|
Spent, wasted, many years playing golf. Looking back on it the only thing I miss is the commarderie. Woodworking can be a little lonely.
After all the years of playing golf the only thing I have to show for it is a score card from Mt. Mitchell where I shot even par. Well, I do still have my handicap card with an 8 on it, whoopee.
Seriously, if you are going to play, take lessons. At least a dozen from the same pro. Play awhile and then go back for more. Also, buy a set of clubs that are fitted to you, shaft stiffness, lie and loft, grip, swing weight.... This does make a difference. I had a golf club shop, repair and build, and it amazed me what some people played with and I do not mean how much money they spent. If you can find a good par 3 course, play it. Some people look down their nose at a par three course but it can really improve your short game. This is where the real scoring is done. Play some from the ladies tees. This will build your confidence. After the winter I always played a few rounds from the ladies tees just to make sure I did not start over swinging until I tuned the muscles back up. Spend at least five times as much time practicing your putting as anything else. I never won any money with a drive but a lot of money with putts. Pros practice for hours in sand traps, amateurs almost never do. Gary Player used to hit 1 irons out of the sand trap until he made ten. Can you guess how long that took. Davis Love used to hit a thousand balls a day with his right hand behind his back.
Talked with Greg Norman at the Masters one years. He said the biggest mistake most amateurs make is gripping the club to tight. He said to pretend you are holding a tube of toothpaste. If you holding it tight enough to squeeze out the paste you are holding it to tight. He said the farther he wanted to hit a club the softer his grip became. Just the opposite of what most amateurs do. This is the best advise I ever received.
Golf is a really difficult game. The hardest in the world in my opinion. Starting after becoming an adult makes it doubly hard. Remember, they ask you how many, not how. Have fun!!!! | 
" I get knocked down but I get up again" - Chumbawamba 
Linear Mode
