New to Golf - nervous before playing my first round!

[the_exile]

Hi everyone!

At the age of 29 I've recently decided to bite the bullet and learn to play golf. Have always been a fan watching on TV but not having any friends or family who have ever shown an interest in playing (and not wanting to go as a beginner with experienced work colleagues) I never got around to playing.

A few months ago I decided to go for it as I'm new to the area wher I now live and thought it would be a good way to meet some new people if nothing else.

So about four weeks ago I went to a driving range and signed up for some lessons. I've had four hour long lessons (as well as hitting a few hundred balls for practice) now and have got pretty addicted already. I'm hittig most of my shots reasonably straight (with irons anyway) although my distance is terrible! I've got a day coming off work in a few weeks and so I've decided to take myself to a local course and see if I can play a round (by which point I'll have had another three hours of lessons and hit a lot more practice balls.

I guess my question is am I going to cause any issues being a rank beginner, playing a solo round? I've read a bit about etiquette but am worried that, turning up to a cours as a new player I'll look out of place and annoy members as a "clueless hacker" getting in the way?

Unfortunately I can't take any more time off until next March so if I don't play a round in a few Mondays time there won't be an opprtunity for until the Spring. I really don't want to play my first round on a bank holiday or weekend as it'll be busy and I'll REALLY feel like I'm getting in the way and I don't want to lose this momentum I feel I've built by waiting till the Spring. :mmm:

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

TE - Firstly a big welcome on here, mostly a friendly place to be. Being nervous is nothing unusual, after 40 years of playing I still feel nervy on the 1st if there are strangers about, it can however work to your advantage. I can tell you now we all had to start somewhere and we ALL still hit stinkers.

My advice would be to find a playing partner if at all possible, if its an experienced player he can help you pace yourself and show you simple things like replacing divots, repairing pitch marks, where to leave your bag etc etc.

Lastly, tell us a bit more about yourself, where do you live and where would you play, its quite possible a forum member might be in your neck of the woods and could partner you.

Happy golf :swing:

 

[IanG]

Firstly, welcome !

A couple of thoughts spring to mind.

1) In your area are there any nine hole or pitch and putt type courses which you could try out as a first attempt. These are often (but not always) setup to accommodate beginners. Ask your pro which course might be more suitable for you to try out first.

2) as long as you are not holding people up behind you folk will not care how you are playing. If the group behind you catches you up then simply stand to one side of the fairway and wave them through. They'll be grateful and you won't feel pressured. If the course is very busy you'll unfortunately find yourself doing that a lot in the first few rounds.

3) Is there really no-one you could ask to go round with you now that you have practiced a bit? Everyone was a beginner sometime so maybe someone you know can help you out. Then they can take care of all the etiquette stuff and you can focus on playing.

Where are you located - that info might help folks on here give more targetted advice.

Have fun whatever you do.

Ian

 

[bladeplayer]

Hello and welcome to the forum & to golf .

one thing you should do is ring the course your planning on playing to make sure there is nothing on that day , is there a par 3 anywhere near you that you might be able to start out on , could be frustrating out on a big course straight off the bat .

Tell us where abouts you are and what course you are planning playing and one of the Guys/Gals might know the story with the course/area you are going to

Good Luck

Bill


EDIT Sorry Ian i was typing as you reply'd & said pretty much the same ..

 

[Jake O'Reilly]

I guess my question is am I going to cause any issues being a rank beginner, playing a solo round? I've read a bit about etiquette but am worried that, turning up to a cours as a new player I'll look out of place and annoy members as a "clueless hacker" getting in the way?

Any thoughts would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

Welcome to the wonderful world of golf!

As the other guys have commented, a good start may be a par-3 course or 9-holer as you'll get round quicker and you're less likely to be as tested in terms of difficult shots (long carries off the tee, going over water etc)

Another simple bit of advice for someone in your situation would be to aim for a tee-time post 10am, as most members tend to play in the mornings, so the course should be quieter in the late morning and afternoon.

Finally, as others have again mentioned, a huge part of golf is the social side, so do your best to find a fellow beginner or high handicapper who can share in your pain/joy as you work your way round.

Most of all, enjoy yourself!

 

[MadAdey]

I was going to say exactly the same as Ian and Blade after reading the OP but do not need to now.

Welcome to world of insanity that is golf and welcome to the nuthouse that is the GM forum.....🙀

I'm sure if you let people know where you are they could probably advise of a course in your area that isn't too difficult and would no doubt take you down there, so your not on your own. This is more than just a standard Internet forum, it is somewhere that people come to arrange games of golf and find new friends.

 

[chrisd]

Hi and welcome, this forum is a great place to chat golf and by and large you'll get good answers to most questions. I'd not worry about how you play, the good thing about golf is that, no matter how good or bad it goes, everyone had THEIR first ever round and knows what being a newbie is like.

The only tip I'd give is, when you stand on the tee and see how far the target is away from you, don't try and get their in one shot, hit the ball as your coach wants you to and don't try whamming the ball 10 times harder because it look a long way!

Enjoy yourself and do post back how it goes

 

[Ads749r]

Hello and welcome along. I think everything has been said. Main thing is enjoy and don't think of anybody else just concentrate on what your doing and enjoy the round and you won't get in anybody's way. Yeah you need to tell us where your based (so we can steer clear hahahah only joking) as I'm pretty sure someone would be willing to accompany you. If your any where near me I would not mind one bit meeting up with you and taking you out on a course somewhere as myself knows how scary it can be being a new solo golfer. It happened to me 4 years ago.

 

[nta73]

welcome to the forum and the world of golf too, as said if you could give us some more info im sure some one would meet up for a round with you so you can feel a bit more at ease, and learn some basics:thup:

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Welcome along. I think the others have covered most of it and as long as you aren't holding anyone up behind then play and enjoy. If you do see people coming up behind, just let them through at the earliest opportunity and enjoy the thrill of playing golf as opposed to just hitting balls. I think you'll be addicted both on here and to golf

 

[nta73]

my first outing was as a team bonding( hate that term) exercise around 8 years ago, We all went to a local 9 hole course after work, so didnt have to face rocking up on my own. Played regular ever since:fore::thup:

 

[adiemel]

welcome to the forum and to golf. I have been playing for about 2 years and love it. I still get nervous stood on the first tee so don't worry about nerves. As many others have said try and find a playing partner and if you can find a 9 hole course would be good. I was lucky the course I [play at has a 9 hole course in its complex and I spent the first summer playing on their with an experienced friend to get the hang of rules etc

 

[Andy808]

Welcome to the loony bin and to the game that will eventually cause your mental breakdown!!! :rofl:

As a member of a 9 hole course in Cornwall we have a lot of new and inexperienced people play. No one minds if your slow as long as you let them through and to be honest I have played with many solo beginners and tourists. It's not about how you play to start with as long as you're having fun and meeting like minded golfers. We all had to start somewhere and most of us didn't start as kids so it's a longer learning curve.
Get out there and have fun.

 

[Liverbirdie]

Welcome exile -where do you live now, and where did you live.

For the first, I'm sure there will be someone on our esteemed forum who will live in your area and may be able to give a few clues as to where there may be a 9 hole course, pitch and putt, quiet course that is good for beginners.

Over to you....

Welcome, BTW.

 

[Region3]

Welcome again

Dont necessarily disregard weekends altogether. Most courses have a 'twilight' rate which is cheaper if you start after a certain number of hours before sunset. Certainly at my place you could go up a couple of hours before it gets dark on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and it wouldn't be very busy and you have plenty of time to play at least 9 holes.

 

[Scrindle]

Welcome to the forum!

I can't see where you're from but if you live anywhere near Worcestershire, please drop me a PM and I'll be happy to take you around my local course. You can watch me cluelessly hacking it around too

 

[cookelad]

Welcome to the game and the forum!

Keep working at it, for most (read 'all') it's a bit of a struggle at first but every now and then it's worth it!!!

Where are you based, you never know there might be someone on here willing to give up a little bit of their time!

 

[matts1984]

Hello and welcome. When I started me and a couple of friends booked to play at twilight times, so we would just play 9 or 12 holes till it got dark. We found the course a lot quieter so didn't feel the pressure of other people around. This might be a good option for you?

 

[rob_golf1]

Welcome to the forum!!

I wouldn't worry about holding people up, as long as you let them through etc, and abide by the basic etiquettes then there won't be any problems.

Its better to have somebody on a golf course that wants to be there and play rather than getting idiots who just turn up for a jolly and piss about all the way round. That happens quite a bit in the summer at a few decent muni's I play! Good luck, and enjoy it. Happy days

 

[NorfolkShaun]

Welcome along,

I have been playing for around four years now when I started I was always nervous, it soon passes.

If you say where you are i'm quite sure someone will be near you and you will get an offer of a round