So Im in my late 20s in a golf heavy profession (medicine), but am still a resident so have very little disposable income. Already a lot of people at work golf socially, but they are actually decent and have been playing since high school, so I would completely embarrass myself/slow down everyone, etc. if I just tried to go out and play.

I would love to get into golfing a little bit so I could go out and have a good time with them, but I need to figure out the cheapest way to do that. I have a hand-me down set of my grandpa's irons who is same height as me so I can probably just use those.

My question is do I just take the irons out the the driving range and start hitting balls until I get better? Or is that going to just teach me bad form or something and it would be better to save up and get a few lessons?

I wouldn't use your grandpas set of irons. There are plenty of newer sets with much more forgiveness with better technology that can be had for probably sub 200 no problem. Given that income is tight, the best way is probably to just go out and try it, watch some videos online and just hit balls day after day. Cant really see any other way to go.

Try to find a series of clinics at a local source. Having some instruction will speed up the process of learning the game and keep you from developing bad habits. By doing group lessons you can minimize the cost.

Well we need more info on the hand-me-downs. Are they grandpa's old clubs from when he was 20 or when he was 65? If he's played his whole life and bought new clubs every few years then take his old clubs and ask him to teach you. I agree with the above post that you won't enjoy using ancient clubs.

Would definitely recommend going to the range a few times before jumping into lessons.

You should take a lesson at some point but not until you at least have a feel for where you're at. Could also post swing videos here and get good advice but it may not be as focused as a one on one with an instructor.

Lastly, you can suck and still keep up with good players. Just have to know when to pick it up, play ready golf, etc. For example, say you hit a drive out of bounds off the tee, then you hit a second and that goes out of bounds. I'd just tell the group that I'll drop one from the fairway near where they hit their balls. If you duff two chips in a row, pick it up. Learn simple stuff like that and you'll be fine.

Don't be afraid to suck and embarrass yourself. All beginning golfers go through that. You should be willing, however, to pick up your ball and just move on after a few shots. If you do that, nobody will care how good or bad you are. Almost all players only care how they're doing, no how you're doing.
If you can afford a few lessons, it will tighten up the learning curve considerably. Also, get a new or used set of clubs for under 200. Don't use the old hand-me-downs.

easy. tell them you are still learning and a 20+hc. let them know you will play best ball after the drive and pick up if there is no gambling

if everyone wants to gamble then ask for an approriate # of strokes, subject to rebalancing after 6/12/18 holes (obv 18 hole is for next round). OR some best ball variant


personally i would spend hours putting and some short iron work and get a stroke plus best ball on the drive

honestly 98 percent of golfers, especially docs are TERRIBLE and dont know it. if you can learn to putt, which is within the skillset of any person, you can be of value to a 4 man best ball tournament team and that is the sweet spot of social golf for professionals.

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my #1 suggestion is to have a good attitude on the course no matter how you play.
we've all played with good and bad golfers, but would rather play with bad golfers with good attitudes over good golfers with bad attitudes.

be a fun person to play with (no bitching and moaning), understand the basic etiquette of golf (don't step on other players line on the green, place your bag in the correct place around the green, tend the flag, etc), play at a brisk pace, and go from there.

Clinics are good for cheap instruction as others have suggested. Other options once you get going are taking videos from the range or course and posting them online for others to critique. There are also plenty of instructional videos out there to help out - much easier to go from novice to 15-20 HCP than it is to get down to scratch, and that will be more than fine to play socially.

Very true.

My old boss was a 110+ shooter but he threw clubs and bitched and moaned after each shot as if he were a scratch player who woke up that morning in a hacker's body. Everyone hated playing with that guy.

This x100000

I have never complained about playing with someone just because they are poor at the game (and i used to be very low single digit hdc). They key is being fun, and playing with a good pace. It gets frustrating when someone who shoots 120 takes 15 practice swings before each shot, and isn't prepared to go when its their turn.

Play with good pace, be fun and at least somewhat know the rules and etiquette and anyone who isn't a douche will enjoy playing with you.

"so I would completely embarrass myself/slow down everyone, etc. if I just tried to go out and play."

that you are concerned about the enjoyment of the other members of your group tells me you have a great future in social golf.

i am always pleasantly surprised when paired with a new golfer if they understand basic etiquette.

unfortunately, getting competent at golf is expensive when, like you, the golfer is picking up the game in their late 20's. to become competent, you will need a decent set of clubs, a handful of lessons, and a lot of practice.

don't get lessons from a friend, don't expect the internet to provide the answers, you will need one on one with a pro teacher. a pro will start you with the basics you need, grip, posture, stance, etc, and drills to build a solid swing.

someone advised spending a lot of time working on your short game. +1000 to that. generally, this is the least expensive form of practice and will pay the best dividends. few things more frustrating for an experienced and competent player than to watch a beginner take 3 or 4 shots to get green-side, then have no clue how to finish. chunk chip, chip over the green, chunk, chip way short, putt way past the hole, putt way short. you want to throttle the guy.

all of us started at the beginning. we all sucked. your playing partners know and understand that. keep up, laugh at your mistakes, enjoy the company. you'll be fine.