Playing with a beginner...

[trek1500]

Including a beginner in an foursome with 3 experienced players..

Would you include a beginning golfer in a foursome with 3 fairly experienced players? The reason I ask is because I have a
friend of mine who is eager to learn how to play but he is pretty much a beginner..I've spent a little time with him on the range
but he still has a long way to go! I made the mistake of including him in a foursome with 3 experienced players at one time and it
was a catastrophe...He was horrible but fortunately my friends were very patient with him and tried to help him with tips etc but I sensed
that they were a bit sore at me for bringing him along..

I think next time he wants to play I'm going to suggest just us 2 playing until he improves enough to include with my other
more experienced golfing buddies. We've all been there but it is kind of awkward for you other more experienced players if they
have to constantly wait on someone who is totally new to the game.

[Wookieedog]

I think next time he wants to play I'm going to suggest just us 2 playing until he improves enough to include with my other

more experienced golfing buddies. We've all been there but it is kind of awkward for you other more experienced players if they

have to constantly wait on someone who is totally new to the game.

 

 

That is a great idea. I would also suggest going on a weekday afternoon so the course will be open so he will not be slowing down the round for all the other golfers.

 

I know we all had to learn at sometime, but I can tell my time was as a kid on weekdays and never on a prime tee time spot until I could actually play!

[skinny99]

As somebody who took up the game in the last two years and definitely went through the same thing your buddy is going to go through I would suggest going out in a threesome. You and maybe a friend of yours or his that can play a little bit but knows what he is getting into. I also have found that playing as a threesome you can keep the pace of a round up much better. Also dont play to expensive of a course because you don't want to waste an expensive round helping someone else learn. Be supportive and have fun!! Todd

[harold baines]

you may be best served by playing at off hours with a rookie (back 9 first thing AM, or playing super twilight), or finding an executive course

 

everyone's got to start somewhere, but make sure you feel your friend's up to snuff to be on a real course before you bring them there during a peak time

[Marrrk]

all i have to say is god bless my father for taking me out to play golf so often when i was 7-14 years old. lord knows what he was going through watching my petulant little a** shank, curse, and cry on almost every shot. lets give it up for the patience of fathers! i hope i can do as well as he did.

[retep]

there is an 18 hole par 3 course here in n. va, plus a few exec courses... i think 1 season on that is acceptable, reasonable, and lessons are totally a great idea...

 

As someone told me when i started and i tell others...

 

"no one cares if you are good or bad, they only care if you play slow"...

 

to which i have played with a lot of beginners on our annual golf trip that play fast, and pick up at a certain # and drop it on the green, etc... and others who are slow as can be and can't seem to realize they don't need all those wrist flicks while addressing, etc...

[drgolfaholic]

Unless the other 3 are good friends with the beginner, the quick answer is NO. You already said it yourself: last time it was catastrophic. I organize tournaments for my club and needless to say, this is the #1 issue. Guys refuse to play with a particular player, not because he's a beginner but his lack of golf etiquette knowledge.

 

If your beginner friends understands the pace of play and other basic etiquettes, it probably be alright to pair them up. BTW, it definitely works if he bets and bets big too. :rolleyes:

[lahinchnsnglmalt]

What kind of friend are you?

 

 

Too good. Even playing with him on your own is a really nice thing to do. He probably feels uncomfortable and alot of pressure playing with good players himself.

 

I think that as long as you are honest about things, it'll be more than fine.

[astamm8]

i coached a golf team for a few years. to say that most of the players were new to the game would be an understatement, they had never played, never even hit a ball. so, i've spent a lot of time playing with and working with new players.

 

i think it depends on the player. i've had players that can barely hit the ball, but that very much play ready golf. they're always walking or hitting, not taking practice swings, etc. teach them the basic etiquette, particularly around the greens, and i'm happy to play with them and take them out. and, they won't slow down a group that's playing at average pace. but, i wouldn't take them to a course with a lot of heather, water, etc. where they're gonna lose balls every hole.

 

on the other hand, i've had new players (and most of them have fallen into this category)that (in practice) i've had to tell to pick up their ball every hole. (in practice anyway, i refuse to let the team slow down play on the entire course. as for matches, lord help anyone who gets stuck behind them!) this is mainly because of too slow a routine when hitting and especially just not doing anything to be prepared while others are hitting. i would not make my friends play with these players.

 

so, if he really wants to go out with you guys, just tell him. "hey, these guys are good. they're not gonna care if you're not, they weren't always good themselves. but, they are gonna care if you're slow and walk on their line. so, if you're prepared to play quickly, i think we can all really enjoy ourselves."

 

but, i think the number one important thing is that the player be mellow. a hack who curses and beats his club after every bad shot (which is nearly every shot, he's a hack), nobody wants to play with. a mellow guy who tops a drive, and just walks after it, pulls a 5 iron and hits, shouldn't bother anybody.

[BM1]

Make him play from a forward set of tees. One tee shot, with very liberal drops when he gets to about the place where it was lost. Double par in the pocket and basically keep up!!

 

Oh and have fun!!

[GaijinGolfer]

If the last time he played with 3 other experienced golfers it was a disaster, Id be hesitant to do it again until he is at least halfway decent.

Id suggest just you and him going during the week or very early in the morning.

When you are just starting to learn the game, it can be very intimidating and frustrating playing with experienced golfers because they make this game look so easy.

[Stekman]

I would suggest just you going with your friend a few times, that way you can assure both yourself and your friend that a good time can be had. Unless your playing partners are also good friends with said individual. IMO, for a beginner on the course, the biggest thing is that he/she stays relaxed and has fun. And, at least was the case for me when I first started, I was a lot more comfortable golfing with just one other person whom I was very good friends with, than I was going in large groupings of very experienced players. From what I kind of understood, it was a lot easier for a single individual to "tone down" his game than it was for a large group.

 

One guy hitting a tee shot into the woods, then slicing a mulligan into the adjacent fairway, then hitting a worm burning 150 yards straight as an arrow and smiling and laughing down the fairway is a lot better than the beginner hitting one drive into the woods, getting frustrated, while watching the 3 others bomb drives down the fairway, hit GIR's and sink birdie putts.

 

Just my opinion from someone who's recently been on the other end of the experience line.

[zrockstar]

You know, the worst part of it all, which most people overlook, is the stress it puts on your buddy. I was in this situation, where a buddy of mine wanted to play with some other guys in a foursome. Well I was just getting back into golf, and I was so worried about ruining it for the other guys but hitting crappy shots, losing balls, 5-putting and breaking ettiquite rules, that that is exactly what I did. It is very stressful when you are starting to play with much better players, especially if he doesn't know the other guys.

[OrangeBlood]

I guess I'm in the minority here. I say take him to play whenever you guys feel like it..whether it's in primetime or twilight. The thing I do when I take a guy that shoots in the 130's is this...he is not allowed to score more than a 7 on any hole, if he does he picks up and rides..sometimes he reaches 7 before I've hit my second. It works really well, pace of play isn't an issue and he is happy just to get out.

 

It's cool that you are thinking of everyone involved..but honestly if the so-called "experts" get upset with a beginner in their group they need to calm down and remember everyone has been in the same position at one time or another.

 

I have tried to convince a few course here in town to have a beginner/ladies day where they can come out and not have groups breathing down their necks on every hole. Course schedule tee times so damn close together it is starting to get ridiculous....I know it's about money. I have had some pretty good ideas on how to do this, but it has fallen on deaf ears.

 

Bottom line though is golf is about having fun and enjoying the outdoors, if he and yourself are having fun...then I wouldn't change a thing.

[epixep]

I get very angry with people that complain about hack golfers. Every one on the planet was terrible at this game when they first started.

 

Even Tiger, I mean did you see his backswing at the age of one? Get fit for some irons, jeez. :rolleyes:

[hafabrown]

i'm just sharing my story....

 

when I was a newbie, a relative took me to a short course (par 3) after several months at the range. We spent playing at this course for a long while - maybe half a year?? I didn't play any other course yet, basically he started me slow. Then I was allowed to play with his friends who were very very good who also were helpful in shaping my game.

 

The turn around: I pretty much did the same thing with relatives and a friend who picked up golf. We spent time at the range and at home (net) before playing at the courses. But we didn't only play par 3 courses, but regular 9 hole rounds where I worked. we had two hours playing time before it got dark and the folks that ran the country club were really nice about us playing during the fall/winter seasons. With new million dollar homes surrounding the course, it was nerve racking for me at times. But the guys never once hit a house......

 

IMO,.....go 2 or 3's when it's not busy or at shorter courses till your buddy gets used to the grass......

[Sean2]

I think it's a fine idea. We all have to start somewhere. I would strongly suggest you have him play from the forward tees. Not only would it speed up play, but it would make the round more enjoyable for him, and perhaps less frustrating.

 

There is no "shame" in playing from the forward tees. Everyone should play the tees according to their abilities. Sam Snead once said, "If you can't shoot par or better you should play from the forward tees." And a few months ago Brad Faxon was giving a Playing Lessons from the Pros on TGC and said early in the season he'll sometime play from the forward tees.

 

Also, may I also suggest you give him encouragement. If he hits a worm burner down the middle, that's good. He made contact and hit it straight, etc. If he enjoys himself he may want to take some lessons.

 

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out.

[BluesDrive]

I agree with the forward tees. Only reason I play from the back tees is because my irons are my strength and I enjoy hitting good shots. Also, I wouldn't be afraid to just take him with you whenever. Being mean to a beginner on a golf course is like kicking a little kid off of a swing at a park just because you can swing higher.

 

When I first learned I went with 2 other friends and they just taught me how to play and what to do and all that and we had some fun. It's more annoying when some guy decides to announce to us that he's going to "play through" us(after hitting balls within 10 yards of us) because he can just "blaze through" the holes.

 

I actually had a guy from a foursome do that, and then 3 of the foursome ended up going through us. The last guy actually decided to play with me and my friend. He ended up being that threesome's boss and they were doing a company tournament. That guy gave me chipping tips and bought me and my friend some drinks during our round. He said he was going to play with us because he couldn't keep up with the threesome that played through us. We ended up waiting for them after each shot pretty much. And this was when I shot double bogey every hole. Honestly, I wish I could've bought the guy a cigar or something(he was smoking one during our round) for being such a cool guy. He ended up leaving us at the 16th hole because his buddy came super late and he just played with him behind us(wasn't really busy that day on the course).

[villa]

PS. To the OP: Good on you.

 

Not to threadjack - but I wonder how many folks here feel a connection to - and almost a responsibility for - the sport itself. Certainly if you get a bit good - it is not always pleasant to play with people that are really bad (in any sport in fact).

 

The older I get, however, and the more I realize what immense pleasure golf has given me over the decades, and how much it has contributed to my life (not just the delight of playing, but the business connections I've made, the personal friends I've met, etc., etc.) ... the more I feel some sort of weird obligation to support the sport.

 

Which means that any newbie I get put with on a course (when I walk on as a single), or any friend that hints s/he might be curious about the game ... deserves (in my mind) overwhelming support. Deserves to be welcomed with open arms, and made to feel as they have joined a sort of club.

 

This golf, this thing we talk about here, has got to be the weirdest sport ever invented. No one is good at it. We all suck. Even the pros - they are the best in the world becaue they suck slightly less than the rest of us. They still hit wicked slices and snap-hooks off the tee. Fly greens. Duff sand shots. Plunk the ball into ponds. Three-putt. They just do this somewhat less often, and are better at recovering when they do.

 

The common bond that every golfer (from the newest amateur, to the PGA top ten) shares is the combination of the immense frustration that comes from playing a game impossible to master, and the almost unspeakable pleasure that comes from hitting even a single perfect shot.

 

I feel a bit of that spirit in this post - a guy who's friend is learning ... and who is worried about making sure that both his friend learns and gets invited into the game, but also that his other friends don't feel uncomfortable.

 

Again ... kudos ...

Awesome post mate :rolleyes:

 

There's some excellent advice by all the guys but for me, I'd say the same thing to you as I'd say to anyone just starting the game.

 

Go and find a pitch and putt (par 3) golf course and get your buddy to start that way. He'll gain nothing by trying to hit a driver 14 times a round at the moment, in fact, he'll probably pick up more bad habits. He won't enjoy taking ten shots per hole or knowing that he's holding up the people behind but if you give him a few shorts irons and a putter, he'll love honing his game on a little course.

 

You know what, you (and your mates) will love it too! I still go and play pitch and putt courses when I get the opportunity. That's how I started and it didn't do me any harm.