[BlurredLines]

(08-08-2014 04:31 PM)Atlantic Wrote:  

(08-08-2014 04:23 PM)BlurredLines Wrote:  

It's the best game in the world. And a hell of a social/networking advantage to play.

Thanks man.

Can you elaborate on that last part, I have heard that a lot - can you give some examples of the networking power of golf.

I believe you completely, just want to know how powerful it is.

There are very few successful men in business who don't play golf at least recreationally, and many seem to take it more seriously than their job! There are many reasons i suspect; partly it attracts those with a competitive drive and focussed mindset but also combines it with a relaxing and (often) luxury environment which successful men expect and enjoy. It is regarded as an elitist sport, rightly or wrongly, but as that suggests it does attract the elite.

As such, if you join a golf club you can expect to meet successful men from all walks in your area, be it corporate business, entrepreneurs, sportsmen etc etc. It is not too hard once you achieve a decent standard to get games with these people, people you would never have a chance to meet otherwise. If you're smart you can target those that may be able to help you, without it seeming so. Enter competitions or just turn up looking for a game having established when they are most likely to play (speak to the club pro..)
Just make sure that your primary goal is to have fun and enjoy your game with them, thats the way you stop for a beer or two afterwards and before you know it you're in their golfing circle. And often that circle is their close friend circle.
Just through my golf club i've met and networked with investors and bankers who've backed me, celebrities and salesmen who's pitched me, as well as professional networkers who have they themselves used golf as a major string in their bow to make connections for people.
From playing in high level amateur team events i've had the chance from the age of 20 to play with and befriend men i could not possibly have hoped to meet let alone receive advice from. Be they politicians, the head of the Royal Air Force(!?), CEO's of FTSE 100's, to serial entrepreneurs and guys that have sold out for tens or hundreds of millions of pounds.

Another side to this is corporate golf days. Back in a former life i worked in the City as a graduate, no junior ever gets invited to events in their first years, they're just workhorses for the senior guys.. but it came out i played at university etc.. and the senior partners got me out on all the golf days to help them clean up. To say it was good for my career would be a colossal understatement. At least until i woke up and left the hell hole of a corporate job.

But i would caution just trying to get into it for mainly business/networking. You'll risk coming off as insincere and most likely lack the incentive to get good enough to be able to be comfortable using it to make connections anyway. It's the hardest sport i've ever played, and i've played a lot at a decent level. You'll need to dedicate some serious effort to getting into it and becoming good enough.
But don't let that put you off! Play it because it's awesome! AND because it could help you get ahead for the rest of your life...

TLDR: golf is good for networking. Lots of angles. Get decent and get out there, it's a little like game.. be bold and approach.

[Atlantic]

Excellent breakdown. You are the proud owner of a new rep point. Thanks.

[Richiavelli]

I would recommend straight to lessons as well. I suggest signing up in bulk. Golf is 20% swing mechanics and 80% mental for those that ALREADY have built their swing consistently. At some point you can play the course whenever you want, but you need to learn how to swing the correct way first.

[Richiavelli]

As far as clubs, you can get away with a starter set but realize in a couple months you will need to get better irons. I suggest regular shaft clubs.

Save the money and buy something decent and second hand.

[BlurredLines]

(08-08-2014 05:37 PM)Atlantic Wrote:  

Excellent breakdown. You are the proud owner of a new rep point. Thanks.

No worries, and thanks.
Do let me know if you do want any steers on clubs, what to look for in a pro etc

[Vaun]

(08-08-2014 03:52 PM)Atlantic Wrote:  

What would guys on here recommend as the best way to get into golf:
Some lessons, buy some clubs and start playing or hit the driving range first.

Canada has some amazing courses and its popular amongst the guys I work with.

A couple things, like Roosh's 100 approach concept, make a goal of a # games through the rest of this season. From now until Winter 10 games would be a good start.

Go get lessons. Go to your local driving range or cheaper public course and ask who they have on staff. At this point you want to find someone inexpensive. Lots of young pro's, or younger college students who work at these places are pretty cheap, $25-$50/hour, plus many of them have attended golf academies or are PGA pros. The younger guys are great for beginners.

You can try beginner classes. Sometimes a great way to meet women. Usually the women who attend, tend to have their shit together.

BlurredLines covered just about everything from a social perspective. Just dont be a jackass and start fights, break your clubs or get stupid drunk, even though it will be forgotten the next day.

[MrXY]

(08-03-2014 10:56 PM)Ziltoid Wrote:  

(08-03-2014 01:53 PM)Richiavelli Wrote:  

This forum throws the word alpha around like spaghetti at a food fight. It fails to mention, however, the most alpha game of them all - golf.

I must have the wrong impression of it then, I mostly associate it with women and SWPL guys.

What?? You're way, way off. I can't imagine where you got that idea from.

Urban liberal SWPLs and hipsters don't play golf and I only occasionally see women playing

It's mostly hard driving businessmen and blue collar guys

[stefpdt]

(08-08-2014 10:59 PM)MrXY Wrote:  

(08-03-2014 10:56 PM)Ziltoid Wrote:  

(08-03-2014 01:53 PM)Richiavelli Wrote:  

This forum throws the word alpha around like spaghetti at a food fight. It fails to mention, however, the most alpha game of them all - golf.

I must have the wrong impression of it then, I mostly associate it with women and SWPL guys.

What?? You're way, way off. I can't imagine where you got that idea from.

Urban liberal SWPLs and hipsters don't play golf and I only occasionally see women playing

It's mostly hard driving businessmen and blue collar guys

He must have been thinking of disc golf lol

[NilNisiOptimum]

(08-08-2014 03:52 PM)Atlantic Wrote:  

What would guys on here recommend as the best way to get into golf:
Some lessons, buy some clubs and start playing or hit the driving range first.

Canada has some amazing courses and its popular amongst the guys I work with.

Get a couple clubs cheap (5 and 7 iron, PW, putter), get lessons, then get a full set of clubs.

Here in the States, a lot of courses offer lessons packages that are taught in a small group (generally about 6 students per instructor) that are a good value. For example, when I got back into golf, I took an intermediate group lesson that was 5 lessons, 90 min each, for $100. Group lessons get the basics in order for you. When you're ready take your game up a level, that's when you should look into private lessons, which will cost quite a bit more.

tarquin made a good recommendation with callawaypreowned.com. A lot of golf stores take trade-ins and sell used clubs, so that's a good option too.

[Richiavelli]

just bought some cheap hex control callaways from costco. anybody use them before?

[mmedeiros14]

How do I get rid of a nasty slice? The ball literally goes straight to the right at a 17 degree angle or so. I'm not sure if I'm leaving the head of the club open or not. Should I just get some lessons?

[Architekt]

(08-19-2014 10:05 PM)mmedeiros14 Wrote:  

How do I get rid of a nasty slice? The ball literally goes straight to the right at a 17 degree angle or so. I'm not sure if I'm leaving the head of the club open or not. Should I just get some lessons?

Possibly hitting the ball too early in the swing, try standing with the ball a little further towards your front foot. A big part of your swing is actually just positioning and prep. As frustrating as it may be, not hitting the ball too hard until your technique is solid is definitely recommended.

Used to love golf. Played it every week when I was a young chap, been meaning to get down to a driving range sometime soon lol. Used to have a handicap of about 10 or so and played in a couple of comps. Never won anything though.

Great game, though - hard to beat fine weather, good company and a few drinks while smashing a ball around a lush, green course. As an added bonus we even tend to get kangaroos hopping around the courses here.

[mmedeiros14]

(08-19-2014 11:52 PM)Architekt Wrote:  

(08-19-2014 10:05 PM)mmedeiros14 Wrote:  

How do I get rid of a nasty slice? The ball literally goes straight to the right at a 17 degree angle or so. I'm not sure if I'm leaving the head of the club open or not. Should I just get some lessons?

Possibly hitting the ball too early in the swing, try standing with the ball a little further towards your front foot. A big part of your swing is actually just positioning and prep. As frustrating as it may be, not hitting the ball too hard until your technique is solid is definitely recommended.

Used to love golf. Played it every week when I was a young chap, been meaning to get down to a driving range sometime soon lol. Used to have a handicap of about 10 or so and played in a couple of comps. Never won anything though.

Great game, though - hard to beat fine weather, good company and a few drinks while smashing a ball around a lush, green course. As an added bonus we even tend to get kangaroos hopping around the courses here.

That helped quite a bit, thank you. I had a session with a golf tudor this morning and it's amazing how a few small changes in my grip and weight balance affected my swing.

[NilNisiOptimum]

That's the beauty of golf as a sport; the little things can make a huge difference.

I made minor adjustments to my grip and stance and picked up 5-10 yards and improved my accuracy off the tee.

[OBJ Snakebite]

A golf course is a willful and deliberate misuse of a perfectly good rifle range!

[mmedeiros14]

(08-21-2014 02:25 AM)OBJ Snakebite Wrote:  

A golf course is a willful and deliberate misuse of a perfectly good rifle range!

Here in Florida the rifle range is the woods behind Walmart.

[little wing]

YES! Finally a golf thread! I've grown up playing golf, I believe I started at age 2. My father was a professional teacher and I played in many national youth tournaments. I was down at scratch handicap at 15 but unfortunately stopped because I was fed up with my game in the important tournaments. Looking back on it now that was a mistake, I definitely had the talent to go pro.
Golf is the best game there is in my opinion.
If anyone needs advice, I'll gladly help out!
Nowadays you don't even need to see a pro anymore to begin playing. There are so many great books/video lessons available on the internet

[NilNisiOptimum]

First Augusta fell, now the Royal & Ancient at St. Andrews will start admitting women members.
http://m.espn.go.com/golf/story?storyId=11547926

Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden. Never forget!

[Balkanite]

I am committed to getting back into golf. I started when I was 10, and am 29 now. I take customers out golfing (great excuse for a 4 hour business meeting out of the office), play with friends, occasionally play solo rounds if I can lock in a cheap rate, and go to the range to relax. I agree the mental aspect of getting through 18 without the wheels falling off the bus is a challenge. That is one of the reasons why I enjoy it so much. Another reason is it gives me reason to sport attire like this (you'll get compliments):



If you're looking for a place to get decent golf balls, check this site out below. I prefer Pro V1's but never buy full price. When you get to a certain level ball quality makes a difference..

http://www.lostgolfballs.com/Pro-V1-and-...-s/177.htm

Guys starting out asking about club quality, don't worry. Master the clubs you got and steadily upgrade when you're ready. Golf equipment is not cheap! And definitely start out getting a few lessons so you get the fundamentals down. Then start making slight adjustments to better your shots.

[Buster]

Sick, twisted, mentally taxing, and addicting game. Hitting two pure shots a round will keep you going back. I didn't pick the game up until I was in my late 30's and played on and off for the last couple of decades. It's a love hate relationship, I did manage to break 80 once but didn't play for 6 years and I'm slowly getting back into the high 80's. So far, I've gotten good around the green, because I will often miss them and good getting out of the trees after a bad drive which leaves a shot keeping me from hitting the green. I haven't started playing from the old fart tees yet, even though I'm 58, so there is always an option to make it easier.

Ditto on the lostgolfballs for ProV1 deal, from a guy that has lost a bunch of them.

[oilbreh]

Tried getting into golf, took lessons, played games, never really understood what made people like it so much. The courses where very artificial looking, it was getting me into nature, but far from it at the same time. Always some person that takes it too seriously, flips out missing a shot, got forbid you where breathing to heavy when he was on the green. I never really understood the metal aspect either, sure the game is long, you are taking a lot of swings over a game, but its just one swing at a time, not setting up dynamic plays. Other sports like hockey or basketball get my blood pumping. There is no talking, yet a real bond is made. Maybe I just played with the wrong people or courses, maybe im just another ungrateful millennial idk, maybe someone here can explain what I am doing wrong. I still will play a couple games a year, maybe it will eventually click, but so far its just a good excuse to get out of the house and drink some beer.

[tarquin]

You need a good group of friends to introduce you to the game. It sounds like you haven't played with a good crew.

That being said, don't beat yourself up for not loving the game. Not everybody can enjoy everything. Spend time doing what you love, not what everybody else says you should love.

[Buster]

^^ Yeah, that. Guys that get all pissed off, usually only get one round with me. I enjoy playing alone more than that shit. If you walk the course and it is a pretty area, it's a nice three mile nature hike. It is one of the few sports you drink and enjoy a good cigar while playing. It isn't for everybody, but there are some good networking opportunities on the golf course. As more women take it up, as a novice, they won't be intimidated by you and if you can laugh at your mistakes, it does get more fun.

[Gustavus Adolphus]

I have decided to subscribe to this thread, and wanted to give it a bump while I'm at it.

I think golf is one of those games that if you are able to play and compete at even a basic level, you like it; if you can't, you say it's "gay". Or a waste of time. Or too expensive. Whatever.

I think discussing brands of golf balls is a good discussion, but perhaps too specific. However, the E6 Bridgestone is still a solid ball for the money in players that want to keep it soft and minimize side spin. I've used them recently. Not quite the boom of the higher end Callaway, but nice ball for sure.

When I think about RVF, it's about improving yourself. There have been some excellent posts so far about the networking aspect of golf. How are you guys doing that now?

Golf is a male Peacock's paradise. Use it to your advantage if you can.

I have a regular golf buddy that we always try to gel with a couple new people when we play. Recently, we have met a private jet airline pilot, some businessmen, a tattoo artist, a mechanic, just to name a few.

This may be one of the understated parts of golf. You can't ever "win" in this game. So, you may as well play as well as you can, have fun, and meet new people. Never get mad, throw your clubs, etc. It looks weak.

After reading some of the posts here, I am intrigued, I think there could be some value to returning to the country club life that my parents were a part of in my youth. Especially if the monetary costs of membership have come down since the 90's.

The main thing is, bump this thread. We are right in the middle of peak golf season- anyone who plays is playing now.

I will leave my contribution as simple advice for those who are new to the game:

GO GET FITTED FOR A SET OF IRONS/PUTTER. Don't buy off the rack.
DON'T TRY TO KILL IT. Nice and easy gets the distance.
BUY SOME CHEAP USED GOLF BOOKS. Little Red Book, Harvey Penick/ 5 Lessons, Ben Hogan/ etc.

See y'all in the clubhouse at the 19th.

[tarquin]

I picked up a new pair of Cleveland 588 RTX Wedges. I'm enjoying them quite a bit and they are a marked improvement over my previous off-brand wedges.