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hey everyone. last fall i played my first round of golf w/ my dad and loved it. since summer is approaching and ill have my license and a car, ill have a lot of opportunities to go to the driving range or actually play, and i may even work at this golf course this summer.

does anyone have any advice or suggestions for getting started since it seems like its something you can't just jump right into in my opinion. ive had like 3 or 4 lessons so i know the very basics, and my dad knows quite a bit. so any advice on practice, building skills, or equipment would be really, really appreciated.

also, my dad loves golf, but says he doesnt have any time to play anymore which is probably kind of true except on the weekends. he plays in scrambles every once in a while and loves them i think, and he has one coming up hes been talking about looking forward to. he has these old pretty beat up golf clubs that were his first set that he still uses. i think if i started to play, he would want to play a lot more too. do you think a new set of clubs would be a good idea for fathers day? i know he would never say he would want them just because he wants to save money and hes really selfless, but we have plenty of money. would it be a good idea?

Glad you are enjoying the game. If you want to get your father some new equipment, may I suggest a fitting at a local golf course where he could try out a variety of clubs and get fitted for them?

ya that might be a good idea, but the thing is he would never actually admit that he wants/needs new ones.

Yeah, but if you give him the gift certificate tell him it's a done deal.

haha ya thats a good idea. what about the other part of the question, about me starting out

Sounds like you're doing the right things. The person, along with your father, would be able to get you set up properly.

Get fitted for your equipment. Your pro could make some recommendations, and there should be some demo days in your area where you could also try a variety of equipment.

Also, and I can't stress this enough, work on your short game. My practice sessions involve 80% short game and 20% full-swing. I practice the short game out of the sand, on hard pan, uphill lies, downhill lies, thick rough, etc., chipping and pitching up to about 80 yards. Putting is an integral part of this too, and I putt from a variety of different undulations.

I set the flags on the practice area at 10 yard intervals up to 80 yards. I hit each of my wedges from quarter to full swing so I know my distance with each wedge and each kind of swing. For example, today I was playing the 9th hole at my home course and had 65 yards to the pin over a bunker. I knew from my practicing that it was a half PW shot. I put the ball 8 feet to the right of the cup and made the putt. I'm no expert, but doing this kind of practice takes a lot of guessing out of the short game.

I also practice chipping using a variety of clubs, I even use my 27º hybrid. Depends on lie, how much green I have to work with, etc.

It sounds like you're starting out right with lessons. You won't develop any of those bad habits many of us have by not initially taking lessons.