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Your introduction to Golf

• renniw52 5,385 Posts

  Thu, Dec 1 2016 8:54 AM

   Lets start a new thread, possibly free from controversy, name calling and hijacking. What was your introduction to the game of golf. I grew up in the small town of Bradford, Pennsylvania. As a 10 year old I wanted to make some money other than raking leaves and mowing lawns. My paper route wasn't covering the cost of my girl friends and beer and cigarettes. I decided to try working as a caddie. There was a member only course called Penn Hills. Your would show up at 7 am and sign a board in an old shack. As members would show up they would call names in order on the board.

   You would make 50 cents for a single bag and 75 cents if you caddied double (for 18 holes). If a ball went into a lake and you were willing to retrieve it the player would pay you a dime for retrieving his ball. If you came out with any extra balls they would pay a nickel if they wanted it. If not you either kept it or threw it back into the lake. After a full summer of this I became the private caddie for the man who invented the Zippo lighter. No more signing the board, he would pick me up in his big Lincoln  and the way we went. 

   If he didn't want to step in the mud or sand he would let me take the shot for him. So I was introduced to golf.

  True as can be.

  Squirrel Nutz

• JaRTennBogey 74 Posts

  Thu, Dec 1 2016 9:23 AM

  As a young boy,I caddied for my father and a neighbor when they played. In time--watching them as I caddied--they would let me take shots now and then. They were very helpful in teaching me how to make approach shots,and how to read breaks on the green.

  When I got old enough to handle "big boy clubs"--I got a "starter " set---and played with my father.

  I will never forget the time he hit a GREAT tee shot, he turned to me,his eyes wide open-grin on his face, and he said to me---"Now you do better"

  He was not challenging me to beat his drive---but he wanted me to do better.

  He is gone now---but every time I tee up a ball-I see his face and that great big grin.

  Love you Dad

• srellim234 2,077 Posts

  Thu, Dec 1 2016 5:08 PM

  My late dad had a membership to a private country club. During the summer on Thursdays (his day off work) I would spend my time at the swimming pool while he played his round of golf. Starting when I was seven he let me use my late grandfather's old clubs and he would take me out to play four holes after he was done with his round. Gradually the number of holes we played together grew. Occasionally I would "caddy" for his group locating their shots for them, raking traps, etc. and sometimes Dad would reward me with a full 9 or 18 holes. 

  He wound up giving up the country club membership for financial reasons but I was hooked for life.

• lee22sharon 1,419 Posts

  Thu, Dec 1 2016 6:11 PM

  I am not much for personal stories. but I have a good one directly on point.  Going to take awhile.

  As the OP stated, to be a caddy was a serious source of cold hard cash!  From after school Friday until they closed the course Sunday night. i could make from $6 to $10.  I also ran two newspaper routes, morning and evening, maybe $5 a week.  I had not started dating, no car, but I smoked cigars and kept an Ariel motorcycle running.  Thing ate parts like I smoked cigars.

   This period of bliss came to a screeching (on my mothers side) halt when she found out about my motorcycle, the speeding incident (92mph on a divided 4 lane) (no interstates then) cutting class to ride,  no license(not old enough)  no insurance, and being brought home by the Ohio Highway Patrol!

   Needless to say every elder member of my family ganged up on me.  The motorcycle was removed from my life forever.

   Being the adventurous (and pi$$ed) person I was at that time, I thought I would run away to the Army.  As a member of the Special Forces, we were assigned to many  places for many things, often on extremly short notice.  On one of these trips (I was stationed at an old WWII air station in Hawaii near Sunset Beach).  Our group was loaded and ready to leave when we were informed we would have PASSENGERS!  They finally arrived  loaded down with several crates of gear, and every one of them was carrying giant brand new Wilson golf bags filled with clubs.

  They were the enlisted personnel on the Pacific Area Command golf team.  They were going to their next tournament,  Their regular plane had been deadlined and we had the only other large freight type airplane that would get them there on time.  It is a long boring flight.  After a time the golfers took some of our camouflage netting and made a catch net.  They started pratice shots and were even using the drivers!  Seveal of our group had/or still did play golf and asked to join in, to even including me.

  I was never interested in playing or learning about golf when i caddied, it was only for the $, but afterward I made it a point to have played in every country possiable.  Could not always have my clubs with me, only some courses had rentals, so I would buy what I thought I needed (second hand mostly) then give them to sombody who needed them.

  Never got so good that I didn't pratice everytime I got a chance.   That is how i started my addiction to golf.  I no longer can play the real thing, but wgt has been a lot of fun and is reasonably accurate.  

   it's gonna have to be my quarter this time, the story took to long to tell.   my nickle wouldn't cover it.

• petervcpt 1,013 Posts

  Sun, Dec 4 2016 5:15 AM

  Howzit
  
  Brill thread renniw52
  
  I only got to play golf when I became a manager at a bank and they paid for my membership.
  
  I joined King David Golf Club, near the airport. Reason was that for many many decades in this country, Jews were not allowed to be members of golf clubs, so they created their own from literally wasteland.
  
  I had many fine games there, and my highlight was almost getting a hole in one on hole 8, a short par 3. The ball hit the flagstick and rocketed off the green :-)
  
  Unfortunately, due to health and financial reasons, I'm no longer able to play.
  
  I still remember those days fondly, and I read all the posts here of guys that have managed to play together in real life with great joy.
  
  Cheers,
  Peter

• Dougie4042 4,410 Posts

  Sun, Dec 4 2016 2:44 PM

  My introduction to golf was probably Tiger Woods '99 on my PC.  It seemed fun to play on all of that green grass.  And outdoors isn't the worst place to be as well. Due to health concerns and school/work, I can't play on a real course.  But it wasn't until I stumbled across this game that I really became hooked!  Good stuff.

• gsoup 2,929 Posts

  Sun, Dec 4 2016 5:20 PM

  never thought Id play the silly game, looked boring as hell. my first introduction to golf was crossing the course to get to the tennis courts. then(as kids do) we confiscated forgotten golf carts and joy rode them on the course, got caught. Our punishment was to work for the groundskeeper. After a couple days of being a target on the driving range, I decided I wanted to try it. Got a driver from the starter and went out to wack the ball. This went for a year, short game spot on, putting was GREAT. Still count hit a driver to save my life. A fine ex US Amatur champion took pitty on me and in 5 sec fixed me. magic trick, I wasnt rolling my wrists, what a difference. went on to take money from my dads friends, hated playing with mom. wish I had never discovered girls, cars and pot. 

• hpurey 11,505 Posts

  Mon, Dec 5 2016 7:46 AM

  When I was 12 or 13 years old,  me and a friend use to sneak out to the local park with his dad's Pitching wedge and 9 iron with as many golf balls as we could fit in our pockets and hit them until we lost them.  Usually in the surrounding yards next to the park.  Occasionally one of us would shank one into a shed or worse and we'd have to...... well let's just say we had to leave early and get our cardio in for the day LOL.

   

  Those few shots that went as they're suppose to is what kept me coming back.  Wasn't until I was in the Army when my parents bought me a set of clubs when they visited me to see their first grandchild that I actually played on a real course.  

  Man was I awful!  But just like those days 10 years earlier, there were shots that got me hooked.  

   

   

• alosso 21,070 Posts

  Mon, Dec 5 2016 8:30 AM

  hpurey:

  Those few shots that went as they're suppose to is what kept me coming back.

  There are two reasons to come back tomorrow:

  1) To play as good as today.

  2) To play better than that shyte of today!

   

  For 50 years in my life, I didn't even think of playing golf. You may know that golf was an exclusive sport here, and I played field hockey from youth to my fourties - separated "enimies" of golfers!

  Then I discovered that I had to do some sport, and at the same time a golf course opened near my residence which is part of the new, not-so-exclusive golf in Germany. So I decided to take a class to learn golf.

  I did well, I had fun and I received my "licence" - part of the traditional exclusivity thing. Ever since, I have been addicted to it.

  It has been 11 years now. I've been travelling a lot, collecting golf courses in Czechia, Austria, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal, Northern Africa, all parts of Britain and the US.

  But it's also fun to play my home course. It has nine holes "only" but it still poses questions that I can't answer, sometimes ;)

• Ducati916 1,116 Posts

  Mon, Dec 5 2016 11:09 AM

  Another fine thread you've started Renn...As you said, hopefully this doesn't derail.

  I had a friend in school who said we should try out for the golf team (yes, we had one). I'd never hit a ball in my life, but, I was game to play/try any gentle sport as my shins were beat to hell from 10 years of youth football (soccer) without shin pads (they were for sissies) . I didn't have any clubs but was able to borrow a set from our next door neighbour friend. I'm fairly certain they were 25 years old. We had a team meeting where the coach went over the basic rules and etiquette for the newer players. I distinctly remember part of his speech telling us all "remember to replace your divots"  I leaned over and whispered to my friend "what's a divot".  At the first day of practise, the coach called everyone one over to hit a drive on the range  so he could evaluate potential talent. Mine went sideways...yes...literally. My swing speed was about 320 miles an hour and I managed to just nip the edge of the ball with enough spin that it rolled off the tee sideways and came to rest about about a foot away from where it started. The coach sort of rolled his eyes and said, give it another try. I proceeded to swing and miss.  He said I had a very nice baseball swing but that we weren't in America and perhaps Cricket might be my game. I stuck with it and by the end of the year, had reduced my average score from about 118 down to about 94. Several years later I went on to play to a 4 handicap...but, like most people, work and life got in the way and I now I play to about a 9.

  I've been very lucky in my golf life in that I've attended several tournaments including an Open, a US Open. 2 Masters and 2 Ryder Cups and I have played St. Andrews, Pebble Beach and Augusta National where I shot a legitimate 83 the week after the Masters. I knocked a ball in the water on 11 and one into the famous Raes Creek in front of #12. I managed to birdie 15 and 16 and thought I was king of the universe. I have one hole in one and, being a bit of a git, told everyone one the next tee....if anyone had a zero, go ahead and hit. Every time I play that course, I skip that hole.