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golfing life.......

Started playing golf on a huge field right outside my house when I was about 6. I just used to knick the old mans 7 iron and blast the ball as hard as I could at a board leant against a tree.

The old man and the neighbours used to play every night in the summer. They would stick about 6 boards against different tree's all over the field and shoot to them in turn. I used to love following them round.

Funny enough when I got to the age of about 8 or 9. I could hit the board more than my old man could but I didnt even no what a golf course was.

I never really played then till I was about 14 and that was only the occasional pitch and putt, I was god awfull at everything except tee shots. I had 2 holes in 1 on the same hole.

I moved in with my G/F at her parents house in sept 2007 so we could save for our own place. Her dad and bro were both golf addicts and in the November they invited me to the range for some fun and peace and quiet. I went with a set of Regals my oldman bought when I was 15, I had never used them and because I remember him telling me they were £300rrp (for everything including the dodgy bag) I thought I had ome good cues. I hacked away at range mats with a caggy handed grip(right hand at top, right handed golfer) I fell in love with the game and spent 4 nights a week there for about a month untill I had the courage to use the 9 holer attatched. I went round about 18 over for the 9 and was quite pleased, loved being out on the course and felt like a true golfer. I new I had found a game for life.

I decided to buy some decent gear and then have some lessons. My pro immediatly changed my grip(to a normal one) and it felt like I was starting all over again and thought it would take months to get back out on the course, but after a week I was out shooting my lowest scores ever. I broke the 100 barrier the first time I layed 18 and dont think I ever went round over 100.

I have played probably about 20 different courses in the 12 months I have been playing and play to about 18. My best score is an 83. I have joined a club for the winter but struggle to find anyone to mark a card. I will be leacing next year for a club on my doorstep.

I have met up with a number of forumers since joining in Jan this year and played at a couple of thier clubs amoungst other venues.

My goal is to one day play off scratch but TBH if I make single figures I will be happy.

I just wish I had taken golf up properly at an earlier age because I think I could of been quite good.
 
I thought my story would be unique, but Homer has beaten me to it!

I started playing when I was too young to remember, swinging a club around in the back yard, and then progressing to a local 9 hole par 3 course, and finally becoming a junior member at a local club. I got down to scratch, and even started doing the PGA course, but then decided after a bit of pressure from other people that going to uni was a better option. Got into the usual beer, women and all that at uni and stopped playing.

Started back again not to long ago, no real reason why, just got the bug again! Now I'm trying to get things back to how they used to be, and maybe even better!
 
It all started for me when I was about 20 in 83 (yes that makes me 45). I was a member of a social club that had a golf society. I was never interested in playing until one weekend someone droped out of the weekends society game and I was asked if i'd like to play. All my mates ralied around and managed to get me half a bag of clubs and a pair of shoes to borrow. On the Saturday about 40 of us arrived at the golf course (The Downshire in Bracknell). I remember standing around the first tee with all my mates, and I was drawn to go out with the third group. Now if you can imagine standing on the first tee with about 30 blokes behind you taking the p*** and you have never hit a golf ball in your life.....Well I smacked this ball, it must have been 230ish yards, straight down the middle, and from that moment I was totaly hooked, The rest of the round wasn't quite that good, but I did have a fair bit of beginers luck. Back to the social club to disect the golf and a few bevvies, and that was it, I went on every other trip they had whilst I was still a member.

With the society we used to have about 10 trips a year, plus I started playing a few muni's in the area a couple of time a month and also played Homers old track a few times Ascot Heath it was called then I think (I was mates with a groundsman on Ascot racecourse). But was never a member anywhere due to the prices..the courses within a 10 mile radius of me Wentworth, Suningdale, Ascot, East Berks, Swinley Forrest (used to caddie here as a kid) etc

I moved to Devon in 93 and always wanted to start playing again so in 96 I joined Woodbury Park (then just bought by Nigel Mansell) I played there for 11 years (still have a retainer on my membership) but joined East Devon 2 years ago. This is where I enjoy my golf now.
 
first introduced to golf about 10yrs ago with the odd round of pitch and putt back home in Cornwall. didn't play again until this year when i went for a round at a local 9hole course (v.challenging course!)in Loughton.
absolutely loved it and seeing as my missus is a nurse and works a lot of weekends thought it was the perfect new hobby to keep me occupied during footie close season over the summer. went to Sports soccer straight after i finished and bought a set of dunlops for £80.
started playing 2/3 times a week and started lessons a couple of weeks later - then started playing some full 18hole courses after a couple of weeks. Had about 5lessons and bought myself new irons etc. went off to the Algarve for a weeks golfing holiday and improved dramatically.
kept it up ever since playing 2 or 3 times per week during the summer now at least once a week.

love it so much i've hardly played football this season!
 
First half set at 15yo, played constantly until I was 18. In that time improved from 36 to 6 handicap. Played on and off from 18yo to 20yo then basically stopped all together until I was 33yo when I took golf up again. Got back to my old handicap within a few months and from 33 to 36 I played a lot getting down to 4.0 as my lowest ever handicap, last 2 years played much less and handicap has crept up a little. Lost interest this year by mid summer and not playing at all presently, hoping interest will be rejuvenated by next April.

Highs - 2nd club champs as a 17yo, several vouchers won in 0-9 section of club Opens(best to date £100), 2 club championships won, a dozen or so handicap cups won at various Clubs I've been a member of.

Lows - inumerable! No hole in ones yet. :D
 
First picked up a club in 75. Pinseeker PW & 7 iron. Played a short course that has since become a housing estate. Nothing serious, I preferred football, rugby, cricket, basketball, volleyball, boxing, long distance running.
Didn't really have any desire to play regular courses. Stopped playing in 77.
started playing again with a few lads that I played football with and began to enjoy it. I always had an aptitude for sports and played ok-ish from the off.

Started to get serious in my early twenties, around 1984.
Played 4-5 times a week and more if I/we could squeeze it in.
Got down to 8 H/C but would have probably been lower had we calculated all the cards. Never joined a club used to play all over with the footy lads.
Had a son in 86 and after about 18months I was spending far too much time with the lads either playing footy, training or golfing.
Got an ultimatum so stopped playing golf. It was never a option to stop playing footy.
Fast forward to 1996 and I got the clubs back out and played through the summer. Didn't really have the thrill for me anymore.
Clubs went in the loft.
In 2007 I had "an episode" at work and was "advised" to go for anger counselling. They suggested a pastime. I mentioned that I used to play golf and the rest is history.
Started again in March 07 at the range. God it was good to rip into the balls but the clubs didn't feel right (they were about 20 years old after all)
Went to AG got a set of "measured" Jack Nic irons and booked 3 lessons with assistant pro.
He changed everything except the grip, apparently my shape had changed but my swing hadn't.
asked the ass pro about membership. He sorted it for me. He was a cracking lad but left in the Autumn. Got initial 22 H/C.
Not entered any comps yet as I don't really want to get too competitive.
Currently fluctuating between 12 & 13 but putting lets me down (winter work)
Have had a few forum meets and they are a good bunch of lads.
Hope I don't ever have to get my "game" head on but Goswick may be the tester :p

I want to play as many top courses as I can while I can and I figure that iought to set a target of a manimum of 6 per year.

I don't try and have any regrets in life but sometimes wander what might have been had I continued to play.
 
Started playing at 10 when I was 12 my handicap was 10 and was playing regular for my club and winning competitions.

Was offered county trials but I was also a Black belt in Karate at this point and had national duties there.

I don't have any regrets in life apart from giving up golf at such a young age and such a good level.

Now one of the guys who's ass I used to kick is the club pro. He give's me lessons and laughs when I hit the ball now!!! So I sometimes have to give him a few reminders!.
 
I first hit a ball when I was about 6 I guess. my Dad filmed the occasion, and stood at 90 degrees to where I was aiming, yet i still managed to hit him!

I played on and off until I was 14 when I became a member at Colne Valley until I went to university in 2003 when funds didn't allow it. I played for the club a few times, and my school during that time, and my handicap slowly went from 26 to 17. I was playing to about 12 at the time I stopped.

Am just starting up again seriously, having palyed possibly twice or 3 times a year since '03. Hoping to knuckle down and get down to 12 or even better, single digits! (dreaming....)
 
Brilliant response to the thread chaps!
I know that no-one has asked but here's my "brief histoty".

I used to play football 3/4 times a week, training twice,saturday&sunday league.
I got a bad injury and now my ankle is held together by a metal plate and scews (not as bad as it sounds but it makes me sound macho!) Anyway, late May this year, after a few months of moping about I was finally persuaded to 9 holes with my girlfriends dad and brother-in-law, I was not looking forward to it at all!

After playing that round I was completely hooked! I played the same course twice a week for about 3 month's, then a friend gave me a set of regal clubs and I was made up!

Since may I've missed just 2 weeks of playing and that was when my son was born six weeks ago!

I'm looking to join a club soon and get a h/c. I'm not a great player and my best round is a 91 which was +22.
I'm having lessons through the winter and hope to hit the ground running come spring!

Like a few people have said I wish I started the game sooner but there you go!

Ade
 
I play golf since summer 2008. A good friend of mine is a serious golfer and he learned me how to play golf! Playing in wintertimes is not my cup of tea, so I will wait untill spring! I am now trying to learn as much as possible on this forum: there is so many useful information.
 
Brethren, one should be charitable and give the benefit of doubt to one who, might possibly, be new to the Ingris lanridge. Then again he might be a recent product of our *!?//** education system.

I say should, but as he's touting a really crappy American website that has no company attribution he could be just what he appears - a wart on the escutheon of humanity.
 
I took up golf in 91 aged 27 on a holiday. I immediatly got bitten by the golf bug but wasnt particularly good at it. Then I discovered a driving range nearby where I spent almost every Saturday hitting balls - golf courses in the Vienna area were few and unaffordable (no pubic courses back then). In the middle of this range about 100yd away there was a depression filled with water after rain. It took me several months to carry this depression with my 5iron. In 1993 a club for clubless golfer was founded and I became one of its first members. They offered the opportunity to play proper golf courses and at the end of the year I had decided to join the club where I still play. The president offered me to pay the entry fee in September (4000 Euro) and I could play for free until March. So guess where I spent all my weekends whenever weather permitted play. I even managed 36 holes on every X-mas holiday which is quite an achievement given the limited amount of daylight at this time of the year.

No great achievements. My best round was a 1 over par admittedly with 4 winter tees, my best medal round a gross 75 (3 over) and I still finished only 2nd. :(
 
I will add my twopenneth worth.
As someone else mentioned, I as they have always been good at sports. I played Tennis for Queens club in Halifax where I grew up as a kid, and was always in first eleven for school footy etc.
A few of my friends played golf when we were young, but I always thought it a posh persons sport and that I wouldn't fit in- how I regret not starting then now!
Well- my brother started playing 2, maybe 3 years ago now and being a fireman has plenty of time to himself so had "gotten the bug" and was playing sometimes 3-4 times a week.
I said what a waste of a good walk, all that sort of stuff but he just said "Why not come for a game, see what it's like"?
Being a lefty, there wasn't exactly any clubs I could borrow off someone so I made the decision to buy a starter set- I paid abour £80 for some Prosimmons (which I only have 2 left of now thank god...)
I went out, and I think my first round was about 140! Even though I was awful (and still have my moments) I hit that one "good" shot that has kept me going back for more.
I have now moved from Yorkshire to North Devon, so I no longer get to play "battle of the brothers" as often as I used to (not much of a battle- he whups my ass every time) but he may get a surprise when we play at Christmas! Well, I hope!
I've been playing around a year, have been a member at Ilfracombe a couple of months and suspect my first handicap will be around 24-25...
Best round is a 91 on a par 69.
 
I started playing golf when I was 7 or 8 in 1993. My Grandad used to take me down to just play on the practise green and then eventually, after having a few lessons, I went out on the course. At first I didn't really enjoy it and alot of my friends who I was at school with played football and cricket so I gave up! Cricket took over for quite a long time until one season, we had a really bad year, both on and off the field and me and my best mate gave up and took up golf again, about 14 now?!

We then played all the time, every night after school, and nearly everyday in the summer holidays! We both did well with our handicaps and by the time we were 16 we both made it into single figures.

I became junior captain and when i was 18 became junior coordinator at our club, helping increase the number of junior members from 30 to over 100. During this time we got an EGU award and went to represent our union in competition, the first time for 20 odd years.

Im now off 6 and play 2-3 times a week in the summer, once a week in the winter if the weather lets me!

Best round i've ever had was a gross 69 in a club medal, but didn't win anything!! Me and my best mate also got to the last 16 in the country in the Daily Mail Foursomes which was probably one of my best moments in golf, mainly due to the fact I played with my best mate and did well for the club!

I went on my first proper golfing holiday this year to Florida and hope to do more if money and girlfriend allow!

I enjoy my golf massively and don't take it too seriously, just enjoy the social side of it. I've made some great friends who I will have for life, and have some memories which I will stay with me for a long time!
 
I started playing properly nearly 2 years ago. Had the occasional knock about before but rugby was my sport and I played that every week. Decided to stop playing when I injured my shoulder (could not take the impact in the front row any more)and booked in for a course of lessons and have not looked back since. This year saw me join my first proper club and start entering competitions and am now totally hooked.
 
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