How Do You Start to Play Golf?

How do you get a friend, or a co-worker, who has never played golf, to start playing? A great question some of us have all faced. There are a great number of athletic people out there who have never played a round, and want to play, but are intimidated to start, or are worried about the cost.

I intend to write a series of short articles and them combine them later in the new year with the help of the folks over at Rock Bottom Golf. Together, we are going to go from the very beginning to becoming a regular golf player, and do it in a manner that is fun, informative, and in every one's budget.

I am going to look back at two cases of friends whom had never played, but are now, and how we got them interested and started into the game.

First up, our long time friend Gus Evangelista. Never played a round until last years Myrtle Beach Trip in June. For Gus, the call to try a new sport, go on a fun trip with a huge group of his friends, and have a good time, was enough for him to just go out and do it! He had a great time, and was hitting the ball great for someone who had only hit range balls before. He got some loaner clubs from a friend, and we have now hooked him on the game of golf.

My work buddy Mike Byers played basketball at ODU and over seas professionally, he is very athletic, but never ever swung a club before. We talk about golf in the office a lot, so he finally decided to go to the range with me, and hit my clubs this summer. We went about 6 or 7 times before he bought a used set of clubs, and he played his first ever rounds on a family vacation at Nags Head. No pressure, just for fun, and he had a blast. The guy has a strange untrained swing, but when he hits it, it's way over 300 yards with the driver!

I am going to continue to follow both of these gentlemen as they progress through golf at their own paces. I see two very different attitudes and approaches to golf in my buddies, so it will be interesting to document it and add it into my write ups.