Golf Course 101

Thank you for returning to Golf Course 101! A new way to learn about golf and life.

I’m sorry it has been so long since I’ve written.  I’ve been caught up with work and graduate school etc. etc.  And not to mention it’s been SO hot down here that I haven’t been playing as much golf as I’ve wanted. 

So, I want to start addressing the idea of preparing for the life of a college golfer.  What does it take to become a college golfer?  How do you get there?  What steps do you take?  I have recently become aware through a good friend of mine and local head teaching professional of a growing number of high school (and younger) girl beginning golfers.  As you can imagine, I have a lot in common with this group of individuals and I would like to offer some advice and some of my experiences.

I started playing golf the summer before my freshman year of high school.  My Dad asked me if I wanted to go out to the driving range with him one day and I gladly obliged - I was always looking for opportunities to spend one-on-one time with either of my parents.  I remember my first goals in golf were to hit it past the 100 yard marker.  And then to actually hit the 100 yard market itself.  Seems meaningless now - but that’s how I started.  You set miniature goals for yourself throughout your golf career.  Once you achieve those, you make another.  Eventually if your goals become harder and you are always pushing yourself, you become a better golfer. 

One thing I realized in college that I think everyone can apply to their game is to practice harder and longer than everyone else.  If you’re on a team with four other players and each one of those players has already left practice for the day and  you’re the last one standing - still hitting balls, still making putts, still hitting sand shots - then you’re already that much better than your four teammates who already left for the day. 

It’s something to think about – if you stay later, practice harder then you’re going to be better than everyone else. 

Another thing I wish I would have started to practice earlier in my golf career was the mental game.  I have really enjoyed working on that aspect of my game.  Think of it as another club in your bag.  It’s something else to work on and perfect just like a pitch shot or lag putts.  I highly recommend the book Zen Golf: Mastering the Mental Game by Joseph Parent.  I have it on my Amazon carousel on the right side of this page if you would like to reference it there.

Take a look at it – let me know what you think!

Until next time…

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This is a synthetic glove. Not real leather but it will hold up well and it’s a good price too. It also comes in all black.

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These are cabretta leather golf gloves. The real deal! They come in different colors and women’s sizes too!

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So the topic of gloves was brought up to me yesterday – I guess I didn’t really think about this because I have permanent calluses on my hands from playing golf for so many years.  I wear a golf glove on my left hand and it’s just second nature now.  So, it is possible that your hands may get sore the first couple of times we go out to the range and you’ll want to protect them. 

Golf gloves only go on one hand.  It goes on your left hand if you’re right handed and it goes on your right and if you’re left handed.   I wear a ladies large left golf glove (meaning I wear it on my left hand, because I’m right handed) and I have pretty large hands.  It’s a good idea to go ahead and open the package and try on the different sizes to see which one is right for you. The glove should fit very snug.  In fact, you should feel like you’ll need to stretch it out a bit. 

Keep in mind there are ladies sizes and men’s sizes.  Ideally, you’ll want to get a ladies golf glove, however, if you can’t find a ladies size then go ahead and try on the men’s sizes.  A men’s small glove may do the trick!

I suggest getting a glove before our outing on Saturday just to minimize any discomfort you may have.  Golf gloves range in price from $10.00 - $20.00.  There are cabretta leather golf gloves and then there are synthetic leather golf gloves (imitation leather).  The imitation leather gloves will be cheaper.  You can buy these at Target, Academy etc.  If you want a cabretta leather glove, you can get those at Edwin Watts or any golf pro shop.  You can feel the difference in the gloves – one will be thicker and more coarse (synthetic) while the other is thinner and softer (cabretta). 

For beginners, I wouldn’t spend a whole lot of money on gloves.  Just get something that fits snugly and will protect your hand from the grip of the club.  I will recommend a few types of gloves here on the site for reference. 

I hope you’re getting excited about Saturday!  See you soon!

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There aren’t just rules in golf, there’s etiquette too.  I’ll start with driving range etiquette since that’s where our ladies golf group will begin.

The driving range is divided into sections or “slots” may be a good word here.  In other words, each golfer needs adequate space to practice while on the range.  Normally, when you bring your golf bag to the range you would set your bag down behind your “slot” about 8-10 feet so that you have plenty of room to swing the club without anything or anyone getting in the way. 

After purchasing range balls from the pro shop, you would set your golf balls down in your slot.  It is easiest if the golf balls rest in front of you.  So if you’re right handed they would be on the right side of your slot and if you’re left handed they would be on the left side of your slot.  You don’t have to pour the entire bucket of balls out in your slot either.  You can just start with about a dozen or so, especially if you don’t have a lot of room to begin with.

It is important to be conscious of your surroundings when on the driving range.  You never want to walk behind someone when they’re swinging – golf clubs hurt…really.  You also never want to walk in front of anyone who is hitting a golf ball or swinging a golf club.  This sounds simple but you would be amazed at the people who walk out onto the driving range to grab a tee or pick up just one more golf ball to hit.  This is extremely dangerous!  The golf ball travels the fastest out of any ball in another sport – you don’t want to get in front of it!  Even if you’re on the other end of the range as someone, you still don’t want to walk in front of them – a lot of golfers have errant shots sometime and you don’t want to come between that golf ball and where it lands. 

One more thing, being quiet is important on the course but not as critical on the range.  The range is a place to practice first and foremost.  It’s good to discuss swing technique etc. on the range and be able to work on things but at the same time be respectful of others who are trying to concentrate. 

So here is a recap of the basics: 

1)       Make sure you have plenty of room between you and the people next to you (your swing can be bigger than you think and clubs can be longer than you think).

2)      Be conscious of your surroundings.  Just because you know the etiquette doesn’t mean other people do – be aware of what’s around you or swinging around you.

3)      An inside voice is good for the course, but not necessary for the range (though, it’s not a rock concert either J). 

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Gotta love the polos!

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This putter changed my life! I love the technology behind Yes! Putters and wouldn’t go back to a regular putter if it killed me. I have the original Tracy and love love love it!

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Let’s talk attire.  For the purposes of our driving range adventures, shorts and a t-shirt will be fine.  Typically, when you go to a golf course there are rules of what ladies and men can wear.  For instance, ladies must wear slacks, skorts, shorts (no denim or workout shorts) and a collared shirt.  Sleeveless collared shirts are fine as well.  You want to make sure that you have something with pockets at the beginning – you’ll be carrying a few loose items around like golf tees, ball markers, a glove, and golf balls. 

Men should wear similar attire.  Slacks or shorts (no cargo shorts, denim or workout shorts) and a collared shirt with sleeves. 

As far as shoes go, tennis shoes will be fine for the driving range at the beginning but you may want to look into getting a pair of golf shoes once your endeavor becomes more serious.  Personally, I like Bite golf shoes and Adidas golf shoes.  They don’t stretch too much once you begin wearing them and they are extremely comfortable – just like tennis shoes!  Keep in mind, no flip flops or sandals on the course or driving range.

A hat is another good idea when you’re on the course – it’s always important to protect yourself from the sun.  And of course – don’t forget your sunscreen!

I’ve started a thisnext.com profile (http://www.thisnext.com/by/golfcourse101/) where I’ll recommend items for women and men on the course and you can purchase them directly from the site (which I have done in my previous blog)!  If you know that you want to grab a few new items for the course but don’t want to spend a ton of cash, you can find a lot of these items at discount stores like TJ Maxx (they have great Polo shirts for cheaper). 

Keep looking for my other recommendations for golf course attire! 

P.S. Once our ladies golf group gets going on a 9 hole course, the collared shirt and no denim rules will apply.  Happy swinging!

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Love these shirts! Keep you super cool during the hot summers!

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For my beginning lady golfers – what to know before we hit the links (ah, hem…driving range)

Golf Clubs:

The rule is that you can only carry 14 clubs in your golf bag (for the purposes of practicing on the driving range, feel free to bring as many as you want).  Clubs are what you use to hit the golf ball with.  Clubs range in length and lie angle.  The lie angle is the angle at which the club lays on the ground.  This variance allows you to choose a specific club to go a specific distance.  For instance, you wouldn’t want to hit a pitching wedge for a 200 yard shot because it is physically impossible (even for Tiger Woods) to hit a pitching wedge that far.  Instead, you would choose perhaps a driver, the longest club in your bag, and therefore able to be hit the furthest. 

Keep in mind, everything in golf is backward.  The higher the number of club, the shorter distance it goes.  Here’s a chart to help explain:

Scoring:

The same rule of thumb holds true in scoring:  the higher the score, the worse you’re doing.  The object of golf is to get the lowest score possible.  A full golf course has 18 holes.  There are three different types of holes:  Par 5, Par 4, and Par 3.  The mixture of these types of holes equals the golf course’s par.  Most of the time a golf course’s par = 72.  Par is the ideal number of strokes (number of times you hit the golf ball) that it takes you to get the ball from the tee(where you begin each hole) to in the hole.  For example, if you’re on a Par 4 hole and it takes you 6 tries to get the ball in the hole, then you are 2 over par.  If you are on a Par 4 and it takes you 3 tries to get the ball in the hole, then you are 1 under par. 

There are also types of scores you can make on each hole:

Double eagle = 3 under par

Eagle = 2 under par

Birdie = 1 under par

Par = even par

Bogey = 1 over par

Double Bogey = 2 over par

Triple Bogey = 3 over par

Etc.

So, when you add up your scores from all of the holes you’re either going to be over par (72 or more), under par (72 or less) or even par (72). 

More on the basics in my next blog!!

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