Golf Views

I was reading the May 2008 issue of Golf Magazine interview with Pete Dye, and one of the questions they asked him was “What’s the biggest problem facing the everyday golfer?”

This got me thinking about what problems I have faced as someone who is new to golf. One of the first things that came to mind was my initial lack of understanding of the fundamentals of the golf swing. When I started playing golf again after a 5 year hiatus, I thought I could figure out how to correct my swing by reading a few books, picking up tips in golf magazines, watching golf events on TV, and by going to the driving range several times a week. It didn’t occur to me until after about a month of golfing and encouragement from my wife, that I might benefit from golf lessons. I cannot stress how important and invaluable golf lessons have had on my game, especially for the beginning golfer. My golf lessons at Golftec have had a profound impact on my golf game and getting a complete understanding of the mechanics of the golf swing. I’m now more aware of what I’m doing correctly or incorrectly and how to correct the problem.

The other issue I feel the everyday golfer faces is green fees. Living in Chicago, IL we have quite a few options for playing golf at varying price points. As your game progresses, you want to start playing at better golf courses to challenge yourself. All last season I played primarily at two local par 3 municipal golf courses that were $10 -$14 a round for nine holes. I did this for several reasons, for starters I didn’t feel comfortable enough with my game to play at longer courses and I couldn’t bear to spend more money on a challenging course. It’s a lot easier to swallow a bad round of golf at $10-$14 a pop, than $30 and up.

The final issue the everyday golfer is faced with is the virtual slew of choices when it comes to golf equipment. There are so many choices one has, from the different golf club technology, industry jargon, etc, that it can be a bit overwhelming at first. When I upgraded my set last year, I based my purchase decision on the Golf Digests Hot List issue. Needless to say, It worked out for me, but I probably wouldn’t recommend that route for the new golfer. I would recommend you take some golf lessons first and develop a consistent repeatable swing, and then demo several sets of clubs first to see which clubs suit you and have them fitted.

So what’s the biggest problem facing you and your golf game?