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[Joe]

ok so i went golfing yesterday for the first time and while i BEYOND terrible, i was hooked. ive been to the driving range plenty of times and liked it but once you're on the course it's a whole different beast.

i was thinking about buying clubs but sets are expensive. can anyone reccommend a good set but CHEAP? (i know its probably hard). what about single clubs? i was also thinking maybe i can just buy a driver and a 3 iron for now so i can bring them to the range with me. what is a good iron club to get? what about driver? im not looking to spend a lot of money here, even lower end stuff is good for me.

is there any rule of thumb for heights of clubs? the clubs i was using were about 4-5 inches below my hip and i found myself crouching down to hit the ball with the irons or wedges.

also why the hell do i suck with irons. i probably only hit a couple balls decent, and up in the air. every other time they just ended up skipping the grass.

 

[Brendonia]

Golf is a great game but it can be a killer early on. Don't give up because it's fun, but I've been playing for about 7 or 8 years and I'm still not that great.

If you really do want to start playing you should get a full set. I can't really go and research it for you but you can find some sets that will be acceptable for you for pretty cheap. Golf is probably the most expensive sport you can possibly take up so be prepared to spend a lot of money.

To get anywhere near decent you have to get good with your irons and putting. Everyone loves hitting the long ball but in all reality you will probably hit your driver a maximum of 14 times a round, meaning for the average golfer (I'll assume around a 100 average), hits all the other clubs 86 times. The easiest to hit are short irons and they tend to get progressively more difficult as the clubs get longer up to woods. Practice first with things like PW, 9, and 8, try and develop a swing, and then work from there. Once you get some sort of a decent swing the other clubs come more easily. I'd advise against buying a 3 iron for the driving range, I rarely if ever hit mine. If you want the driver go for it, but buying a really great driver won't do much for a beginner besides drain their wallet, so be frugal on that.

You should actually be able to get some decent sets used, which isn't always the best but can be a great bargain if you can get a decent set. Go for oversized heads on the irons, then if you want to buy wedges go ahead. Just get a putter that feels good, same with woods, if they feel good they will probably be ok.

Don't get frustrated, it's a tough game and you have to play A LOT to get better, but I can't think of much I'd rather do than go play a round. In fact, I'm playing on Thursday, booyah!

 

[Lonestar]

there's no better feeling than making excellent contact with a 2 Iron and hitting it straight.

No, I don't know why I have a 2 Iron. I just have one from somewhere.

Only thing I can think to do on Irons to avoid rug burning (skipping on the grass) is to change up your position to the ball. Too far away, too far back, too far forward, too close, etc. Try different things until you find something that works (well, that's how it's been for me.)

I like the Big Head woods/Driver, so I'd go with them.

Imitation clubs are out there. Designed similar to "brand names" but cheaper. Work on the PW/9 Iron, and say...a 7 and a 5/4 Iron. I imagine those would cover most shots on the course.

Dammit, I need to play more often...I'm pretty fecking horrible, last time I remember. But I remember my Birdie!!

 

[Joe]

i wanna get an iron to bring to the range to practice both on and off the tee. a friend of mine says to get a pitching wedge.

 

[Aruarian Reflection]

From my experience, oversized irons are way more forgiving, so picking up a nice set of those should be a good start. If you're serious about golf, you should think of this as an investment, so that you can fix your swing and graduate to a more specialized set of irons that fit your style.

 

[bionic77]

i wanna get an iron to bring to the range to practice both on and off the tee. a friend of mine says to get a pitching wedge.

My advice is not to worry so much about the clubs and get a lesson or two on the basics before you hit a ball. That way you will not develop any horrendous habits that will be hard for you to do away with later on.

After that you are going to have to hit a ton of balls on the range and play a shit load of golf before you get to be decent/good. Expect to lose your temper the first time you go out on the course and to put up some huge numbers, just remember that almost everyone starts out that way.

I haven't really played much since I have gone to law school, but I am getting the itch to get back into it myself. When I tore up my knee I was addicted to golf until I felt confident enough to start playing other sports. I got pretty good at one point and was usually hitting around 85 (I know it doesn't sound impressive, but for most people even playing boogie golf is pretty f'in good). I am afraid of what my swing will look like the next time I go out on the range.

If you have any space at home you can always practice your chipping there and you can always work on your line and speed control at home home assuming you have a flat surface.

I highly recommend golf to everyone though. One of the best games around to play with your buddies.

 

[Richard Cranium]

I'd also recommend you get some lessons before you develop bad habits. They're really hard to get rid of once they're ingrained. As for clubs, maybe you could try some demo clubs to get a feel for what you like and purchase some cheap used clubs on ebay. You can get fitted for some clubs if you really want to go all out, but you're probably better off going with an off-the-rack cavity-back set for now. If you're only getting a few clubs at a time, go for some short irons and consider using a 3 wood off the tee. Long irons are often useless for beginners and they can be frustrating to hit. Same with drivers.

Practice pitching/chipping/putting because it's where you'll spend much of your time on the course. You can also practice chipping and putting at home. Dave Pelz has some good instructional books for the short game if you're interested.

There are some rules of thumb for club length. Standard driver lengths these days are around 45", though you'll sacrifice some accuracy for the increased length. As for the other clubs, they get shorter as you go on up to the wedges. There are some standard measurements you can use to determine how long your shafts should be such as distance between your hand and the ground.

 

[Joe]

do swing training aids like this work:
http://www.modells.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1895658&cp=714659.714760.712280&filter=yes&fCat=712280&

 

[Joe]

is there anywhere i can download and watch golf videos?

i have the nastiest slice and it'd be nice to see some basics rather than reading about it and trying to vision it.

 

[Joe]

i went bargain shopping and got a driver, pitching wedge, and a glove for $40 total about a week ago.

i was at the range this morning, got the biggest bucket they had and hit nothing but pitching wedge and 5 iron. i did pretty good getting solid contact about 60-65% of the time and almost all of those went straight.

im not getting the distance id like to get but i guess that'll come in due time. i didnt hit a single ball with my driver. i think i was thinking too much about fixing my slice and it was making it worse. next time out i'll see how it goes.