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How to help my lady get into golf?

Weezy

Weezy

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Good afternoon everyone!

I wasn't sure where to post this, so I figured this would be the best spot! My girlfriend is wanting to get into golf so bad! She loves going and watching me and a couple of my buddies play, but she wants to get involved to. I let her hit a few balls and she can get some solid contact with a PW! I took her to a driving range and let her hit a few balls, and she launched one with one of my drivers about 170 yards. So, all it took was that one shot to bring her back!

Anyways, what does everyone suggest is the best way to get her started out right? Should I get her fit for clubs, get her lessons, let her hack around with a cheap set of clubs? How did you ladies of THP get started?

Any input would be great! I'm so excited about her enthusiasm towards the game!
 
Cheap clubs and lessons first. She may find out it is harder than it looks. If she does stick it out, after some instruction, you can get her fit and buy better clubs. Consider womens only SGI sets like Callway's GES. Those can be had for a good price and are super easy for a new lady player to hit.
 
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Just a quick input here, perhaps take her to some Par 3 course in the area so she can get a feel for getting perhaps some pars to build her confidence and love of the game up. I know it's not really fun starting golf on a full length course.
 
See if she has friends she can golf with, that made golf more fun for my gf. Lessons definitely help too!
 
HoosierGolfer said:
Cheap clubs and lessons first. She may find out it is harder than it looks. If she does stick it out, after some instruction, you can get her fit and buy better clubs. Consider womens only SGI sets like Callway's GES. Those can be had for a good price and a re super easy for a new lady player to hit.
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Exactly. DON'T TRY TO TEACH HER YOURSELF!

Jacqui got her first set off Craigslist, used them for over a year. She went to the range and got lessons for about a month (we got semi-private lessons, me and her, once a week for 6 lessons) before we hit the course. Then we played an executive course about 7 or 8 times before we went to a "real" course. She got a par and a birdie her very first round. She loves it now.
 
Find a place in your area that does golf classes for women. I set my wife up last year for one that ended up costing like $149 for 7, 1 hour group classes. She enjoyed it and since then we have played on an executive course, and frequent the driving range together sometimes.

I know the game is hard enough for me so I didn't even try to teach her. I ended up getting her one of those practice grips that teaches how to properly grip the club, put it on an old club, and let her swing that until classes came up.

Good luck and I hope your lady takes up the game.
 
I started with hand me down clubs - they are a great way to go (second hand ones). I learned to play on Callaway x-12s. I definitely don't think a fitting is needed yet, but game improvement irons would be helpful if you can get them. I think different women need different motivations to play, but it sounds like your girlfriend is ready to jump in head first. I'd also recommend some lessons - for grip and form. If you can teach her and not fight, that might work out, but I find it's way harder to take criticism from family (my dad taught me how to golf, but I found a teacher was way easier to learn from).

If she loses interest at any point, or needs more motivation, I think every women is different in getting her excited about hitting the links. Some women love new clothes, some love new accessories (that's me), some love new hard goods. I've been playing for a little while and when I first saw a crystal ball (like the Hope/Volvik), I thought it was the coolest thing. I bought some and was ready to hit the links. Never mind that the Hope ball sucked, I still loved to see it shining on the course. I think a lot of men find hard goods is a great motivator to play, but that's not what really lights my fire.

Good luck! It's a great game and wonderful to play with your significant other. If, btw, you decide to invest in a new set of women's irons, PM me and I can give you a price quote on a set. We have a great Adams A7OS women's full set in stock that is a great beginners to intermediate set.
 
Get her some clubs first and let her try on her own for a bit. I think it will scare her to walk right into lesson. I have a whole set of ladies clubs that I will sell you if your interested.
 
I agree with Smallville. I don't even give my wife any advice when we play together. Better left for a teacher.
 
my ex girlfriend was that way too. What I did was I bought her a set of pink clubs. They weren't very expensive or good quality but the fact that they were her favorite color made her try it out. It was funny she keep denying me on it, then I bought those clubs with a pink visor and glove and said about how cute she would look out there.... Then she agreed to go with me for 9 holes. After the 9 she wanted to play the other 9 and that's all it took. But I pretty much bribed her! i'm trying to get my 14 year old daughter the same way... hee hee
 
I purchased Jenn a cheap set of irons I found on ebay, then coupled it with a Wilson Hope Driver and putter. We started going to the range about 3 nights a week for about 2 months. Then we went to a par 3 course, and after we played we went back to the range. After that first year I upgraded her to a set of Adams irons, and now 5 years later she is addicted to golf.
 
HoosierGolfer said:
Cheap clubs and lessons first. She may find out it is harder than it looks. If she does stick it out, after some instruction, you can get her fit and buy better clubs. Consider womens only SGI sets like Callway's GES. Those can be had for a good price and are super easy for a new lady player to hit.
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This is exactly what I would do. Get her a cheap set of clubs and have her take lessons first. My first set of clubs were a Dick's Sporting Goods house brand for $199 and it came with the bag and everything. You can definitely find some cheap clubs to get started and then once she knows she likes it and starts to develop a consistent swing she can get fit for a new set.
 
Whatever you do, dont give her swing tips unless she asks you.
 
A few years back my wife decided to walk a tournament I was playing in. A week later she decided that she wanted to try playing,
so we got her some clubs and I took her to the range.
We went a few times a week for about 2 weeks, then took her out to a small local course. She shot a 125 first time out.
Last summer she broke 100 for the first time, then a few weeks later holed a shot out from 150yds and broke 90.
Six years from that first range trip she still has never had a lesson and continues to play pretty well!

I'd say if your girlfriend really wants to play, then get her some clubs and take her to the range, then maybe a twilight 9
at a pretty easy course to see if she really likes it.
 
You could always promise to take her shopping after every round lol I know that would work for my wife but then I would never be able to afford to play.
 
Take it from someone who hacked around for 25 years before getting serious enough to take lessons, encourage her to take lessons! I just started playing with a girl who is 36. She is from Thailand and will be my partner in an upcoming state tournament. She said she took lessons from a senior pro in Thailand for 4 months before he would let her get on the course. She said it was ugly at first but she soon figured it out. She has been playing for 11 years now and her handicap is between a 7-10. She is REALLY good! I wish I had done it in the beginning because now it's a struggle for me to learn new techniques after the bad ones are so engrained. She will enjoy it so much more if she learns to do it right from the beginning. I wish her the best of luck!
 
GolferGal said:
This is exactly what I would do. Get her a cheap set of clubs and have her take lessons first. My first set of clubs were a Dick's Sporting Goods house brand for $199 and it came with the bag and everything. You can definitely find some cheap clubs to get started and then once she knows she likes it and starts to develop a consistent swing she can get fit for a new set.
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That's what I did years ago. I bought the wife a full set of Nicklaus ladies clubs, clubs, bag, putter etc. for less than $200. Next was lessons and a couple of years later after she got a little better she moved up to her first full set of lady Callaway's.
 
Oh yeah, check out Craigslist for good used clubs. There are a lot of women who buy them and then never play.
 
I'll also say look for a cheap set of ladies clubs on Craigslist and get her lessons. I bought my first set of clubs for 60 bucks on Craigslist and then started taking lessons. Make sure you help her find a teacher who is really good with women. I had my first lesson with a guy who basically didn't know how to teach women (most of us are "talk" learners versus "visual" learners which is the exact opposite of how most men learn) and it was torture for two lessons. He didn't want to talk me through the process. He wanted to show me and then would get frustrated when I couldn't just imitate him. My instructor/coach I have now completely understands teaching women. He talks me through what we are working on, shows me and then talks me through it again.

And like a few other here have said absolutely do not try to "teach" her yourself....unless your couch is really comfy ;-)
 
MaryC said:
And like a few other here have said absolutely do not try to "teach" her yourself....unless your couch is really comfy ;-)
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+1 - thanks for the chuckle MaryC
 
I have read tons of great advise in this thread. I started 5 years ago. I am a control freak, so I ordered my own first set of clubs, Taylormade Miscela. I did not want pink clubs, so I really looked at different sets to make sure I liked what they looked like to start. I also got lessons right away. For me, this was imperative. I am very technical in my thinking and my pro helped even out the technical with the feel and athletic-ness of the golf swing. I learned playing with my husband, and we play together every weekend. (We even take some lessons together, but that will not work for everyone).

If I was starting now I would probably choose the Callaway Solaire set since the the bag is a sharp black and white scheme and the clubs also look good and they are easy to hit.
 
the fiance wanted to get into golf last year... really excited picked up some clubs for her... a starter set similar to what GG said she had... Played a few rounds but really she just likes being outside on the golf course. I havent been able to convince her to lessons yet and since I dont force people to do things she ended up not doing lessons last year but im sure il get her at least some basic lessons this year. Shes a perfectionist so if she gets the bug i better watch out.

however I think for a beginner lessons along with some sort of confidence is the only thing needed... nothing is better than hitting one real good golf shot in your first few weeks of learning the game
 
Thank you guys for all of the input! She has been BEGGING me for a set of clubs the past few months, so I will take the advice and get a nice, affordable set for her to hack around with.
I've been looking around for a nice place for female lessons, but I havent found much as of yet!
 
Last year my wife showed an interest and asked to tag along when my son and I went to the range to practice. I went into the clubhouse and got a demo ladies ping 7 iron and a bucket of balls. After I showed her the basics she did great. The next morning the asked to go again and then again the next weekend. I am thinking, this is awesome! More golf on vacation, golfing with other families... So the next time we go I buy her a set of inexpensive clubs the pro recommended and she couldn't hit them, got totally frustrated and hardly wanted to go after that.
 
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