It does look rather easy when you see the likes of Tiger Woods smash a drive 300yds down a fairway, yet like most things that look easy, it is indeed very hard. If you have time on your hands and fancy a hobby that offers essential exercise, golf is the ideal game for you, and here are a few tips to get you started on the right track.
- Take Lessons with a Pro Golfer – If you play for a few months before realising you need some expert help, you will already have picked up bad habits and that will make it harder for the pro to help you. Go to a golf academy in Bangkok and you will start on the right foot, so to speak, as the pro will help you to create a solid swing, which is a combination of many things – shoulders, hips, wrist and grip, are all aspects of a golf swing – and the professional can shape your swing in a way that it soon becomes second nature, and that will give you a level of consistency.
- The Handicap System – The handicap system allows players of varying skill levels to play each other, and as an adult, you would be starting on 24 handicap, which means if you played a par 70 golf course, you would be expected to complete the round in 94 shots or thereabouts. Each hole has a par score, which is the score a professional would likely make, and when you play a par 5 hole and it takes you 7 shots to put the ball in the cup, then you are 2 over par for that hole, and with a total of 18 holes, you would have to be very competent to finish on even par.
- Subtracting your Handicap – Let’s say you are a 6-handicap golfer and you play a round with a scratch player (zero handicap), if the par for the course is 72 and the scratch player finishes with a score of 74, then that is his final score. You, on the other hand, have a handicap of 6, so if you finished the round with a score of 80, for example, then 6 is subtracted from your score, which would put you on 74, then the game would be a tie.
Golf is a very addictive game, and for good reason, as it gives you tremendous satisfaction when things go right, and with the right professional guidance, you will soon be carding birdies and eagles.
