My first summer golfing

By June 2006 I had played at three different golf courses in the Newton, Kansas area. Each had their benefits, but the one that was the closest to me had a membership program that allowed me to join and play for $40 per month. It was a mature 9 hole course located on the West side of Newton in a residential area with lots of trees (lots of trees for a central Kansas course.)

My membership did not include the rental of a golf cart, so I invested in a push cart right away. The membership provided unlimited playing privileges so I soon began playing two, three, and even four times per week. Now, for those that do not know me, I am self employed as a professional web developer which grants a lot of flexibility over my schedule. About the same time, my grandfather introduced me to an "older" golfer named Don Harder. Don invited me to play with him and a handful of other retired golfers every Tuesday and Wednesday morning at Fox Ridge Golf Club.

Up to this point, I had pretty much been golfing alone or on the rare occasion with a neighbor or friend who also had a set of clubs. Playing with these older guys (the youngest was 69) was a real eye opener. Here I was playing with guys more than twice my age and they were still playing competitive golf (most of them have a handicap in the range of 6 to 16). Being young and swinging fast was good for a 250+ drive on occasion; but I soon learned that just because I could out drive most of them by 10-25 yards and some by as much as 80-100 yards, getting the ball on the green and in the hole was where the game was at.

I also observed that each one of these golfers' swing was unique; no two of them had the same arc, tempo, or follow-through. In spite of different swings, they still managed to control the flight of the golf ball. I can only imagine how awkward my swing must have been; one of them even let me borrow a swing training club for a while, but my control over the ball was very sporadic and generic. If the ball landed closer to the green, then it was a successful stroke for me.

Later that summer I started playing in an open 4-man scramble that took place every Wednesday evening at Fox Ridge. Here I was able to observe even more examples of unique swings, some that worked well, and some that didn't work at all. I still remember watching a young golfer with an awkward contrived swing who was lucky to advance the ball 100 yards with his driver; and then there was a golfer named Dick who could land the ball on the green in regulation every time. I had the privilege of playing with him at least twice during scrambles that summer and also a couple times on weekends.

Reading the book he recommended to me, Five Lessons by Ben Hogan, radically influenced my golf swing. Up to that point, I had not taken any lessons and had no instruction other than the occasional magazine article and what I observed by watching other golfers. Although, in some ways, it complicated my swing more, with me trying to concentrate on the "swing plane", "clearing my hips" and all the other technicalities, it did help me get the fundamentals of the grip and backswing. It was soon after I digested the book and tried applying its instruction that I first broke 100.

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