Make this game less annoying!

May 8, 2007 6:51 PM

I'm tired of being a crappy golfer. I'm 21 and have been playing for about 5 years. My hdcp is 18 and I would like to get down to single digit. Are there golf training (2-12 weeks) camps for adults? Where? Other ideas? I have the time and cash and I don't mind traveling.
posted by mrunderhill to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (7 answers total)

Well you probably know this but lots of money and golf go very well together. Have you considered group or private lessons down at your favorite course?
posted by mmascolino at 7:36 PM on May 8, 2007

Yes, for some reason in golf the harder you try... the worse it gets. I would say get some good solid fundamentals in lessons from a club pro - grip, swing path, body turn etc. Then hit many buckets of balls grooving your swing and repeating it over and over. Take it on the course and concentrate on hitting just like you did on the range. Relax and get out of your own way. Hitting many balls and grooving a repeating swing is the key. There are many golf schools everywhere these days; but again unless you keep playing and practicing to ingrain your muscle memory it'll fade. Always get in your club tournaments etc, and bet a couple bucks when you play using your handicap to balance skill level. Pressure builds your game. After you lose a few times you'll figure out how to win. Good luck.
posted by cruzer at 8:20 PM on May 8, 2007

Definitely look into lessons at a favorite local course. I did that and it was the best thing I ever did for my game. It's not that I immediately became a scratch player or anything. It just taught me to focus on my mechanics and to learn to feel when it's all working right. I went from "crappy" to "I love this game".

Academies and camps are great (if you have the boat-loads of money they want), but you can get good one-on-one instruction locally at a fraction of the cost.
posted by Thorzdad at 5:00 AM on May 9, 2007

If you're serious and open (and have a strong sense of humour and dry wit) then ask the same question in the "Ask Golf Guru - Golf Instruction" forum of www.iseekgolf.com/forums/

You'll find me there using the same nick.

18 isn't a bad handicap, in fact playing bogie golf is pretty good from an enjoyment factor. I'm currently off 7 after having gone out a couple over the last months. I'm in the throws of trying to become good. FWIW, I'm in my mid 40's and have only recently been able to pursue a dream from my youth to play this game at a competent level.
posted by michswiss at 5:49 AM on May 9, 2007

The Guide to Golf Schools & Camps looks like a good place to start.
posted by otio at 7:55 AM on May 9, 2007

Take a private lesson as often as you can afford it and play at least twice a week. Yes, there are golf training camps etc. but the key to learning a skill like this is continued instruction, most importantly continued watching of your form and correction. The pros have coaches, get yourself one too.
posted by caddis at 9:35 AM on May 9, 2007

How does your swing feel? Things finally clicked for me when I saw this video clip of Bobby Jones on the internet:

http://www.beauproductions.com/golfswingsws/bobbyjones/index1.html

Then, I went to amazon.com and I got this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Classic-Instruction-Bobby-Jones/dp/0767902084/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4/104-2553563-0711937?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178730101&sr=8-4

Between the video images and the photographs in the book, I finally figured out how to swing the club the right way. After that, it was just a matter of working on the short game (9 iron, wedge, and putter).

With a decent long game, you'll get to the green in 2 or 3 shots easy. It's the short game where you want to get that ball as close to the hole as you can before putting that's tough. This book helped me a lot with that:

http://www.amazon.com/Radical-Golf-Lower-Score-Enjoyment/dp/051788626X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-2553563-0711937?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178737431&sr=8-1
posted by rsol44 at 12:08 PM on May 9, 2007