Why did you take up golf?

[drewster]

I lost contact with my old man as a kid but got back in contact with him about 13 years ago. He played golf regularly and it seemed the best way to spend some quality time was to start playing too and i've never looked back . For the first couple of years i tried to juggle golf and cricket by getting an early tee off time and then pegging it off to cricket for a 2.00pm start . Something had to give so i reluctantly gave up cricket ( i was miles better at cricket than golf) and concentrated on golf.

 

[DCB]

It was the 1972 Open at Muirfield that really started me down the line to serious golf. Prior to that I was happy to hit a ball up and down the playing field with a junior 5 iron. The Open and the TV coverage was the turning point and before the end of the summer holidays I'd played my first full 18 holes at Silverknowes golf course.

TV coverage was not too bad in those days, with The Open, The Masters, The Ryder Cup and usually one or two other events all shown on the BBC. Those were indeed the good old days

 

[Spear-Chucker]

My Dad played and got me started at around 10 with a cut down club.

Liked different sports but couldn't get picked for any school teams at anything, certain folks just got chosen for most teams I guess but I wasn't obviously any good at all otherwise they probably would have noticed! Put my energies and what time I had into golf and have made a gradual improvement every year since - now, erm, just over four-zero and still going...

Did become obvious to me from an early age that golf is a great insight into your character and life in general and I'll always be grateful to the game for what I've learnt. Just hope my lad finds a similar path through golf or another interest.

 

[bobmac]

So far it's mostly.........

Got too old/injured to play other sports
Friends/family played
Course/range nearby

No-one took it up because they watched it on TV
Interesting

Edit
Except for young DCB.....sort of

 

[Khamelion]

I took up golf, for the same reasons as you Bob, my dad got an old persimmon driver and cut it down for me to play when I was bairn, painted the head red and wrapped the handle in bright blue tape. We go to play golf and once out of site of the club house I could hit a few balls. Happy days.

 

[Deleted member 15717]

intrigue, more than anything. I had never picked up a club before really, apart from random bashings at a driving range as a mate worked there.

It got suggested that some family members had a round of golf, and I decided I needed to practice. Used the short game area at the club I am now a member of, then joined, and haven't looked back!

 

[turkish]

Again with me it was last year as my football is coming to an end- tried going back to amateur at start of season and just didn't enjoy it so golf it is. Just wish I had taken it up sooner.

Agree with FD- not really a spectator sport until you have an old head and also think it's people that watch golf that enjoy watching it; not the other way around- to gain more interest I think they need to get thinking how to change that.

 

[Marty420]

I was playing some golf game one night round my cousins on the Sega Mega drive when I was about 9 and was pretty good at it. I was watching the character on screen swing and thought I could do that. Couple of weeks later I had some dodgy old 5 iron donated to me, I went straight to the range and proceeded to slice, hook, shank and top every ball I hit. I went a few more times over the next couple of months and just got good at it. Fast forward 5 years later and I was Junior Matchplay and Stableford champion at my local course. Injury then forced me out of action for quite a long time. About 3 years ago I was declared fully fit and healthy so have got back into it, only seriously over the last year or so.

 

[ManinBlack]

My father took up golf in his early 40s and took me for lessons when I was about 10. I played on & off until I was 18. At school I played rugby, cricket, tennis & basketball. When I left I was working & studying for accountancy exams & tried playing rugby without training - once! Gave everything else up & concentrated on golf & have played now for 58 years. Over the years I have seen many folks from the tennis, rugby & cricket clubs turn up playing golf. I think, for a lot of people, it's "once a sportsman, always a sportsman" and it's a game you can enjoy well into old age.

 

[Rooter]

Man in black has hit the nail on the head for a lot of us I think. "Once a sportsman (or woman) always a sportsman" I feel I need something competitive, even if it's only me versus the course.

 

[DCB]

Bob,

You have to remember that those of us over 50 only had three channels to watch and they sometimes closed down during the day or showed the famous Test Card. Remember the National Anthem at the end of the evening as the wee white dot signalled the end of transmission for the day ? Even when there was Golf on, it wasn't wall to wall coverage like we get now. Even the Open had limited coverage compared with todays coverage.

 

[Hacker Khan]

I took it up as the fashions appealed to me. I'm shallow like that.

 

[john0]

Because it gets me 4 hours away from the Mrs and kids

 

[TheAlbatross]

I can clearly recall the exact day i took up golf - Monday 15th April 1996.

None of my family or friends played or were even remotely interested in golf, in fact, my father was/is an avid cricketer and as a result so was i. But on Sunday the 14th April i was allowed to stay up late with my dad to watch the Masters. I was captivated by the Augusta course and inspired by Nick Faldo's comeback against Greg Norman, so much so that the very next day we went to Leeke's department store and picked up a second hand 7 iron and a bag of used balls.

We had a plying field behind our house and every evening after school i would be out there till dusk hitting golf balls. Gradually i added to my collection of used clubs and eventually joined the local club as a junior for £60 full membership!!

My golf started to encroach on my cricket and eventually i had to make a choice. Fair play to my dad who gave me some sound advice: "if you are an opening bat in cricket (which i was), one bad shot and your day is over. In golf one bad shot doesn't matter, you just take your medicine and the game continues."

I may well have come across golf later in life but had it not been for the BBC coverage of the Masters and watching Faldo's comeback i wouldn't of taken up the game the very next day.

 

[Banzai]

My Dad used to play a bit and I hit a few balls in a field as a youngster and as a teenager, 15 maybe, started playing on at local 9 hole pitch and putt ( I used to cycle there with my clubs). I was a pretty sporty kid and really it was just another sport i wanted to have a go at amongst many others. Then when i was 20 or so and my then girlfriend was working saturdays, I used to go off with a mate and play at a local pay and play every week (with Dad's cast off clubs) and got to striking the ball reasonably well. Then more or less dropped it for a while (like 10 years) as I got into cricket and was still playing sunday football (still playing the odd round here or there), until a knee finished the football and kids finished the cricket. Have been playing regularly now for years and probably playing more than ever now in my forties.

 

[bluewolf]

Back in the late 90's I was heavily into Scuba Diving. Following a deep dive, that ended with me nearly drowning after suffering "The Narcs" at 60m, I was left with a perforated eardrum.

I was desperate to find something else to do with my time, and a couple of my friends were golfers. I remember thinking "I can't play golf, it's an old mans sport.." I still struggle sometimes with the lack of a real adrenaline rush, so I take out the MTB and ride some trails instead.

 

[jak kez 187]

All my mates kept banging on about the masters in 2012 even though I had no idea any of them liked golf.

Anyway watched it and bubba'a hook from the trees to win it amazed me that you could even do that to a golf ball. Got me intreagued so gradually built up a set of clubs off ebay and kept going down the range and our local courses.

 

[Lambchops]

Used to play football but a couple of years ago I had my jaw smashed in 2 places playing, I always said I'd hang the boots up when I lost time at work through an injury so I needed something to do with my time - ended up going to the driving range and both me and the missus got hooked

 

[garyinderry]

My dad worked for DuPont, large American company with a plant in Derry. They amazingly had a 9 hole pitch and putt in the grounds of the plant for use of the employees and their children.

It was quite often deserted so you could play away till your hearts content. My dad took me when I was no more then 7. He got a half set of junior clubs. Little bladed beauties. They were given to my nephew when he was old enough and eventually my Brother took them to the dump. I've never quite gotten over that.

Sporadic interest growing up. Odd summer game when it was nice and on holidays.
Had a brief flirtation with a poorly run school golf club aged 12 which lasted a matter of months til it go too cold.
Joined a work society and was given an 18 handicap. Won that by a shot and won a nice cobra bag.
Joined a club the same year 2009. Given 18 handicap.
Eventually found the golf forum and I've been stuck here ever since. :rofl:

 

[KhalJimbo]

I took to it in September when I played a round with my brother in law in South Africa, near the Kruger Park. Came back to the UK I found out that a lot of my friends were closet golfers. So started playing and really enjoying it.

I love being outside (as long as I'm not getting wet!) and spend a lot of time out of my mountain bike but I still sometimes like a bit more of a relaxing sport so golf fitted in perfectly. It's also helped me to connect a bunch of different friends that usually wouldn't spend time together and also joining the society at work is going to be a major networking advantage too.

All of the above, plus I just really really enjoy it. Nothing is better when you hit the ball dead straight, its a small thing in reality, but is just so hugely satisfying!!