Everybody has to start somewhere....

[rudebhoy]

Took VR/early retirement 4 years ago and knew I had to take something up to fill the time and keep me fit. Was determined not to be one of those folk who retire, sit in front of the telly for a couple of years, then drop down dead out of sheer boredom.

Signed up for some group lessons at a local course. The pro who was doing the coaching was pretty useless, and I was hopeless, but I still caught the bug. Got friendly with a couple of guys from the group lessons, when the lessons finished, we went to a different course which was running a free "get into golf" scheme. The whole set up there was much better, we ended up joining the club. I'm the only one left out of the 3 of us as one packed in and the other buggered off to China, but I've hooked up with some other relative beginners and play with them around 3 times a week.

My biggest regret is not having taken the game up when I had to pack in football 25 years ago, family and work just meant I never really had the time. Still, better late than never!

 

[patricks148]

Golf had no interest to me what so ever, in fact was asked to play or attend golf tournaments many times.

One of the cricket teams i played for in the St Albans/Harpenden 20 over evening comp were having their annual golf day. I was pestered about it and as it was explained to me it was a bit of a piss up, i eventually agreed, borrowed a set of clubs and played. I was hooked from then on, it did help i was struggling with my knee's by then and Cricket wasn't going to last too much longer. so at the age of 41 joined a club and got a handicap.

 

[bobmac]

One of the cricket teams i played for in the St Albans/Harpenden 20 over evening comp were having their annual golf day. I was pestered about it and as it was explained to me it was a bit of a piss up, i eventually agreed, borrowed a set of clubs and played. I was hooked from then on, it did help i was struggling with my knee's by then and Cricket wasn't going to last too much longer. so at the age of 41 joined a club and got a handicap.

Do golf clubs have annual cricket days?

 

[jim8flog]

I putted on a local 18 hole putting green starting as a small child
I went on a driving range adjacent to the holiday camp where I was staying in my mid 20s.
One go at a pitch and putt course later that year.
A couple of lessons with a pro and off I went at the local muni where you could hire clubs.
2 rounds later half set of clubs from the pro and a Putter £2 in the local market.
40+ years later and still hooked.

 

[williamalex1]

A work mate invited me to Collville Park GC for my first ever game age 35. As expected i hacked it around, until the 8th hole where i hit a beauty .

I had about 80 yards to the pin but had to play over a very tall Oak tree , I hit a sand iron to 2 feet and bingo that was me hooked.

37 years later it's still one of my best ever shots .

Remember just when you think you've finally cracked it you'll come crashing back down to earth.
Golf is a great game but it's the most frustrating game ever invented, IMHO..

I

 

[Imurg]

A mates dad played and one summer holiday we went with him for a walk.
We weren't allowed to hit any shots in sight of the clubhouse but when we got away from it he let us swing a 9 iron or two. Cue some dreadful swings/shots but I did connect properly with one and it flew really well. Add to that the usual seaside holiday pitch and putt but that was it. Cricket took over
Fast forward to '89 and I'd moved back home after a break up and needed something to do. Cricket mates hacked around Wexham Park's 9holer so I got a half set from Mum's Freeman's catalogue and joined them.
Had a blast and when Cricket came to an end with a knee injury similar to that of fast bowler Syd Lawrence ( knee tendons detaching) I kind of fell in golf as a replacement.
Spent the whole of the winter of 92/93 on the range trying to become "good enough" to join a club - watched the members going out and thought " one day".
That day arrived in March '93 and I joined. Played 3 Sunday morning rollups and got my handicap....15.....should have joined months previously!

 

[NearHull]

In my twenties I knocked a wedge around on a sports field with my brother in law who did play. He was left handed as was I when I played cricket. So I played with his clubs left handed. I decided to take up golf in my early forties and one of my colleagues, who played off 2, agreed to give me some lessons. I hired a set and we started a couple of lessons per week on the range. After three weeks he said I wasn’t left handed and needed to turn round and play right handed. It felt totally ‘wrong’ but he insisted that I try to play right handed. Some twenty years later , I play right handed. I used to carry a left handed club, a 6 iron, to use when stuck by a tree etc, but I seemed to have lost the ability to play left handed now.

 

[Scozzy]

Grew up in Oz playing pretty much everything including golf but it shared the calendar with cricket,tennis and Aussie rules. moved to Sydney at 20 yrs old and a mate I shared a house with said on the first weekend," cmon let's play golf I've got a few mates I want you to meet" turned up, the buggies were full of beers and roast chicken! a cracking day followed by one of those summers where that was the norm every Saturday.by the end of that summer I'd bought myself a set of Tom Watson RAM's and couldn't get enough.Moved to Scotland in 2002 and said to wife(who's Scottish) " I'm fine with that but golf is part of the deal!" Ever since I look across the beach to Dunbar GC and life is good with a treasure trove of top courses within half hr