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How did you start playing golf?

• josephk2317 873 Posts

  Mon, Apr 8 2013 4:29 PM

  I did not pick up golf until after High School. One of my first job's at that time was on a Public golf course in my town. My brother also worked there as well which helped land me the job as The sand Trap man. I would wake up around 3:00 am every morning Mon-Fri to be at work by 4:30 am. I would maintain the sand traps with my little Toro 3 wheeled raker & occasionally would get mad as hell when the balls would hit my machine; even tho the golfers knew not to tee off when groundskeepers were crossing the fairway, I think honestly most of them just could not see my little headlight on the front. I thought to myself, how could this be any fun walking around in the early morning darkness looking for a small white ball. Well some of the groundskeepers  told me about the movie Caddy Shack. After seeing this movie I had a different point of view on the game. I started looking around for used clubs on the course as well as the local thrift shops; it was very frustrating to find the minimum amount of clubs (7) to play with since I'm a Lefty. I started out practicing at the practice greens & pitch & chip traps by the golf cart shed on the weekends. On my first attempt to play a round I was so nervous with everyone waiting for me to tee off I couldn't even hit the darn ball; Ranger came over and pushed me back to the end of the line for teeing off. More practice afterwards; but when I finally got my confidence up to play an afternoon 9 hole (walk) round in the dead of summer, I had a blast!. It felt great taking my time & having nobody else around to distract me. Just me & nature & a good round of golf.

  Been hooked ever since 

  This machine is Awfully slow, slower than a turtle. Maybe that's why I kept getting hit  with golf balls. Or maybe they just wanted to use me for driving range practice...LOL

  

• liam91 3,130 Posts

  Mon, Apr 8 2013 5:01 PM

  my story is slightly different to those others in this thread because it was my son that got me playing the game about 10 years ago.

  he came home from school 1 day and said that the P.E teacher had taken the class to the local driving range. he went on and on about how good it was and would i take him, well i put him off as long as i could, then agreed to take him.we got 100 balls between us and borrowed a driver. hit the ball a few times and thought what a waste of time , then i hit a long straight 1 and was hooked.

  my son was 8 at the time and we have played golf together at least once a week since, he is 18 now and nearly always beats me.

  i owe an awful lot to golf because me and my son are great fiends because we bonded through golf , in those difficult teenage years when he was growing up we would play golf and we would talk as true equals, not father and son .

  anyone who says golf is just a game has never had the experience of seeing the absolute pride i saw in my son's eyes the 1st time he beat me, to be honest with you it brings a tear to my eyes thinking of it now.

  thanks golf i owe you 

  liam

  P.S. my real name is Mike , but my user name on this golf game is Liam ,i think that says everything 

   

   

• Lizard69 2,006 Posts

  Tue, Apr 9 2013 2:03 AM

  My Dad got me into golf when I was 11 or so but I was a tiny kid and actually wanted to become a jockey, I couldnt hit the ball very far and it was frustrating through high school, then something happened and I grew, ALOT, lol, Jockey idea had to go out of the window but my golf still sucked.

  I would go with him almost every Saturday and just walk with him, he was a good golfer, best h/cap was 2 so it was more fun for me to watch him win cc tournaments and almost every Saturday he bought home a prize of some sort for my mom, which kept her kinda happy.

  My Dad passed away a few days after Xmas last year and I got the framed putter that was awarded to him for making his 1st and only Ace at a course where South Africa's "Major" is held every December at the Gary Player cc In Sun City. I'll treasure that putter and the joy on his face when the ball rolled in for the rest of my days.

  I haven't played a round of golf in quite a few years due to a heart issue but plan on getting some clubs for my 42nd birthday next Tuesday and seeing if I can hit the ball lol

  My best h/cap was a 13, so I was a fairly average hacker at best :-)

  Awesome thread shoe

  Peace,

  Andrew

• 783 Posts

  Tue, Apr 9 2013 3:57 AM

  got into golf at 11 my uncle got me into it started going out with him just for the walk then got hooked. i dident have much money when i was younger so in order for me to play golf i had to get up at 5 in morning and sneek onto the locol golf club before clubhouse staff arrived lol.now been a member of the club for a good few years now got lots of friends there and i have won lots of comps there aswell.

• MBaggese 15,378 Posts

  Tue, Apr 9 2013 9:11 AM

  renniw52:

  Got my first swing as a caddie in 1963.

   

  Great stuff Ren!!!

• daddd1 171 Posts

  Tue, Apr 9 2013 10:14 AM

  I started golfing when I was about 14, found some old wooden shaft clubs at a veggie farmer I worked for, would get on school bus at one stop and get off at my buddies stop & go to the county course. Really had a good time with those old, but really warped shafts, only cost us 25 cents to play 9 holes - what a bargain! Belong to a country club now & play a least 3 times a week, weather permitting. Right now just waiting for snow to leave. 60 years of fun.

• GARRYCARTER 1,533 Posts

  Tue, Apr 9 2013 11:09 AM

  WGTdbloshoe:

  Great stories so far everyone. 

  I lost my Grandfather a 5 years ago but even until the last time I saw him he would ride around in the golf cart with me. So I can feel everyone's pain who has lost loved ones.  It's good though to remember them when they were happy out on the golf course.

   

  - WGTdbloshoe

  Gone but forever in our hearts & minds hey. 

   

• mgh221 545 Posts

  Wed, May 1 2013 8:52 PM

  great thread! i wanted to play since i was a kid but grew up in a family where "no" was their favorite word (especially if it cost $$ lol) once i was on my own i bought some clubs and my grandfather taught me how to play. 17 years later we still play once or twice a year although he can only do 9 holes now (he's in his 80's lol) and i have to tell you i cherrish those 9 holes. have to laugh when i crush one off the tee and he tells me he never hit the ball that long in his life... then i remind him when he was 40 drivers were still made of wood lol... we always get a good laugh from that. he still putts better than me by the way...

  again what a great thread it's great to hear from real world golfers here :)

• senec 254 Posts

  Wed, May 1 2013 9:34 PM

  Started caddying at 13,we used to swing the members clubs when they were'nt looking.Brought home a ladies 7 iron,practice in my yard,shoot some old balls in the river,or go to the football field with some other little kids.

  At the private golf course where I caddied we were alloud to play very early and had to be off the course by 8a.m.I'd  put my alarm clock so it would go off at 4.45a.m.,still dark outside...would ride my bike the 3 miles to the course and there would be about a dozen kids swinging their drivers,waiting for the light of day.It was such a thrill to be able to play on this beautiful private golf course.

  I used to watch Arnold Palmer  on the black and white tv on sunday afternoons,making these incredible shots with his wild swing.

  50 years later I still watch golf on sunday afternoons.

  It's a beautiful game.