I'm thinking of starting to play golf during the summer. I have never played in my life, except for messing around using friends putters and stuff. Nor have I ever played putt putt golf. So basically the whole concept is new to me. How would you guys suggest I start off?

I was thinking of getting coaching lessons before I even play 1 round of golf as I don't want to get any of my mechanics wrong and figured that if I get coaching, then all my mechanics will be close to correct. How much does a typical golf instructor cost, assuming that he's teaching you basic stuff?

Also, I basically have like no muscle nor am I strong. Obv I intend on playing for fun, but being competitive, I would still hate to suck that badly. My question is, does driving require a lot of upper body strength, or is it just a matter of proper swing technique?

It would be really great if you guys could recommend me some golf clubs. Price isn't really an issue, but seeing as how I am new to the game (and don't know if I'll love it like everyone does), I'd prefer not to spend that much. (I'm also a spending nit.) How much do golf lessons cost? Also, how much does it cost to play 18 holes of golf (I'm in NC)? 9? What about for the driving range, how much does that cost?

Thanks a lot

you're going to have a lot of bad habits without even ever playing.

This biggest misconception from beginners is they can start out correctly by beginning with lessons before they ever play. You're going to struggle at first, but just remember why you're playing, which should be, to have a lot of fun.

A pro will run you anywhere from $30-50 for a half hour to $200+, you should ask some friends who've they've had a good experience with around town and then take a few lessons.

I would suggest beating balls and messing around on the putting green before going for any lessons. Try to get a feel for what the golf swing is and maybe check out some instructors once you have some kind of repetition. IMO, lessons are a waste of money right off the bat. Seeing someone for setup and alignment help is probably not a bad idea though. Don't expect much out of your game...try to have fun like Spenda said.

Both. It doesn't come solely the upper body though, a lot of power comes from the legs and hips.

I wouldn't buy anything expensive, just get something forgiving. Nice courses are $50+ around me and about $25 for the goat trails. The range is like $6.

Check your local community college. I got my girlfriend lessons. The course was a 1 credit hour course that cost $65 and lasted 15 weeks. That course got her to double-bogey golf on our local par-3 course with virtually zero additional practice/effort. Definitely the most cost effective way to learn.

Meh, I have classes in my college itself, and its a required credit for my major. But I figure I might take it with golf practice/atleast a little bit of skill. I mean, that way I can not feel like a complete tool and it would make me take the class really seriously, whereas I wanna just enjoy the class/learn "advanced" techniques.

I taught college golf courses, I'd assume I was on the upper-end of what you'd find in terms of instruction quality.

I think if I could start over, I would just buy some wedges ( Sand, Lob specifically) and a nice putter and go shape my short game

It is the most fun part to practice imo (the wedges especially) and is the strength if any in my game.

So that's just my two cents, gl

Senior year in high school, I was on the varsity team, was 5'10", 135 lbs and outdrove just about everyone that I played with.

Length comes much more from good mechanics than strength. Being able to achieve good mechanics, however, comes a lot from flexibility (I've always been quite flexible). Flexibility > Strength for golf.

lower body stability and core strength mean as much if not more to a good golf swing than that of upper body power

I mean, look at Tiger, sure, he's ripped everywhere, but then look at Sean O'Hair, dude couldn't bench press a cheeseburger and he rips the piss out of the ball.

get a weighted club and just swing that prolly your best bet to get results quick

so should I get coaching from the beginning or just buy some clubs and play first and then figure it out on my own and then get coaching when I'm atleast decent? I'm used to playing cricket, so I'm afraid my driver swing is going to be messed up cause I'll swing it like I would in cricket. I'm thinking of starting in summer so I have a while to nitpick with stuff. Also, can anyone link me to good cheap clubs from dick's online website or something?

Coaching not necessary. Part of what makes golf fun is you cannot master it/beat it/whatever...you should prob just buy some used clubs from say the 2003 models and go to range

OP - Do you have enough time to start up golf? Are you competitive? If you are, your going to struggle with this game for a while (years) before you start 'enjoying' it. A solid golf swing takes a while to learn and there are many different types of swings to learn.

It is a very time consuming sport/hobby, it is also expensive when you add the green fees every week.

upper body strength has nothing to do with anything imo. the most ive ever benched is like 175 and i carry it 270-280 easy

Not such bad advice, except I think a lob wedge should wait. IMO it is pretty valuable to learn to hit different shots with a regular sand wedge. As a kid I hit a whole bunch of shots with a regular sand wedge. Later on I had somebody put it on a loft and lie machine and it was 55 degrees, not even 56. I hit plenty of really soft shots with it. Wish I still could, but old age and no practice have caught up to me. Used to be able to get up and down once in a while. No more.

Oh, and I may be the only one, but for a beginner in the scoring clubs I think old school is the way to go. Forged sand wedge, narrow sole, regular bounce. Blade putter. No big alignment aids. maybe a dot on the top. Find the sweet spot, learn to feel what is going on.

my first set of irons was 3-pw, i hit all my chips with a pw and opened the face when i needed more loft. i could hit anything with a pw.

Tip 1. Get lessons first. Don't do what I did and engrain a ton of very bad habits in your swing and then spend 10 years trying to undo them.

Tip 2. If you are just starting out and you find a swing that feels comfortable, it's probably flawed. Left to our own devices, we tend to get into positions that feel powerful (but are not), that feel proper (but are not). This is moreso if you played lots of baseball, as this will influence your swing for the worse.

Tip 3: Get Lessons again soon after you stop getting lessons. Your body will try and drift away from the positions that your instructor put you in, and you will need him to help get you back there until it is natural.

ok, so I'm genuinely confused with the advice. Some say to get lessons and play, some say to just go out and play.

"Forged sand wedge, narrow sole, regular bounce. Blade putter. No big alignment aids. "

I have no idea what any of that means.

Thing is, I can barely bench the bar, which is why I ask. Also, how do you know what specific club to use for a specific shot? Like there's a 5 iron, 9iron, and so many other things, at the beginning should I just stick to using like a driver, putter, and another one for my mid range shorts. I'm probably coming as a total tool since I know nothing whatsoever about the game.

Walk away while you still can. Just set the clubs down and walk away.

Sounds like you could use a golf book for a beginner to get you started. http://www.golftrainingstuff.com/beg...golf_book.html

Then I think the best advice is not to accept advice from people who do not play well. For many years I struggled and playing partners were regularly handing me advice. These playing partners were struggling to break 100!

So get a good book for beginners. Search your area for group lessons for beginners. This way you will not be so intimidated starting out. Keep your expectations in check and try to have some fun in your first year of golf.

I agree that used clubs are the way to go. A set that is forgiving, but be sure they are matched/fitted to your body.

Oh and send the forum a progress report.

FWIW I would get some lessons.

The sand wedge thing is just my belief. A traditional sand wedge is one a pro shop would sell a good player. If you look at them, some sand wedges will have a very wide sole - the part of the clubhead that rests on the ground when you address the ball. Ones pros use typically don't; they have a sole width more like other clubs. Bounce is a little more technical but it helps you hit out of sand and is the angle between the back edge of the sole and the leading edge - this description may be inadequate. It will have 56 degrees of loft or so. 60 is too much loft for a beginner IMO. Some putters now have huge heads with big things sticking out of the back to help aim. Other putters don't. A traditional putter has a much smaller head. If you go to a store with a bunch of putters you will see the difference pretty quickly I think.

Specific clubs for specific shots. You will hit the ball different distances with different clubs because of their length, loft, and configuration. A driver hits it a lot longer than a 9 iron. The 9 iron is shorter and has a lot of loft, i.e. the face angle. As a beginner you won't need as many clubs really because with a lower swing speed the gaps in your yardages won't be much. You might have a 4 yard difference between a 6 and 7 iron and don't hit anything consistently anyway. A better player might have a 15 yard gap or something. So the difference between a 155 yard shot and a 170 yard shot can just be dealt with by selecting the 6 iron instead of the 7. So to figure out which club to hit you have to know how far you hit each club then be good enough to hit it approximately that distance a lot of the time. As a beginner a driver, 5 wood, 5,7,9, PW, SW, putter will go a long way.

Very good players don't just hit stock shots, they do various things with the shot to change the distance and can hit clubs different distances. Don't worry about that yet.

Listen to this guy...

i would look for a cheap, used set that looks and feels good to you. Then hit the practice green

OP, the reason behind my first response is because something like 60% of your shots are from 100 yards and in. You might not understand that until you play 100 rounds of golf. Anyways, if you have a good short game, you can still beat the guys who are driving it 260+. Bench press, upper body strength,etc- none of that matters...hell you might be able to drive it 300. I played football/golf/basketball and always worked out and played golf but my golf teammates all had a longer drive than me. We had a good team, won state once, but do not be worried about your strength. Like others said, mostly has to do with technique and clubhead speed when it is coming through the ball.

Also, as much as I love having nice equipment, when it gets down to it, the brand of club your swinging matters very little. At my home club, the best guy there, has played in a couple of PGA Tour Events (St.Jude Fedex Tournament) and one day my dad had some super old driver or 3-wood in his trunk. Probably 1970s model. No graphite, titanium, whatever...anyways he teed it up and hit it right down the pipe about 290 yards.

http://www.warriorcustomgolf.com/subscribe.php
You can get a free wedge or two at that site.

If you want to go ahead and start playing rounds, because practicing golf can be boring, I suggest getting a hybrid set. What this means is that your 3,4,5 irons are going to be half-iron/half-wood, 6,7,8 will be a forgiving iron, and the 9,PW will be just a normal iron. This would be your best bet imo.

Go to Dick's and tell them you want a cheap hybrid set and they will know what your talking about.

Sorry if this turned into a rant, good luck, golf is a beautiful game.

I started golf 3 years ago and it took me about 5 months of practicing/playing about 3-4 times a month before I broke 100. I broke 90 after about 1 1/2 years of practicing/playing about 5-7 times a month.

Then after about 2 years and 3 months, I totally lost my swing and was shanking everything. I quit for about 5 months out of frustration then came back and tried to modify my swing. About 2 months ago, I tweaked my swing into what I consider a consistent swing and I am very confident now. I consistently shoot in the low 80's and shot my first time in the 70's last week. (In hindsight, I probably should have taken some lessons when I had problems, but it all worked out)

The lesson here is that golf can become very frustrating when things don't go right, but when you finally play well, it is one the best feelings in the world. I now play/practice 3-5 times a week and am in love with GOLF!!!!

http://www.golf.com/golf/

I got a lot of my swing tips from this website. They have video tips and articles about golf.