Talking about Golf

Few personal reflections, stories and a rough guide for beginners.

Years 1-2

Background

As a teenager, tennis and sailing were my favorite sports to play. Since my school did not have a tennis program, I played volleyball and swam instead. In my 20s, I started running and participated in various races, including cross country, marathons, and eventually did one triathlon. Shortly after my 30th birthday, I took up yoga and have been enjoying the challenge of stretching ever since.

In my late 30s, I discovered golf and immediately fell in love with the game. What did I enjoy the most about it? Well, being out in nature while playing a challenging (and often frustrating), but ultimately rewarding game. Some of my most memorable moments playing golf have been on beautiful courses on warm summer evenings, surrounded by beautiful nature.

In this article, I wanted to document my golf journey. It may be useful for those who are just starting out with the sport, or for anyone who wants to learn more about it. I hope it will inspire you to give golf a try.

First two years in a nutshell

Like most things, my interest in golf came from my natural curiosity to try new things, and it has always been in the back of my mind. One cold November morning, I decided to give it a try and signed up for a few introductory classes with a local instructor. I enjoyed it and decided to continue playing, but the winter months made it difficult to play outdoors in Europe since golf isn’t as popular. I established an indoor practice routine and kept at it throughout the winter and spring, focusing on improving my contact with the ball and practicing my pitching and putting.

By the summer of my first year, my game was good enough to play on beginner courses, also known as short courses or academy golf courses. These are smaller versions of the larger courses and are less crowded, which helped me feel less pressure. I also trained on a driving range, which is a space where you can hit a few baskets onto a mat in conditions that resemble a golf course. By the end of that summer, I had “graduated” and played a few games on large courses, usually playing half of the course rather than the whole (e.g. 9 holes out of 18). My main problems at the end of my first year were making clean contact with the ball (I would estimate that about 50% of my shots were clean) and using long clubs, like hybrids or 5/6 irons, consistently.

During the winter of my second year, my wife and I moved to Portugal, and the better weather allowed us to play more golf outdoors. We mainly played beginner courses, but we also slowly transitioned to larger courses. By the end of my second year, I felt comfortable enough to play on a large golf course without feeling too embarrassed. My main challenges at this point were still hitting the ball cleanly (although I estimate that about 75% of my shots were clean).

Despite the limited amount of time I have dedicated to the game, I am satisfied with the progress I have made. I went into the game with the mindset of enjoying the game and the process of gradual, but never-ending improvement. This is part of why I have chosen to call this post “journey,” as there is no real destination in this sport. Even the best golfers feel that they have not mastered the sport and that each improvement opens up a new level of learning.

Time Commitment

How much time do you need to commit to golf to see improvement? This is a question that I think about from time to time. The answer, which holds true for both beginners and novices, is probably a smart combination of supervised training, practice alone and playing on the golf course. When you start as a beginner, starting from a lower base. In my case, I have spent an average of about 16 hours per month over the two years (see below), and that was more than enough to see tangible improvements in my game.

However, going forward, this amount of time may not be enough to show visible improvement. Many “weekend players” play regularly but don’t see improvement. Time and time again, you come across players who say they have played for 10-20 years but are stuck at the same level.

The time I dedicated to training golf included practice at the driving range, playing on the golf course, and even putting on a mat in my living room during the COVID-19 lockdown. I know a lot of people who made more progress in the same amount of time, and I also know people who have played golf for many more years and are at about the same level I was after those two years. I tried not to compare myself too much to either group or draw too many conclusions from it. Every person’s journey is unique

Lessons

A big part of being a beginner in golf is learning the key components of the golf swing. You’ll realize that you’ll be making tweaks to your swing throughout your life, so it’s best to learn the fundamentals of the swing technique, such as the grip, stance, first part of the swing, and follow-through, with a professional coach. You probably don’t need to get stuck in a never-ending cycle of lessons, but a simple formula of 5-10 introductory lessons followed by applying what you learned individually works best. After the intro lessons, I found that taking an individual class with a coach every two months or so was helpful in correcting major errors that I was forming while training alone.

I also found it useful to download a few videos of professionals swinging and then play them back in slow motion. You can also make a video of your own swing and compare it side by side with a professional’s swing to fix any glaring mistakes.

In addition to this, are many YouTube instruction videos that I enjoyed watching, and I think you can also learn a lot from them. Specifically, I enjoyed watching Rick Shiels. I do believe learning from can nicely compliment your own practice and time with coaches.

Rules of the Game

Understanding the basic principles of golf is relatively straightforward, although becoming an expert is much more challenging. For new golfers, there are a few key points to remember. Generally, a golf course consists of 18 holes, although you can often just play half the course (9 holes). The starting point is called a ‘tee’ and there are usually different colors associated with each tee, such as red, yellow, and black, which indicate the distance from the hole and the level of difficulty. For example, the red tee is closest to the hole and is considered the easiest.

The objective of the game is to hit the ball from the tee to the hole with the fewest number of shots possible. Most golf courses are “par-72,” with 72 being the number of shots considered the standard for professional players. If you can complete the course in 72 shots or fewer, it means you are very skilled and have achieved a “scratch” or 0 HCP (handicap). If you take more than 72 shots, for example 100 shots, it equates to a +28 HCP, which is roughly my level after two years of playing.

There are also many other small rules to consider while playing. For example, if you lose the ball or hit it into the bushes or water, you can retrieve it by taking a penalty (while adding an extra shot to your scorecard). When you are in a bunker, you cannot touch the sand with your club during practice swings. You should never bring your golf bag onto the green (the nicely maintained area around the flagstick).

Given the numerous small rules on the course, it is a good idea to ask a coach to play a few holes with you while explaining the rules. This can be done after a few weeks of practice.

Equipment

It can be tempting to purchase new equipment or a full set of clubs right away. According to the rules of golf, you are allowed to have 14 clubs in your bag, but you will not need nearly that many in your first two years of playing. Clubs are classified into different types, such as drivers, woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, and putters. Each club serves a different purpose and function. In my first year, I played with just four clubs: a 7 iron, a putter, a pitching wedge, and a sand wedge. At the start of my second year, I got a full new set of irons, wedges, a hybrid, and a driver. I do not think I needed all of those clubs and I think I would have achieved similar results with half as many in my bag. However, towards the latter part of my second year, I have started to understand and appreciate the role each club plays and how it can be helpful in different situations. Importantly, I have also begun to understand the varying distances that each club is able to produce.

On the Golf Course

Many golf courses can be intimidating places, often appearing to be exclusive members-only clubs that are not very welcoming to beginners, especially if you are visiting for the first time. Most golfers have their own “home clubs” where they practice and improve, which is also a good idea. Because we were traveling frequently, we decided not to become members at any one club, but rather to try out many different clubs. In my first two years of playing, I was fortunate enough to play golf in several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Poland, England, and Portugal. Each course is laid out differently and requires a different strategy to navigate.

It takes about 3-4 hours to play 18 holes. With warm-up and pre-game preparations, it easily becomes a half-day activity. In my first two years, I have only played 18 holes a total of four times, and each time it took about this long. The game goes a little faster if you have a buggy, but my preference has always been to walk the course rather than use a buggy. Most clubs offer the option to play only half the course (9 holes), which takes about half the time (roughly 1.5 hours), which we felt was enough as beginners.

How do you practice golf?

In my opinion, there are two components to improving your golf game: dedicated practice on the driving range (or other training facility) and practice on the course. There is also a third component, which is tournament play. However, in my first two years of playing, I did not participate in any golf tournaments and at the end of this period, I had not yet decided if I would want to play in any in the future. The most important thing for me was playing on a course and becoming skilled enough to navigate 18 holes and produce increasingly better results while enjoying the entire process.

Dedicated practice on the driving range involves focusing on areas of relative weakness and working to improve them. When you are a beginner, every aspect of the game is a relative weakness, so you work on everything bit by bit. My typical practice routine would look something like this: 5 minutes warm-up, 30 minutes on the driving range with irons, 20 minutes chipping around the green, 10 minutes putting, and then finally driving with the longest clubs (such as my driver or hybrid).

The second aspect is practicing on the golf course. This is, of course, what you get to do when you are out on the course. It is very common to feel like things are going well on the driving range but then struggle to replicate that style of play on the course.

Is golf expensive?

Compared to other sports I have participated in, golf is significantly more expensive. The main reason for this is that the fee to play a course that you are not a member of, also known as a ‘green fee’, is much higher than other sports such as tennis, squash, or football. Additionally, there is the one-time cost of purchasing all the necessary golf clubs, as well as ongoing costs for training such as driving range balls.

However, there are ways to be cost-effective with golf:

As mentioned earlier, at the beginning you don’t need a full set of golf clubs, just a few. My first few clubs were secondhand and served me very well for the first year.

Consider purchasing an annual membership at a golf club. If you play regularly, you might find it cheaper to be a member of a club. For a fixed annual fee, you would be able to play unlimited rounds.

Create your own training facilities at home. In my first year, I dedicated a small area in my apartment to practice chipping and putting using plastic balls.

Some golf clubs and driving ranges have a putting green or chipping area that can be used for free or for a low price. Take advantage of these.

Walk the course instead of using a buggy. For most of the time, I have walked all 18 holes. Some golf courses, such as many of the ones I have played in the Middle East, do not allow you to walk and require you to use a golf cart.

The Handicap (HCP) System

Measuring progress in golf is a personal matter that depends on factors such as how much you want to improve, how much time you have, and how you practice.

The handicap system, or “HCP,” is the most widely used measure of golfing ability. Many amateur golfers use this metric to track and compare their competence in the sport. You typically start with a HCP of 54 and aim to get as close to zero as possible; golfers with a zero handicap are often referred to as “scratch” players. The lower your handicap, the fewer strokes you need to get the ball in the hole on an average course.

So, what is my HCP? Calculating a precise HCP score involves a complicated equation that takes into account your best ten rounds and the difficulty of the course. To simplify this, ask yourself how many strokes over 72 it took you to complete a full course. If it took you 72 strokes, your HCP is 0, which is extremely good. If it took you 100 strokes, your HCP is 28, which is halfway between a beginner and someone who is very good. If you play in tournaments, your club (together with the national association) will keep track of your handicap.

There are some phone apps that can help you calculate your HCP. I have used Garmin Golf to get a rough estimate of my HCP, and because I didn’t play in any tournaments during my first two years, I didn’t feel the need to have an “official” handicap issued by the national association.

The HCP system is useful because it allows players from around the world to compare their abilities. It also levels the playing field when competing against each other, as you can use your HCP to gauge how good you are and easily compare it to others. For example, if I have a HCP of 0 and my opponent has a handicap of 18, I will have to hit 18 fewer strokes than them to win."


Mapping my own progress, first 2 years

I thought it might be interesting to also share some of my own progress. In the first two years, I have been measuring my progress by looking at the amount of time I play or practice golf and monitoring my own handicap.

Time Commitment

Time

On average, during the first two years, I have spent about 950 minutes per month practicing golf, or about 15 hours and 45 minutes. My practice has been fairly consistent across the months, with a few exceptions here and there.

HCP progression

In the first two years of playing golf, my handicap fell from a starting point of 54 to about 25 in the final month. My best result on an 18-hole course was 100 (I played 4 such rounds, with an average score of 108 strokes) and my best result on a 9-hole course was 48 (I played 20 such rounds, with an average score of 57 strokes).

HCP

In future pieces, I will be covering years 3-4 and years 5-6.