Getting into competitive golf

[rob_golf1]

What's the best way to start getting into competitive golf? (competitions etc.)

To give you a bit of a background, I'm a student so can't really afford a membership anywhere and probably not once I've graduated for a few years either! I've been trying to hold down a fairly accurate handicap to give myself an idea of where I am in terms of my playing ability (I had three cards marked by a friends Dad who is a PGA pro )

I would probably need some advice on rulings etc, I get and understand most of the fairly regular rules; two shots off the tee etc.....

Hope you all might be able to give me some advice!

 

[HomerJSimpson]

There are plenty of open comps around. This is a good site http://www.golfempire.co.uk/category/individual.htm although whether you'd get entry without an official handicap is doubtful

 

[fundy]

Sadly for you Rob, competitions and club memberships go hand in hand and you're going to struggle to play in any comps without being a member somewhere.

Do you not have somewhere local that offers a decent concession for students? You should be able to get a pretty cheap membership

 

[BTatHome]

Find a local municipal course, as they often provide the cheapest method to provide you with a Handicap (by entering 3 cards in their comps) and then use the handicap to enter Open comps.

 

[rob_golf1]

Sadly for you Rob, competitions and club memberships go hand in hand and you're going to struggle to play in any comps without being a member somewhere.

Do you not have somewhere local that offers a decent concession for students? You should be able to get a pretty cheap membership

Problem is, I'm only a student for the next 6 months or so. Once I finish and get a job, i'll be saving for a place of my own, so a golf membership will probably be out of the question as well

Is there any other ways of keeping an official handicap?

 

[rob_golf1]

The muni I have by me, which I have played for years, and always enjoy playing there is Lickey Hills.

http://www.mytimeactive.co.uk/lickeyhills

The membership here for an Adult is £635 for the year.

The other situation I have, I really enjoy playing different courses. Last summer me and some of my uni lads did a little tour down at Weston Super Mare, Burnham and Berrow for three days, and we played Weston twice. Loved it! So i'm not sure whether i'd get my moneys worth from a membership either!

 

[BTatHome]

Membership rates vary across all courses. A local muni to me charges £70 for membership ! The difference is that you would pay green fees at this one, but it would be very cheap to allow you to gain, and maintain, a handicap here.

 

[Oxfordcomma]

Have you got anywhere local that does a flexible points membership? Round our way you can become a member for as little as £150-200 on that type of membership. That won't buy you very many rounds on your home course, but crucially it will enable you to get an active competition handicap. And once you have that you can enter as many opens as you want, or just stick at the home club and pay per round but still enter medals, etc.

 

[wonga]

Look for a golf club that offers say Bronze membership where you pay a small membership fee and pay a green fee every time you play. That way you could get a handicap without spending a lot of money.

 

[doublebogey7]

This http://www.bromsgrovegolfcentre.com/membership/annual-membership-fees/ is close to Lickey Hills and membership is available for as little as £82

 

[Deleted Member 1156]

This http://www.bromsgrovegolfcentre.com/membership/annual-membership-fees/ is close to Lickey Hills and membership is available for as little as £82

Yes, this should suit your needs. Join somewhere like this, pay and play 3 rounds to submit cards for your handicap then you can play in opens which count as qualifying rounds to keep your handicap active.

Job's a good'un :thup:

 

[fundy]

Problem is, I'm only a student for the next 6 months or so. Once I finish and get a job, i'll be saving for a place of my own, so a golf membership will probably be out of the question as well

Is there any other ways of keeping an official handicap?

Its definitely worth checking your local courses prices out, for someone in their early 20s (im assuming here i know) you will only pay a fraction of the full membership. (At ours for eg it would be £170pa for Uni student and £300pa up until youre 23 and ive known others to be cheaper)

 

[PIng]

The muni I have by me, which I have played for years, and always enjoy playing there is Lickey Hills.

http://www.mytimeactive.co.uk/lickeyhills

The membership here for an Adult is £635 for the year.

The other situation I have, I really enjoy playing different courses. Last summer me and some of my uni lads did a little tour down at Weston Super Mare, Burnham and Berrow for three days, and we played Weston twice. Loved it! So i'm not sure whether i'd get my moneys worth from a membership either!

Rose Hill Golf Club are attached to the Lickey Hills course and you can join for £70 per year and then just pay the green fees when you want to play. I believe you will get a discount on the fees as well, but may be wrong.

 

[Evesdad]

Guessing as you're a student that you're under 25 years of age. My club and many others offer a big discount for these age groups. Mine has some going up to under 30's, shop around you may find some good deals.

 

[palindromicbob]

Check for a cheap membership offer but also worth checking if there are any societies running in your locality that you might be able to join. Most will have some form of handicap control. Will be a good way to get playing in competitions with a group and get to know others.