|
Anyone descending on a golf course in India will be surrounded by a fairly rowdy bunch of caddies all 'wannabe golf teachers'. However, they would be of no help if you really want to become a good golfer. Here is a simple check-list of things to do when you are just about to start the game.
- Find out who are the genuine, ratified golf teachers of the club and insist on booking your first series of lessons with him.
- Check and count your clubs and balls before your caddy struts off with your bag.
- Mark, preferably with a permanent marker pen, your initials on your golf balls.
- When you hit a stray shot, wait till your fore-caddy finds and picks up the wayward ball before hitting another one.
- Once you are done, repeat the equipment and ball checking procedure and take personal interest in returning your clubs to the trunk of your car.
In your first few lessons, strive to achieve the following:
- An athletic set up
- A fundamentally sound grip
- A consistent set-up routine
- Consistent ball position for all your clubs
- Conscious, careful and correct alignment
Once successful, suddenly the usual refrain that 'Golf is a set of awkward contortions meant to produce a graceful result', will change. You will have a correct pivot motion, which will become the life blood of your very athletic action.
It would be better if you go to a driving range first instead of becoming the unofficial gardener of your golf club. Anyway, it is not good for your ego to see others hitting perfectly legitimate shots, while you hit one wormburner after the other. In the driving range, at least there will be more players of your kind of abilities.
In the beginning, all you need is a 5-, 7- and 9-iron, a few practise balls and lots of patience. Get the ball consistently in the air and then graduate to the full set.
It is advisable to buy a new set rather than go for a second hand one. Primarily because you can now get new sets for as less as Rs 16,000 in India, but more importantly because a new set will give you that much more motivation to justify the expense. Also, there is good enough chance that the second hand set may have serious defects which an untrained eye will never be able to catch.
Of course, keep two things ingrained in your mind: whatever happens, keep your head down and eyes on the spot where the ball was placed for at least five seconds after you finish your shot. Never be too anxious to see the result of your shot. That is the one cardinal mistake of golf which you should never commit.
|
