10 for a 1.00.

 

We would hang around the club house and once we turned 15 we were able to sign up to caddy. Back then before golf carts hit. Bethpage had caddies. The small brick shack in the parking lot by round Swamp Road/Quaker Meeting House Road was the caddie house.

 

My friend was one of these"can beat everyone in any sport type of person'. So we tried golf. We got a old set of clubs from some neighbors garage w/o any grips and practice in neighborhood sumps. Then when we got real clubs ( Ram - Gene Littler set) we would sneak onto bethpage Blue or Yellow and play until the rangers kicked us off. My caddy money eventually paid the greens fees.

 

Back in those days - the Black course had the least amount of wait time since it was a tough course. We would play that alot. Long Island was a great place to grow up in the 1960's and 1970's. The the real estate price went through the roof and after I got married, we moved to Georgia.

[NikeTaylormade891]

Well, when I was pretty young, I was hitting plastic balls around. I went with my dad to golf, rode in the cart, he dropped a ball on the green and I putted from there. Good times. I remember getting a set of taylormade kids burners and I was an instant TM fan lol. They looked like my dad's tm clubs, so I was a club ho ever since. My dad and I play a lot now, I am 15 now.

[DeNinny]

I even got my wife in on the action now. She's been taking lessons from the same instructor and got a new set of clubs. Now we play golf together almost every weekend and having a blast.

 

Same here Evil. I got my wife some clubs off ebay (btw, there are sooo many used women's clubs on ebay from guys that got their wives/gf's into it and then they quit) and we have been playing weekly for months having great times too. Fortunately she has a natural swing so she doesn't absolutely need a lesson - yet. She has a brother and father that play too, so she is extra motivated to play well and try to beat them.

 

Anyway that's her story. For myself I learned at about eight by my dad getting me into it and taking me to play with his buddy on weekends, or I played with my best friend at the time. He got me lessons with the local club pro and took me to 6am golf clinics with the same pro. I had a Chi Chi Rodriguez kids set from TG&Y department store. I was just telling my wife how glad I am that my dad got me into it so young and taught me all the right fundamentals that early.

[artfulgolfer]

When I was 13, a friend and I got a job for the summer caddying at Inverness Golf Club in Palatine, IL. The couse was closed to members on Monday for greenskeeping and caddies got to play for free. Broke 100 for the first time that summer. I didn't play again for any length of time until 2 years ago when a friend who was between jobs called to see if I'd play. He used to give me 10 strokes a round. Now I give him 3 :drinks:

[smarshal75]

My first introcution to golf was when I received a set of those plastic type clubs, maybe Fischer Price, with the big softball size dimpled ball. I was probably about 2 or 3. When I was 6, my mom enrolled me in 3-day junior clinic at a local country club. The rest is history.

[Baller]

A long long time ago in a galaxy far far away......

 

 

I was coming in from two a days, and I saw a couple of members our schools golf team, so i started giving them crap about being a golfer. Long story short a challenge was made, I played my first round of golf, shot a 121, never forget it. They even taught me some key swing positions! Since then I have nothing but love for the game.

[ferrispgm]

I first went to the driving range with my dad when I was 16 and couldn't get the ball off the ground and as a result thought golf was the dumbest sport ever and refused to touch a club ever again. Got invited to play a round with some buddies that August and shot a 100 for my first round and i've been hooked ever since and decided to make a career out of it. I'm 20 now and working off a 1.8 handicap and still falling. Hopefully i can play in a few Michigan Tour events and who knows, i would love to qualify for the buick open either this year or next!