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Are you one of those who wants to play golf but doesn’t know where to begin?
Does entering a golf course intimidate you?
Golf has carried the badge of being an elitist as well as expensive sport over the years, leaving many of its takers wary of walking into a golf course, especially if they haven’t ever had anyone golfing in their family. This is a general trend I have noticed. The new guy who has seen some golf on TV will find it intimidating to say the least before he enters the course, and for reasons which are rather legitimate. Golf for centuries has been seen as a colonial rich man game and that is just leaving us with lesser number of new takers for this sport which could actually turn around someone’s life. Yes, golf is that powerful!
Being a teaching professional, I do come around such concerns and questions, these are things which will take their own time to change but in the meantime, if you are absolutely clueless about golf and are a non member at a golf course but still want to try your hand at it, follow these 7 simple steps and get yourself started:
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Driving Range : Start your golf at the driving range near you. Driving ranges in Delhi NCR should set you back by Rs 200-500 depending on the spot you chose. There are driving ranges available in various other cities as well, we will write more about them in the upcoming post. There are also private and public clubs which allow access on walk in and play basis. You do not need to a member at most clubs to start, you would have avail the pay and play facilities and get started. A lot of Indian credit cards have the facility of free lessons as well as green fee at clubs which can be availed through your banks. You will have to check if your card allows this facility at a club near you or not. There are also some companies like ApexLynx and GOLFLAN which facilitate this.
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Coach: Ideally you want find yourself someone who can guide you through the basics of golf, after which you must follow the advice and really hit away and have fun until you have a grasp on some of the basics, start to get the ball air borne, so on and so forth. Don’t be afraid, believe me, everyone was a beginner at some point of time. If you can find a beginners group coaching session, that can be fun as well as informative for a start. Social media could help you find such classes happening near you.
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Long game or short game: It would be preferable to start your journey learning the smaller swings first, like putting, chipping and pitching. These skills can be further used to build as a base for your longer shots. Often times you would end up straight away learning the big game, but the game can become significantly easier if you were to start from the short game.
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Rented clubs: Some people like to buy the guitar before learning to play it! I suggest you don’t jump in to buying immediately. Luckily every driving range has a rental system where you can get some clubs for trying your hand at the sport, these are great options to begin with as you are not stuck with it whether you continue to golf or not. Also, if you have a friend who plays, you can borrow an iron and a putter from them, that’s even better. I would suggest 9 iron and putter to start playing, maybe add a 7 or 6 iron in the future to take things further.
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Inexpensive equipment: Do refer to our post (A guide to buying pre-owned golf equipment) about pre owned clubs, which will help you pick the right equipment for your needs and budget. Without bias, I must mention that Inesis from Decathlon makes some very good equipment, and that can be tried as well. They have certain half set options in affordable price range, you will learn more golf from a half set than a full at this preliminary phase of your golfing journey. Equipment is secondary at this stage, get something you can swing easily and hit away. A teaching professional at the driving range will be able to advice according to your needs.
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Playing a round: As soon as you can get the ball going in the air consistently and with advice from your nearest teaching professional, I would suggest that you jump on the course and get a feel of things. I have noticed that going to the course even if to struggle for a few holes, helps us learn way more about the game and its expectations off you. If you have a mini course or a chip putt course near you it would be a rather ideal place to begin after the driving range. Mini courses are short length courses; these are great for short game and to get a feel for the sport.
- Have fun: Most importantly, golf can be a lot of fun if you allow it to be. Thoroughly enjoy your sessions and learn about the game. Make some friends on the range, this would also be a great way to want to keep coming back to play.
Also Read: Developing Your Own Golf Style
Golf is a sport for all ages and can be enjoyed with your entire family on board. We are a long way away from making it utterly affordable, but there are options out there that can help you stay within your means.
Still confused? Feel free to reach us at golfgarageindia@gmail.com, we would be more than happy to help out.
